The hidden psychological dynamics inherent to participation in groups can often prevent them from functioning effectively. For example, we all tend to negotiate between conflicting feelings of wanting to belong, yet wanting to maintain our individual identity, whenever we join a new group. What do we have to give up in order to belong? Becoming more aware of dynamics such as these can help us to not act them out unconsciously, but rather to use them to deepen our own self-understanding, leading to more freedom in how we relate to groups.

Also, groups have been shown to typically follow distinct stages of development, e.g., the well known "forming, storming, norming, performing" stages. Understanding these stages can help us to maintain our equilibrium and perspective during challenging moments in the life of a group. Group theory is a huge field and we are not experts in it. However it is an important component of building collective wisdom in groups which we want to at least flag for attention. The following resources are ones we have found helpful.

Books

Paradoxes of Group Life: Understanding Conflict, Paralysis, and Movement in Group Dynamics. Kenwyn Smith & David Berg. 1987. The New Lexington Press.

This book is a dense read but it is worth the effort. It is considered a classic in the field of group dynamics, offering a revolutionary approach to understanding groups and overcoming the problems that often paralyze group members and the group as a whole. The authors demonstrate how group members and groups as a whole consistently encounter seemingly contradictory situations - paradoxes - that can prevent the group from reaching its goals. Apparently paradoxical strategies, such as suggesting that a group focused on moving ahead do nothing, can overcome group conflicts and remove barriers to action.

The Theory and Practice of Group Psychotherapy. Irvin D. Yalom. 1995. Basic Books.

The American Journal of Psychiatry calls this volume "probably the best single-author book on the subject ever written" and it is widely considered as an enduring classic in the literature of psychotherapy.

Articles

Tuckman, Bruce. (1965). Developmental sequence in small groups. Psychological Bulletin, 63, 384-399. (See http://dennislearningcenter.osu.edu/references/GROUP%20DEV%20ARTICLE.doc). This is the classic article that introduced the notion of the 'forming, storming, norming, and performing' stages that has become the basis for many subsequent models of group development.

Gantt, S.P. & Agazarian, Y.M. (2004). Systems-centered emotional intelligence: Beyond individual systems to organizational systems.

Organizational Analysis, 12 (2), 147-169. See http://www.systemscentered.com/theory/EI%20OrgAnal2004.pdf (available with permission of publisher.)

Systems-centered theory emphasizes that living human systems survive, develop, and transform through a developing ability to recognize differences and integrate them. This article applies the systems-centered approach to the development of emotional intelligence in and by groups.

Trainings

Systems-Centered Training (www.sct-institute.org)

Systems-centered theory emphasizes that living human systems survive, develop, and transform through a developing ability to recognize differences and integrate them. Systems-centered training teaches how to understand and influence living human systems and how to take up one's role as an agent of change, both for the self and for other living human systems.