Melinda is trying to get accurate feedback from her employees about whether a new product she is planning to sell will be appealing to consumers. She would normally have her employees comment on the product in a group staff meeting; however, she recently learned about the Asch studies and is concerned about conformity pressures. What strategy could she use to reduce conformity?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Having employees rate the product in private will reduce conformity pressures as they won't be affected by the opinions of their peers. Offering a bonus (A) might increase the pressure to conform to the group norm even more, and telling employees to ignore others (C) might not be effective since people naturally have a tendency to conform to the opinions of others. Reminding employees not to pressure one another (D) is a good idea, but it may not be enough to overcome the powerful influence of conformity.

Melinda Is Trying to Get Accurate Feedback from Her Employees