The nature of groups and organizations is such that leadership (formal and informal), authority, and organization, have a constant effect on all of us. From birth we are all part of group processes, it is vital, therefore, that we can understand these processes, the part we play in them and how they affect us.
People like to believe, that their decisions and behaviour are governed by rational, conscious and transparent motives. This is especially true at work, where we put a lot of effort into setting clear goals, roles and responsibilities, and organizing everything in a way that supports effectiveness. Unfortunately, such efforts are often less successful than we expect. Every now and then, you may possibly notice that in the various groups and organizations you belong to:
- Vitally important decisions drop of the agenda, as meetings go off track;
- People declare support to leaders and ideas, and yet behave as if they wanted them to fail;
- Some groups or roles seem to bear all the responsibility, while others enjoy a free ride;
- Strong conflicts arise over apparently trivial details, while big issues raise no controversy;
- Highly competent and diverse people appear to share a single and very limited perspective.