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The church board introduced at the beginning of the chapter clearly demonstrates positive synergy—seven ordinary people who, together, accomplished an extraordinary result. What do you think are the factors that helped produce this positive synergy? What effect do you think members’ commitment to the task had on the group? How might one member’s commitment affect another member’s? What does this say about member interdependence?
The church board was a secondary group with a well-defined task to perform, but its strong primary characteristics made it unique. How did members communicate their commitment to each other and their caring? How were Schutz’s (see Chapter 1) human needs of affection, inclusion, and control met in this group? Can any group become this cohesive and productive? Why or why not?
Before you read this next section, stop to consider the ways in which virtual groups, or groups in which the members interact not face-to-face but via computer or other technology, are influenced by their environments. Do you think such groups are more, or less, subject to influence from outside the group? Why?
