Group-as-a-whole as a context for studying individual behaviour: a group diagnostic intervention
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Authors
Geldenhuys, Dirk J
Issue Date
2012
Type
Language
Keywords
Alternative Title
Abstract
Orientation: Traditionalists view group interventions from three perspectives: singletons,
dyads and whole groups. The focus of this research was on interventions from the third
perspective, that of the whole group, using a systems psychodynamic stance.
Research purpose: The purpose of the research was to use group-as-a-whole to study individual
behaviour in organisations.
Motivation for the study: Team research and practice is not on a par with the complexities that
teams actually experience. Traditional group interventions use humanistic and functionalistic
paradigms that do not consider the unconscious functioning of groups. Interventions that
use the system psychodynamic paradigm could address these dynamics because they study
behaviour of individual group members in the context of the group-as-a-whole.
Research design, approach and method: The researcher conducted action research in a
publishing company. He used purposive sampling and analysed the data using qualitative
content analysis.
Main findings: The researcher found that the group-as-a-whole partly explains the behaviour
of team members and that intervening from this perspective could improve negative
relationships.
Practical/managerial implications: Managers can use interventions that use the groupas-
a-whole concept as a diagnostic intervention to study and possibly change the complex
behavioural issues that team members experience.
Contribution/value-add: The findings give one an understanding of the behaviour of individual
group members when one views it from a systems psychodynamic stance. Furthermore, the
researcher proposes a group diagnostic intervention that will allow some of the root causes of
poor interpersonal behaviour to surface and group members to diagnose and take ownership
of their own behaviour.
Description
Citation
Geldenhuys, D. (2012).
Group-as-a-whole as
a context for studying
individual behaviour: A group
diagnostic intervention.
SA Journal of Industrial
Psychology/SA Tydskrif vir
Bedryfsielkunde, 38(2), Art.
#1011, 12 pages. http://
dx.doi.org/10.4102/sajip.
v38i2.1011
Publisher
License
© 2012. The Authors.
Licensee: AOSIS
OpenJournals. This work
is licensed under the
Creative Commons
Attribution License.
Journal
Volume
Issue
PubMed ID
DOI
ISSN
0258-5200