The Abilene paradox is a term that describes a phenomenon under which a group collectively agrees to a decision that is paradoxically against the interests of most or all of the members of that group.

We’ve all encountered the Abilene Paradox at some point, but maybe we didn’t know the scholarly phrase for it. In short, most summarize it as management by agreement, whether for the best or worst.

In the days before air conditioning, a husband and wife were visiting her parents in a small West Texas town. As they were relaxing one Sunday afternoon, the wife's father suggested that they all ...

The Abilene Paradox, a term coined by Jerry Harvey in the 1970’s, describes a very specific phenomenon that occurs amongst even the wisest decision-makers. Jamie Librot, organizational psychologist ...