People in a group may mimic a herd of herbivores.
Overlaps with groupthink
Features: people align their behavior to that shown by others in the group
Benefits:
(1) affords passive protection since no one stands out
Disadvantages:
(1) individualistic behavior is suppressed (anything that sticks out is hammered down)
(2) innovation is reduced, which may lead to stagnation
(3) dynamics of the group can lead to excesses in behavior
(4) shared beliefs can lead to herd bias
(5) response to a novel threat may be suboptimal (the group may give an illusion of safety)
