Group dynamics

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Kevin N. Laland and Bennett G. Galef

"Fifty years ago, a troop of Japanese macaques was observed washing sandy sweet potatoes in a stream, sending ripples through the fields of ethnology, comparative psychology, and cultural anthropology. The issue of animal culture has been hotly debated ever since. Now Kevin Laland and Bennett Galef have gathered key voices in the often rancorous debate to summarize the views along the continuum from 'Culture? Of course!' to 'Culture? Of course not!' The result is essential reading for anyone interested in the validity of animal culture, and what it might say about our own." -- Book jacket.

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Noah E. Friedkin, Eugene C. Johnsen

"Social influence network theory presents a mathematical formalization of the social process of attitude changes that unfolds in a social network of interpersonal influences. This book brings the theory to bear on lines of research in the domain of small group dynamics concerned with changes of group members' positions on an issue, including the formation of consensus and of settled disagreement, via endogenous interpersonal influences, in which group members are responding to the displayed positions of the members of the group. Social influence network theory advances a dynamic social cognition mechanism, in which individuals are weighing and combining their own and others' positions on an issue in the revision of their own positions. The influence network construct of the theory is the social structure of the endogenous interpersonal influences that are involved in this mechanism. With this theory, the authors seek to lay the foundation for a better formal integration of classical and current lines of work on small groups in psychological and sociological social psychology"--

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J. Gary Bernhard and Kalman Glantz

Bernhard and Glantz attribute many workplace problems to a basic conflict between human nature and the structure of modern organizations. Because human beings evolved in small, egalitarian hunter-gatherer bands, most humans have emotional needs that can best be satisfied in small groups that are based on personal reciprocity, sharing, teamwork, and genuine interdependence. In such groups, leadership can be based on acknowledged personal ability, so everyone can feel important, and the common goal can weld people together in a way that is both efficient and personally satisfying. The authors see the formal hierarchies of modern organizations, where authority often replaces leadership, as the resurgence of pre-human primate social relationships in which bluffing, threatening, and intimidation play a major role. Numerous and varied examples from the workplace lend the analysis graphic immediacy and authenticity. Many theories have been advanced to explain such workplace phenomena as endemic dissatisfaction, low productivity, and high absenteeism. Many books have argued that teams, a democratic management style, and employee participation are essential, given an educated work force that doesn't live in fear of being fired. Staying Human in the Organization is the first book to relate these themes to evolutionary biology, the discipline which in recent years has been revolutionizing the behavioral sciences. The result is a new way of thinking about labor relations and organizational development.

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Abigail Thomas

Author Abigail Thomas shares the story of how she started a new life after an accident left her husband brain damaged and institutionalized.