ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE Organizational Culture and Leadership, 3rd Edition

HOW CULTURE EMERGES IN NEW GROUPS 75Thus, one will note that the group pays special attention to the responsesthat occur immediately after someone has directed a comment,question, or challenge to the staff member.One will also note anomalous behavior that can be explainedonly if one assumes that an authority issue is being worked out. Forexample, the group will actively seek leadership by stating thatsome member should help the group to get moving, but then systematicallyignore or punish anyone who attempts to lead. One canunderstand this behavior if one remembers that feelings towardauthority are always ambivalent and that the anger felt toward thestaff member for not leading the group cannot be expressed directlyif one feels dependent on the staff member. The negative feelingsare split off and projected onto a “bad leader,” thus preserving theillusion that the staff member is the “good leader.” Acts of insubordinationor outbursts of anger at the staff member may be severelypunished by other group members, even though those membershave themselves been critical of the staff member.How, then, does a group learn what “reality” is? How does itdevelop workable and accurate assumptions about how to learn andhow to deal with influence and authority?Reality Test and Catharsis. Though members begin to feel theyknow each other better, the group continues to be frustrated by itsinability to act in a consensual manner, because the unconsciousdependence assumption is still operating and members are still workingout their influence relationships with each other. The event thatmoves the group forward at such times, often many hours into thegroup’s life, is an insightful comment by a member who is less conflictedabout the authority issue and, therefore, able to perceive andarticulate what is really going on. In other words, while those memberswho are most conflicted about authority are struggling in thedependent and counterdependent mode, some members find thatthey care less about this issue, are able psychologically to detachthemselves from it, and come to recognize the reality that the leaderdoes not, in fact, know what to do.