Groupcentric

Groupcentric is an adjective describing a focus on groups, collective identity, or group-based considerations over individual concerns. In social science, a groupcentric orientation refers to the tendency to define oneself and one’s priorities in relation to a defined group and to prioritize group goals, norms, and welfare in decision making.

The term is used across disciplines, including psychology, sociology, organizational behavior, and marketing. It relates to but is distinct from collectivism, which broadly emphasizes group welfare, and from ethnocentrism, which evaluates other groups through the lens of one’s own group. Groupcentricity can be expressed as strong group identification, adherence to shared norms, and willingness to cooperate to benefit the group.

In organizations, group-centric leadership and decision making emphasize consensus, collaborative problem solving, and distributed accountability, aiming to boost cohesion and performance in teams. In marketing and consumer research, a group-centric approach analyzes how group membership—such as family, workplace, or cultural communities—shapes preferences and behavior, informing segmentation strategy and messaging.

Potential drawbacks include pressure toward conformity, reduced dissent, and diffusion of responsibility, which can hinder creativity and critical evaluation. Researchers assess group-centric tendencies through measures of social identification, perceived group norms, and collective self-esteem, drawing on social identity theory.