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Topic: Abilene paradox

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Paradox

Groupthink

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	List of paradoxes - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
		Elevator paradox: Elevators can seem to be mostly going in one direction, as if they were being manufactured in the middle of the building and being disassembled on the roof and basement.
		Abilene paradox: People can make decisions based not on what they actually want to do, but on what they think that other people want to do, with the result that everybody decides to do something that nobody really wants to do, but only what they thought that everybody else wanted to do.
		Supplee's paradox: the buoyancy of a relativistic object (such as a bullet) appears to change when the reference frame is changed from one in which the bullet is at rest to one in which the fluid is at rest.
	en.wikipedia.org /wiki/List_of_paradoxes (1923 words)

	Abilene paradox - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
		The Abilene paradox is a paradox in which the limits of a particular situation force a group of people to act in a way that is directly the opposite of their actual preferences.
		On a hot afternoon visiting in Coleman, Texas, the family is comfortably playing dominoes on a porch, until the father-in-law suggests that they take a trip to Abilene (53 miles away) for dinner.
		The "Abilene Paradox" remains related to the concept of "groupthink," in that both theories appear to explain the observed behavior of groups in social contexts.
	en.wikipedia.org /wiki/Abilene_paradox (624 words)

	Paradox
		A paradox is an apparently true statement that seems to lead to an illogical contradiction, or to a situation that contradicts common intuition.
		Put simply, a paradox is 'the opposite of what one thinks to be true.' The identification of a paradox based on seemingly simple and reasonable concepts has often led to significant advances in science, philosophy and mathematics.
		Abilene paradox: People take actions in contradiction to what they really want to do, and therefore defeat the very purposes of what they were trying to accomplish.
	www.knowledgefun.com /book/p/pa/paradox.html (1809 words)

	Abilene Homes
		Abilene - a plain, a district lying on the east slope of the Anti-Lebanon range.
		The name ''Abilene'' was chosen because of the network's resemblance, in ambition and scope, to the Abilene railhead in Abilene, Kansas, which in the 1860s represented the frontier of the United States in the context of the Nation's railroad infrastructure.
		Abilene is a city in the state of Texas.
	www.artistbooking.com /trips/0/abilene-homes.html (1003 words)

	Welcome to Lutherans.Net
		Paradox: a noun, a statement seemingly absurd or self-contradictory, an opinion.
		It was called the "Abilene Paradox" and I had no idea of what it was to be about or who the people were whose names were rolling by in the credits.
		The paradox is out there, and it's been out there for a long time, but it just has had a different name.
	www.lutherans.net /Devotions/Display.asp?ID=31 (897 words)

	[No title] (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-29)
		The heat was brutal and they were coated in a fine layer of dust that was cemented by perspiration by the time they arrived.
		Here they were Four reasonable sensible people who, out of their own volition, had just taken a 106 mile trip across a godforsaken desert in a furnace-like temperatures through a cloud-like dust storm to eat un-palatable food at a hole-in-the-wall cafeteria in Abilene, when non of them really wanted to go.
		Paradoxes are generally based on logic or rationale different from what we expect or understand.
	www.unity.edu /facultypages/jzavodny/TheAbilieneParadox.doc (839 words)

	The Top 10 Things About My Abilene Paradox
		Abilene opened the chapter of living boldly for me, for my husband, for ourselves.
		In the quiet environment of Abilene, I learn that at the end of the day, it is not what I do but who I really am, what I want to be, that matters most to me.
		Ah Abilene, a town whose interesting paradox gave me much zest to live, and a song to sing for the rest of the journey.
	www.topten.org /public/BL/BL19.html (780 words)

	Communication Training Video/DVD, Decision Making, Leadership - Abilene Paradox is a communication and decision-making ... (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-29)
		Abilene Paradox is a communication and decision-making training program.
		Whether you are interested in leadership, individual-accountability, communication, team-building, decision-making, or problem-solving training, you'll find The Abilene Paradox flexible enough to target the skill sets most important to your organization at any given time.
		Plus, the original version of The Abilene Paradox is included on the same tape or DVD to expand your training options.
	www.learncom.com /shop/index.cfm/fuseaction/store.viewProduct/ID/992 (307 words)

	Facilitation Skill 103: The Management of Agreement
		Stated simply, when organizations blunder into the Abilene Paradox, they take actions in contradiction to what they really want to do and therefore defeat the very purposes they are trying to achieve.
		I now call the tendency for groups to embark on excursions that no group member wants “the Abilene Paradox.” Stated simply, when organizations blunder into the Abilene Paradox, they take actions in contradiction to what they really want to do and therefore defeat the very purposes they are trying to achieve.
		Such phenomena were illustrated in the Abilene group by the “culprit” argument that occurred when we had returned to the comfort of the fan.
	www.masterfacilitatorjournal.com /archives/skill103.html (2353 words)

	The Miles / LeHane Group - Servicing the Multiple Aspects of Career Management
		It is based on a trip taken by a family to Abilene, Texas—a trip that no one in the group really wants to take.
		Using a parable about a family trip to Abilene, Dr. Jerry B. Harvey illustrates a series of circumstances that lead his group to meaningless outcomes and blame.
		“The Abilene Paradox” half-day workshop is facilitated for a group of 8-10 participants by one of our experienced career counselors.
	www.mileslehane.com /abilene.htm (237 words)

	Abilene Paradox (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-29)
		A group of adults is off to dinner in Abilene, Texas after an idea to do so was floated during a game of dominos.
		The group is off to dinner in Abilene, Texas, a 53-mile drive in 104-degree heat in a car without air conditioning.
		Some years later, as a professor of Management Science, Jerry wrote an insightful, common sense article, called The Abilene Paradox, embroidering this experience into what became for him an intensely personal reassessment of the very foundation of group decision making.
	www.hrit.com /catalog/abilene_paradox_3152857.htm (316 words)

	GROUPTHINK/MANAGING AGREEMENT BIC LECTURE
		The road to Abilene usually begins with everybody in the group agreeing about the basic nature of the situation and what they want to do.
		In a sense, all passengers on the trip to Abilene conspire with one another to bring about the problem and all are to blame for the conspiracy, unless, of course, a way is found to break the grip of the conspiracy.
		The trip to Abilene is a paradox alright and paradoxes are usually such because they are based on a logic different than what we have come to understand or expect.
	business.baylor.edu /Allen_Seward/swhompage/sw2000/GROUPTHINKAGREEMENT.htm (3919 words)

	Alibris: Abilene
		Suddenly Abilene is on the verge of erupting in a savage rampage of death.
		For lovely Aileen Bloom, Abilene was a place to make her mark as a doctor, and for two brothers, it was a town tainted with their father's blood--and ripe for revenge.
		It's Election Day in Abilene, and Marshal Luke Travis is sure his opponent, John Henry Dawes, is not the honest lawman he pretends to be.
	www.alibris.com /search/books/subject/Abilene (1062 words)

	The Abilene Paradox (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-29)
		A virus has infected the abilene paradox, and for some time has been eating.
		The abilene paradox as you and we know it is no longer, and will never be again.
		All Abilene Paradox and old Mute recordings will be posted soon for your downloading pleasure.
	www.theabileneparadox.com (1642 words)

	Revisiting the Abilene Paradox: Is Management of Agreement Still an Issue (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-29)
		In the Abilene case, one suggestion (offered on the assumption that the people wanted to do something besides sit on the porch) began a domino-like sequence of individual agreement with the concept in spite of each person’s private misgivings about the desirability and wisdom of making the trip to Abilene.
		An example that might have helped the Abilene group: the wife’s father could have left the door open to discover others’ real feelings by directly asking what the others were thinking, and by revealing why he was making the suggestion to go to Abilene.
		An undesired and frustrating trip to Abilene in 104-degree heat should be a compelling image in our minds of the critical need to attend to how we manage agreement in libraries.
	www.arl.org /diversity/leading/issue8/abilene.html (1980 words)

	Paradoxes - curiouser.co.uk
		Below is a list of paradoxes which you might be interest to research, some of which may be featured at curiouser.co.uk in due course.
		Grandfather paradox: You travel back in time and kill your grandfather before he meets your grandmother, resulting in your never being conceived.
		St. Petersburg paradox: Can it be rational to refuse a small finite entry fee for a game with a possible infinite pay off?
	www.curiouser.co.uk /paradoxes (549 words)

	Sample Article Page (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-29)
		Jerry Harvey, author of The Abilene Paradox*, tells an interesting story that took place years ago on a sweltering July Sunday afternoon in the small town of Coleman, Texas.
		He concludes that the inability of organizations to manage their agreements can be a major source of organizational dysfunction.
		After several years passed, the effects of the Abilene Paradox are still observable in the pastor, his family, and in the church.
	www.bengtson.org /MTM/Servant/Vol_6_2/v6_2_05.htm (845 words)

	The Abilene Paradox \| MetaFilter
		July 21, 2003 3:15 AM The Abilene Paradox: A sunny afternoon, a family playing cards on a terrace.
		The Abilene Paradox -- which describes in familiar terms how entire groups can be motivated to act contrary to their own wishes -- can only occur when communication breaks down...or is broken down.
		The example of the Abilene paradox seems to assume that everyone will just magically go along with a half-hearted proposal to avoid conflict.
	www.metafilter.com /comments.mefi/27119 (759 words)

	[No title]
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		the fear of taking risks that may result in our separation from others is at the core of the paradox.ìÿÿ
		Therefore we know the reality, but have not had the opportunity to learn the reciprocal skills of connection.
	courses.cs.tamu.edu /cpsc606/lively/abilene_paradox.ppt (572 words)

	Abilene Paradox (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-29)
		The Abilene Paradox 2E video is a classic training program that has helped thousands of organizations increase profits and productivity.
		This story of a family trip to Abilene offers a timeless, compelling lesson on reading the road signs and knowing when you're headed toward Abilene.
		I saw the first version of Abilene Paradox many years ago and was thrilled to see an updated version available.
	www.mpcfilms.com /products/abilene_paradox_2e.htm (521 words)

	The Abilene Paradox: 7 Tips for Effective Communication In Business Meetings
		That’s the example paradox given by Jerry B. Harvey to explain the phenomenon of group-think – the arch enemy of effective communication in business meetings.
		The Abilene Paradox explains why groups often come up with a solution no-one expressly wants or cares about (a camel is a horse designed by a committee :>).
		The Abilene Paradox explains why people often do the things that damage the group most, whilst trying to achieve the best for the group.
	www.mftrou.com /abilene-paradox-business-meeting.html (452 words)

	[No title]
		But since that fateful summer day in Coleman, I have observed, consulted with and been a part of more than one organization that has been caught in the same situation.
		As a result, it has either taken a side-trip, and occasionally, a terminal journey to Abilene when Dallas or Muleshoe or Houston or Tokyo was where it really wanted to go.
		And for most of those organizations, the destructive consequences of such trips, measured both in terms of human misery and economic loss, have been much greater than for the Abilene group.
	www.jordan-webb.net /downloads/abilene.ppt (706 words)

	snowdeal.org > ex machina
		At some point, the wife’s father suggests they drive to Abilene to eat at a cafeteria there.
		The son-in-law thinks this is a crazy idea but doesn’t see any need to upset the apple cart, so he goes along with it, as do the two women.
		i look forward to screaming, "abilene paradox!" and launching into the parable about driving to coleman, texas.
	snowdeal.org /section/ex_machina/2002/03/i-have-lived-abilene-paradox-on-so.html (468 words)

	ROFASIX - CAV Guy!
		In case you have forgotten, the “Abilene paradox,” it is a story of how a rural Texas family departs on an almost disastrous 53 mile trip to Abilene.
		After they arrive they realize the trip was the last thing any of them wanted to do as individuals, but they all deferred to the assumed wisdom and consensus of the family.
		I kept hoping someone would ask him how on one hand the Kiowa Warrior couldn’t cut it in the war on terror, and needed to be replaced, but seemed to be one of the most demanded and used aircraft in the Iraq War.
	rofasix.blogspot.com /2005/06/armed-reconnaissance-helicopter-arh.html (1299 words)

	The Abilene Paradox- 2nd edition \| Teams
		This book explains the Abilene Paradox in terms of corporate decisions and illogical business interactions so that your organization will be able to apply the insights from this book directly to its own situation.
		You'll avoid the bumpy trip to "Abilene" with this essential, award-winning classic for everyone in your organization.
		Abilene Paradox 2nd edition: VHS (22 Min.) (English)
	www.rctm.com /app/Product/9529.html (505 words)

	SBPM News
		This is the Abilene Paradox: Organizations frequently take actions in contradiction to what they really want to do and therefore defeat the very purposes of what they try to accomplish.
		Just as none of Harvey’s family wanted to go to Abilene, often many people in an organization feel a project or a meeting is a waste of time or should have ended long ago, but nobody speaks up for fear of offending the others.
		Harvey, who retired last year after 33 years as a SBPM management science professor, discussed the Abilene Paradox with a group of MBA students in the Fowler Career Center on Oct. 15, at the invitation of the MBA Association.
	www.gwu.edu /~business/news/archive/2003/sbpm_news1017.htm (1486 words)

	Personal Effectiveness: Trips to Abilene; trip to abilene, group process
		Phil is referring to an insightful work by Jerry Harvey, The Abilene Paradox, which describes how a group can commit to a course that no member favors.
		In a trip to Abilene, nobody feels that the group is behaving sensibly.
		Protecting against trips to Abilene is worth the effort — tickets to Abilene are nonrefundable.
	www.chacocanyon.com /pointlookout/021127.shtml (1135 words)

	Abilene Paradox Training Video Program
		Travel the road to Abilene and you'll arrive at a place where deeply held, logical values fall victim to group dynamics.
		In this age of corporate scandals and lack of accountability, management expert Dr. Jerry B. Harvey's parable about a family trip to Abilene offers a timeless, compelling lesson on reading the road signs and knowing when you're headed toward Abilene.
		The five psychological principles of the Abilene Paradox
	www.customerserviceuniversity.com /abileneparadox.html (165 words)

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