What term describes when the primary goal is displaced by a secondary goal in group decision making?

• A. Groupthink
• B. Satisficing
• C. Goal Displacement
• D. Dominance by a Few Members

Answer: (C)

When a group decision process shifts its attention from the original problem to a different, secondary objective, that shift is called goal displacement. It happens when members become preoccupied with something like protecting their own interests, pleasing a powerful stakeholder, or preventing blame, and these concerns steer the group away from solving the initial task. This makes the final decision reflect the secondary goal more than the primary one.

This idea is different from groupthink, which centers on a desire for unanimity and conformity that suppresses dissent; from satisficing, which is about stopping at a satisfactory rather than optimal solution; and from dominance by a few members, which describes unequal influence rather than a redefined objective.