science

Spreadthink

Spreadthink is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Spreadthink rather than just read about it. In short: Spreadthink is a kind of conceptual pathology of groups unable to reach any "genuine consensus, or even majority view toward component aspects of a complex issue". The word was coined by systems researcher and mathematical cybernetician John N.

Key takeaways

Spreadthink belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Spreadthink to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Spreadthink from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Spreadthink is a kind of conceptual pathology of groups unable to reach any "genuine consensus, or even majority view toward component aspects of a complex issue". The word was coined by systems researcher and mathematical cybernetician John N. Warfield to describe ineffective thinking in groups. Warfield said that this collective condition is generally neither recognized nor usually compensated for. Spreadthink reflects the fact that any time a group meets to work together on a complex issue using ordinary and familiar group processes, the individuals in the group will not agree on what are the most important sub-issues, and in general will not have a majority view on the merits of any of the many sub-issues. In contrast to groupthink, spreadthink is a quantifiable psychosocial phenomenon that occurs within diversified groups of people. It is the mode of thinking that happens when different perspectives on a truly complex problem are convened for the purposes of understanding the complex situation. The desire for expressing authentic individual voices about the situation exceeds the desire for harmony in a simplistic decision-making process. Group members try to minimize reasons for individually defecting – or leaving the group that is trying to collectively deal with the complexity. Defection results from individuals who feel that their strongly held perspectives are not included in the definition of the situation. Warfield cautioned, "Facilitators who try to bring groups to a majority view or a consensus without the aid of some methodology that resolves the difficulties caused by Spreadthink may well be driving the group to Groupthink, and thus helping to arrive at a decision that lacks individual support and, usually, lacks substance." Spreadthink needs to be understood in the context of the nominal group technique (NGT), interpretive structural modeling (ISM) and interactive management (IM) developed by Warfield and his team. One further outcome was the phenomenon of erroneous priorities effect (EPE) first demonstrated as a spreadthink (group) pathology by Kevin Dye as a central element of evolutionary learning.

Citations

References 1976. Warfield, JN, Societal Systems: Planning, Policy, and Complexity. New York: Wiley Interscience. 1994. Warfield, JN, A Handbook of Interactive Management. With Roxana Cárdenas, Ames, IA: Iowa State University Press 1994. 2002. Warfield, JN, Understanding Complexity: Thought and Behavior. AJAR Publishing Company, Palm Harbor, FL.

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Spreadthink

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Spreadthink claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Spreadthink before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Spreadthink ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Spreadthink

In research: Spreadthink appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Spreadthink in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Spreadthink is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Conformity, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Spreadthink outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Spreadthink in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Spreadthink means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Spreadthink out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Spreadthink in simple terms?

Why does Spreadthink matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Spreadthink?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Spreadthink.