First Principles - Sustainable Design: The Science of Sustainability and Green Engineering - page 79

Figure 2.15 Resistance and
openness to change: the
difference between groupthink
and synergy.

Resistance to
change

Gate-keeping and
other groupthink
activities

∆

New
Paradigm

Status Quo

Synergy and other
positive actions

Embracing
change

to which the research is driven by considerations of use is represented on the
horizontal axis. A body of research that is equally committed to potential utility
and to advancing fundamental understanding is represented as “use-inspired”
research. 16
For bold endeavors like green design and engineering, finding the right amount
of shift is a challenge. For example, not changing is succumbing to groupthink, but
changing the paradigm beyond what needs to be changed can be unprincipled,
lacking in scientific rigor. Groupthink is a complicated concept. An undergrad-
uate team in one of Vallero's recent courses thought of groupthink as a positive
concept. Although they either did not read or disagreed with the assigned text's
discussion of the matter, they made some good points about the value of group
thinking in similar ways. It is amazing how creative students can be when they have
not read the assigned material! One major value identified by the students is that
when a group works together, it has synergies of ideas and economies of scale (see
Fig. 2.15). Their point is well taken: Pluralistic views are often very valuable, but
a group can also stifle differing opinions.
The key is finding the right balance between innovation and risk. Within this
range is best, green practice.

NOTES AND REFERENCES

1. An ideal gas is one that conforms to Boyle's law and that has zero heat of free
expansion (i.e., conforms to Charles' law).
2. Even solids can be fluids at a very large scale. For example, in plate tectonics
and other expansive geological processes, solid rock will flow, albeit very
slowly.