Responding to change by rebuilding

your collective base

New
directive

Individual responses

Collective response

Impact on
work content

Collectiv
e
response
to the
directive

The absence of collective impact

Outcome
s

work
content

Individual agendas

Outcome
s
Outcome
s

Outcome
s

Revisiting the Adjustment Stage of Work Group

Development

Stage 1:Forming

Norm: individual
influence

Stage 3:Establishing
Group Norms

Norm: collective
influence

Stage 2:
Adjustment

Individual influenceVs-collective influence

Norm: conflict

Stage
4:Performance
Performance improves
as a result of greater
participation
Norm: group identity

Collective Process
includes the interests of others
anticipates others will be affected
acknowledges the need for group
development
demonstrates interest in collective work
requires participation
allocates collective resources
identifies competing agendas
identifies collective purpose

The individual process

focus on my work
may be the default of an absent
collective
may reflect a need for safety (blaming)
resists collective process (self-serving)
may lack collective capacity (self
centered)
can enable self serving agendas
(subgroups)
can be the result of rigidity (flexibility
may be perceived as weakness or failure)

Forming stage I
Individual influence
is the norm

The
Work

Individuals identify with the work and/or

with leadership.
Relationships with colleagues may vary
(competitive, friendships, spousal,
adversarial)
The group is a collection, not a collective
The task for leadership is to give it
structure

Leadership

Forming stage II

Individuals now relate

to the work and
leadership
synonymously:
relationships are
formed
leader-member work
relationships are
established
Individual influence is
acknowledged
The leadership task is
to acknowledge and
prioritize the need for
collective process

Individual influence
is (still) the norm

Leaders
hip
The Work

Adjustment stage I: individual (influence)-Vs-collective (power)

Individuals have
established
relationships with
leadership and with
the work, but not with
the collective.
Individual processes
compete with group
process
The focus has been on
the individual, not the
collective
Conflict is inevitable
Conflict-avoidance
competes with
problem -solving
Conflict exists
between individual
and collective norms
Leadership task:
collective problem

leaders
hip

The Work

Adjustment stage I: influence-Vs-power

The group must adjust

to its own differences
(outlook, influence,
orientation)
The response to
individual differences
can impact group
composition
(formation of
subgroups)
Individual processes
continue to compete
with collective process

leaders
hip

The Work

Adjustment Stage III

Default Roles
Subgroup norms reflect
the beliefs of an influential
member
The subgroup is
accountable to itself
The subgroup avoids
internal conflict in order to
preserve cohesion
In subgroups, outcomes
drive process
In collectives, process
drives outcomes
Exclusive communication
patterns encourage
subgroup norms
Subgroups are susceptible
to Groupthink and Basic
Assumption Phenomenon

leaders
hip
The Work

Group Phenomenon
Groupthink:
Janis (1972) defines it as "a way of
deliberating that group members use
when their desire for unanimity
overrides their motivation to assess all
available plans of action."
The maintenance of the groups
cohesion becomes all-important and
results in very bad decision-making.

Basic Assumption Phenomenon

When Work Groups are faced with
uncontrollable anxiety, they may fall into one
or more of three different emotional states in
which basic assumption groups exist.
Dependency
In this state, the group seeks a leader who will
relieve them of all anxiety. This leader is thus
invested with omnipotence and is expected to
be able to solve all problems.
If this magical leader does not meet
expectations, then the leader will be attacked
and a replacement sought. Thus a cycle of
leader-seeking, idealization and denigration
occurs.

Adjustment Stage II:

Forming Subgroups

leaders
hip

The Work

Coalitions form:
Subgroups avoid
internal conflict to
preserve cohesion
Internal conflict is
reconciled by blaming
externals
Leadership is
assigned the task of
determining fault
Leadership task:
collective
participation in
problem solving
Second task:
leadership style may
conflict with
leadership task

Strength Norms and Default

Norms
mistrus
t
doubt

identity

The Evolution of Default Norms into Dependent

Roles

Dependent group norms

and roles
in an effort
to avoid
conflict
leadership
is
compromis
ed

In an effort
to avoid
blame
(failure)
the hero
will
compromise
competence

In an effort to
avoid blame
(fault) the
scapegoat
will
compromise
initiative

Avoidance
BLAM
E

In an effort to
avoid blame
(accountabilit
y) the mascot
will
compromise
trust

The work

In an effort
to avoid
blame
(disapprova
l) the lost
child will
compromis
e autonomy

In an effort
to avoid
blame
(exclusion)
the enabler
will
compromise
identity

The individuals response to blame

avoidance
for me,
accountabi
lity
In effort to
avoid
blame

I direct blame

and
compromise
my trust

I isolate

and
compromise
my autonomy

for me,
disappro
val
In effort to
avoid
blame

The individuals response to blame

avoidance
for me,
fault
In an
effort to
avoid
blame

I will avoid any risk of blame

by
compromising
initiative

for me,
failure
In an
effort to
avoid
blame

I will abandon those who

blame

and deprive
them my
competence

The individuals response to blame

avoidance
for me,
exclusion

In an
effort to
avoid
blame

I will enable those who

blame

and
compromise my
identity

for me,
conflict
In an
effort to
avoid
blame

I will avoid problem solving

and
compromise
leadership

Competing Processes
t1

Collective
process

2
Individual
process

The
Work

Subgroup
process

4
Couple
process

Individual process: self-centered

t

Outlook: correct, right, better, brighter,

most sought-after (perfection)
Motivation: Attention

Individual
process

Behavior: Self-validating behaviors

(includes finding fault in others)
3

Obstacles to collective process: The

views of others
4

Tolerance for critical feedback: None.

Any need for feedback implies
imperfection, and there is little tolerance
for imperfection

Individual process: selfserving

2

Outlook: Self-serving
t1

Motivation: What I want; what is in my

best interest is in everyones best
interests; all or nothing
Behavior: Blaming; bullying; coercion;
intimidation through manipulation of
influence

Individual
process

Obstacles to collective process: Avoids

accountability to leadership and
membership; would rather see the group
fail if it will not accommodate the self
serving agenda

Tolerance for critical feedback: None;

unwilling to accept responsibility for
behavior; does not acknowledge impact on
others; avoids being held accountable by

Individual process: Rigidity

t1

Outlook: black and white;

right/wrong; win/lose; either/or; no
tolerance for grey
Motivation: Succeed, or avoid the
perception of failure; competence
determines worth

Individual
process

Behavior: Argumentative; inflexible;

validation seeking; fault finding
4

Obstacles to collective process:

unwillingness to negotiate or
compromise; views concession as
failure

Individual process: Entitled

4

t1

Outlook: I am owed, I am entitled, I

deserve; due to my education, my skills,
my youth, or my parents
Motivation: To get what I am owed
(more); incentive (external)

2
Individual
process

Behaviors: frustration intolerance;

tantruming; threats to abandon
3

Obstacles to collective process: lack of

commitment to the environment;
minimal collective loyalty

Couple
process

Couple (married, partnered, or close

friends) relationships impact decision
making and group interaction
The relationship may influence
decision making
One may act as voice for both
One may act out the agenda of the
other
The group perception is that the
couple will act in support of each
other
Couple norms provide alternatives to
the collective process

Subgroup
process

Subgroups tend to represent the

interests of its most influential
member
Subgroups place a high priority on ingroup loyalty and unanimity
Subgroups are most susceptible to
group phenomenon (Groupthink and
Basic Assumption)
Subgroup may support self-serving
agendas, presented as of collective
process
Impasse occurs when collective goals
compromise goal-directed agendas
Subgroup influence is determined by
its ability to minimize collective
influence
Subgroup allows one the perception of
speaking in behalf of others
Loyalty in subgroups can result in
discouraging critical thinking
Enabling gives the appearance of

Collective
process

Collective process is a reasonable

expectation in a work environment
The most basic obstacle to collective
process is individual process
Collective process considers how we
are influenced by the work,
leadership, and each other
In what arena do we consider the
impact that we have on each other?
Collective decision making relies on
process to determine outcomes
Self-serving decision making relies on
(desired) outcomes to determine
process
The groups processes reflect its
nature (collective or individual
agendas)

Establishing Collective
Norms
Participation is
encouraged
Participation in decision
making is expected
Conflict is acknowledged
A Problem-solving
process is identifiable
There is an agreement to
support the process and
the outcome as a
collective decision
There is increased
initiative, trust, &
productivity
The work has a collective
definition as well as its
individual interpretations
Work distribution is
regularly revisited in order
to encourage collective
support for the individual

memb
er
memb
er

Collect
ive
Platfor
m

memb
er

memb
er

membe
r

Leadersh
ip

subgroup

Collective Process
Collective

2
Individuals

leadership
The
Work

3
couple

t1