TeAM YYePG Digitally signed by TeAM YYePG DN: cn=TeAM YYePG, c=US, o=TeAM YYePG, ou=TeAM YYePG, email=yyepg@msn.com Reason: I attest to the accuracy and integrity of this document Date: 2005.06.16 16:24:02 +08'00' Putting a New Spin on Groups The Science of Chaos Second Edition This page intentionally left blank Putting a New Spin on Groups The Science of Chaos Second Edition BUD A. MCCLUR E University of Minnesota Duluth LAWRENCE ERLBAUM ASSOCIATES, PUBLISHERS 2005 Mahwah, New Jersey London Copyright © 2005 by Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form, by photostat, microform, retrieval system, or any other means, without prior written permission of the publisher. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc., Publishers 10 Industrial Avenue Mahwah, New Jersey 07430 Cover design by Kathryn Houghtaling Lacey Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Putting a new spin on groups : the science of chaos / Bud A. McClure. — 2nd ed. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0-8058-4873-8 (cloth) — ISBN 0-8058-4874-6 (pbk.) 1. Social groups. 2. Social interaction. 3. Leadership. 4. Chaotic behavior in systems. I. Title. HM716.M393 2005 302.3—dc22 2004053298 Books published by Lawrence Erlbaum Associates are printed on acid-free paper, and their bindings are chosen for strength and durability. Printed in the United States of America 1 0 98765432 1 FOR BUDDY, who continues to remind me that a rich life is full of chaos and unpredictability. This page intentionally left blank Contents Preface ix 1 Self-Organization and Chaos: Driving in Turkey 1 2 A Pot of Stew? 16 3 Chaos and Transformation 25 4 Chaos and Transformation in the Social Sciences 48 5 Group Stage Model: The Arc 62 6 Chaos and Self-Organization in Groups 88 7 Group Leadership: Working With Chaos 112 8 Women in Authority 130 9 Group Leadership: The Descent 136 10 Group Leadership: The Ascent 157 11 Group Metaphors 180 12 Regressive Groups 198 13 Generative and Transpersonal Groups 213 Notes 237 References 255 Author Index 265 Subject Index 269 VII This page intentionally left blank Preface Bud McClure has written a very curious book. In some ways, what he produced is a compendium-in-brief or a wide world of information. He writes of chaos theory, including a run past ". . . a three-stage model of science. " He recounts theories of physics and arrives at ". . . the mathematics of dynamics . . . (which) . . . forms one of the cornerstones of chaos and self-organizational theories. " He takes us through dynamics, principally nonlinear dynamics, and attractors, and strange attractors; chaos terminology, including dissipative structures, the But- terfly effect, fractals, bifurcation, slime mold, phase locking or entrainment, and the Beluzov-Zhabotinski Reaction. Along the way, we pass a least one theory of evolution (Arthur Young's), and toruses, and Koch's snowflake. And that's only the first 15 pages! Make no mistake, this is fascinating stuff. —A reviewer's comments from the first edition. 1 This edition of the book continues the discussion about small groups and chaos theory, particularly the mechanisms by which groups develop and change. Other topics like group metaphors, spirituality, regressive groups, gender, and other ideas not usually addressed in group-oriented textbooks are explored here. Many of the ideas articulated here grew from my own experiences with groups. The perspective expressed in these pages follows from those experiences. I am reminded that my ideas, like those of other writers who have written about groups, are always filtered through and from one's point of view no matter how that view is constructed. This edition revisits the literature from 1998, when this book was first published, through to the present. New ideas, new applications of chaos theory in the social sciences, and new thinking about group behavior 'Henry, S. (1999). Putting a New Spin on Groups, Book Review, Social Work with Groups, 2/3, 209-212. IX [...]... life, and in the world, as a stimulus for new growth Dynamics refers to the way systems—whether it is an individual, family, small group, or large organization—change and are characterized as either linear or nonlinear Linear dynamics sees the world through a Newtonian lens as additive, like the linear equations that form the basis of most social science research Linear equations are arrived at by adding... emphasizes "a process out of or through which order gives way to chaos, and chaos again leads to order."3 Transformational ideas are not new to the social sciences, but can be traced all the way back to the "dialectic theory found in the ancient Chinese Book of Changes, the early Greek Philosophers, and through the works of Hegel, Marx, and Engels."4 These early ideas echo what contemporary theorists are... confront and resolve these issues Every day new challenges arise, and every day I feel more capable to address them It is not easy, but I am not running away either Instead I am standing steadfast right in the middle of a life path that is intended for me In conjunction with these changes, I am conducting a 360-degree evaluation of me as chair of the department One of our new hires is an Industrial/Organizational... Y and here is the point, the family's willingness to go along with the therapist depended in large part on how well the therapist had timed his or her request I once saw Whitaker move too fast with a family that felt threatened and they shut him out for the entire therapy hour SELF-ORGANIZATION AND THE PSYCHE About 7 years ago, when I began to read more about chaos theory and its applications in the. .. stuckness was the split between our graduate coun­ seling program and the more experimentally oriented undergraduate pro­ gram The graduate program contained faculty who were highly dysfunc­ tional and damaging to students and other faculty Boundary violations, emotional abuse, and other forms of unhealthy behavior permeated the program for years Any attempts, tepid as they might have been, to address these... been a faculty member for over 20 years and is an archive of historical data about the department Furthermore, she has served as a touchstone for me in tempering my zeal and keeping me well grounded during this transitional process A personal cost has been the emotional stress of the job that at times seems unrelenting Workplace demands are constant, and balancing the demands of the various constituencies,... include an overview of chaos theory, an extensive presentation of a group development model, detailed descrip­ tion of each stage of that model, and the factors that advance and hinder change Leadership attributes necessary for effective group facilitation are described in detail The second half of the book covers material seldom found in group books This portion of the book provides an explanation for many... into the ascent of the arc, there are additional requirements for the leader This chapter includes a more detailed transcript of Stage 4, Con­ frontation, and discusses the leadership skills needed to navigate the stages of the ascent: Disharmony, Harmony, and Performing Chapter 11 introduces the subtle and symbolic level of group interac­ tion Group metaphors are defined as analogies that permit group... explained, and many case examples are provided Chapter 12 examines the dark, denied, and unacknowledged behavior of groups and organizations These groups are labeled regressive and remain stuck in the forming stages of development In the language of chaos, regressive groups form a limit cycle attractor, unable to evolve or develop These groups remain dependent on the leader for direction, repress anger... only later extrapolating them to my academic work with small-group behavior Early family therapy approaches were adapted and developed from the work of the biologist Ludwig von Bertalanffy,7 whose notions about open sys­ tems theory emphasized wholes not parts In particular, Bertalanffy empha­ sized a new kind of thermodynamics that postulated that open systems thrive on the flow and constant interchange . +08'00' Putting a New Spin on Groups The Science of Chaos Second Edition This page intentionally left blank Putting a New Spin on Groups The Science of Chaos Second . Newtonian lens as additive, like the linear equations that form the basis of most social science research. Linear equations are arrived at by adding the sum of the parts. It makes. Pot of Stew? 16 3 Chaos and Transformation 25 4 Chaos and Transformation in the Social Sciences 48 5 Group Stage Model: The Arc 62 6 Chaos and Self-Organization in Groups