Group Dynamic of High Performing Teams and Individuals

Introduction

Humans are social animals, we live in ‘herds' or ‘packs' and just like sheep, if a few people start to get scared, the fear transmits through the group like energy moving from one person to the next. Fear and laughter are contagious!

Example - The Stock Market!

This explains how stock markets have bull and bear runs, it is based on the fact that once a group of people (the investors and traders) think the market is moving in one direction, they all ‘herd' in the same direction which adds to speed at which the market is either falling or climbing.

Example - Football Riots and Rock Concerts!

This ‘herd' mentality with humans also explains how a group of football fans can suddenly turn into a rowdy mob and that individuals act as a whole and start to riot. One football fan on his/her own would not act in this way, it takes the energy of the group to move individuals towards this behaviour. On a more optimistic note, the same phenomena can occur at a rock concert, however this time the group energy is positive and each individual gains an added experience that they would not have been able to achieve on their own or in a smaller group.

The amount of energy generated by a group is greater than the sum of its parts, i.e. if 100 people are asked how angry they feel out of 10, 10 being the most angry they have ever felt and the average feeling of anger across the 100 people is 6/10, then together they will have more than 60/100 levels of anger because the group feeling will escalate and as a group the anger levels could then rise and rise. As they do, each individual will feel steadily more angry too.

How Does this relate to the Workplace?

In teams at work we can create the same phenomena and use positive energy to deliver much more than each individual could. Robert Diltz (NLP Trainer and Originator to the field) calls this ‘Collaborative Generation' i.e. The group collaborates and out of that energy, ideas and accomplishments are generated which are far greater than that of the individuals all just added together.

Similarly, however if a few of the team are close and communicate between themselves, this creates a division within the group and prevents the group dynamic from truly working.

The worse scenario for the individual is if all the team except them form a group and exclude them. This is often done unconsciously by groups and is based on the ‘outsider' being radically different in some way from the group.

Example - The Horse Whisperer

In the modern field of Equine Psychology is has been observed that packs of wild horses have their own methods for disciplining younger horses that misbehave. If a horse does something that is ‘against the rules of the herd' i.e. probably going to endanger the herd, then the oldest mare leads the horse out onto the plains and leaves the horse while the herd moves on without this horse. This is the most painful and frightening experience that the herd can inflict on their disruptive members.

Example - Child Psychology

Humans are also pack animals and the field of child psychology has developed to include training for disruptive children that mimics that of the herd of horses. Instead of hitting a child to punish them, the parents are encouraged to find a place in the house which is away from the rest of the family e.g. the bottom stair, and leave the child alone in this place, and give them no attention. This is the psychological equivalent of the horse being left on the plain and is so unpleasant an experience for the child that they learn not to be so disruptive to the family.

How does this apply in the Workplace?

If we follow this concept into the workplace we can find those who have metaphorically been left alone on the plain. They will fell alone, frightened and not valued enough to be part of the gang. Psychologically this is an extremely damaging place to be as it signifies that they have done something so bad that its unacceptable to the group. In the case of the working environment, that individual may feel that because they haven't obviously done a bad deed, that they are inherently so bad (or worthless) a person that they're unacceptable to the group.

Damaging Results

Low self-esteem, paranoia and depression are often associated with this belief. This will then lead to loss of performance at work and low morale, thereby adding to the group's wish to alienate them further.

Where to start with gaining Higher Performance from your staff

So the next time the ‘outsider' in your office walks in, please acknowledge them, let them know that they are part of the team and think about how much they may have to offer if they felt valued. I wonder if their unique contribution and performance will gradually be restored.

Rebecca Watson is an associate for Brompton Associates and specialises in Organisational Development and Change. She has worked with a wide variety of organisations and leaders to empower them to deliver through high performing teams.