In the Boardroom/Out of the Loop: Group and Organizational Dynamics

Abstract

This chapter presents a multicultural analysis of group dynamics as it relates to organizational behavior using an integrative psychological–sociocultural framework. In devising this framework, we drew upon two theories with direct relevance to this topic: Embedded Intergroup Relations theory (Alderfer, In: Lorsch (ed) Handbook of organizational behavior. Prentice-Hall, 1987) and Social Identification theory (Tajfel & Turner, In: Austin and Worchel (eds) The social psychology of intergroup relations. Brooks/Cole, 1979). We also use the group relation’s conceptual approach that integrates systems and psychoanalytic theory to explore overt and covert processes that occur in groups and organizations. This approach was developed by the Tavistock Institute in London in the 1950s and is widely used as a consulting tool. As we will demonstrate, adopting an integrative framework in examining the etiological and experiential factors at play in group dynamics requires an acknowledgment of the crucial role played by both inter- and intra-dynamics of an individual’s lived experience (encompassing such variables as racial, cultural, gender, and generational dynamics) as well as conscious and unconscious processes. Our integrative framework therefore aims to assist in identifying key issues related to how race, culture, gender, and generational dynamics intersect with issues of power, privilege, and access to resources that may emerge in groups and/or organizations.