Small Groups as Complex Systems: Formation, Coordination, Development and Adaptation

This new general theory of small groups as complex systems draws on general systems theory, dynamical systems theory, and complexity and chaos theory. The authors view groups as adaptive, dynamic systems that are driven by interactions among group members and by transactions between the group and its embedding contexts, as well as by external pressures. By virtue of the empirical material integrated within this elegant analysis, the authors offer a more complete understanding of the nature of group behaviour and the factors which shape it.