A social systems model for understanding group development in Outdoor Adventure Education

Outdoor Adventure Education (OAE) trips are professionally led outdoor adventures that expose participants to group wilderness challenges and offer them opportunities to gain knowledge, learn new skills, and experience personal growth. Building group cohesion and community are important components of OAE. As groups develop strong bonds and positive group dynamics, individual members learn valuable communication and collaboration skills and the group becomes better equipped to collectively problem solve and overcome challenges. Previous studies have investigated the factors that impact group formation and function; however, these studies have not fully addressed the complexities of social systems. This study offered a novel way of understanding OAE group dynamics. Using information collected from a comprehensive review of studies on group dynamics, the authors developed a model to help practitioners better understand the ways that groups form and function.

The model, which can serve as a framework for understanding social systems in OAE, is composed of 8 interconnected factors that impact group formation and function. These factors include 1) macro contextual factors, 2) students, 3) instructors, 4) goals, 5) group factors, 6) group outcomes, 7) group-dependent individual outcomes, and 8) time and are discussed in greater detail below.

1) Macro contextual factors are relatively fixed and include culture, social norms and values, beliefs, and organizational structure. These factors influence group interactions, shape participant and leader expectations, and lay the foundation for group norms.
2) The student factor is important because every OAE group is composed of different participants. Participants on OAE trips come from a variety of backgrounds, have different personalities, and have different reasons for participating. Similarities and differences among participants can shape the ways that groups form and work together.
3) Like participants, instructors bring their own set of values and motivations to the group. The degree to which instructors inspire trust, are genuine and empathetic, and foster group cohesion all shape group development. Instructor-to-instructor interactions can also profoundly impact group dynamics.
4) OAE participants have unique goals (both individual and group) for their trips, which can impact group dynamics. Goals may be aligned, or they may conflict. Finding common ground can be very important for positive group growth and development.
5) Group factors, such as group dynamics, group culture, and relationships among group members, affect group formation and function.
6) Group outcomes—both social and task outcomes—are also important factors that affect the group. These group outcomes are driven by the types of activities on the trip, the ways that group members assume different roles, and the level of participants' commitment to different outcomes.
7) In a similar vein, group-dependent individual outcomes—the skills and capacities participants gain from their participation in the group process—also impact group dynamics.
8) Finally, the length of time spent participating in an OAE course impacts group development. Studies show a positive correlation between the length of an OAE course and the number of positive group and individual outcomes.

The authors emphasized that group dynamics and outcomes are directly influenced by these 8 interconnected factors. Only by appreciating the complexities of dynamic social systems (using the model proposed here as a framework) can researchers and practitioners understand what drives group cohesion and enables groups to accomplish difficult tasks.

The proposed model offers a framework for understanding how groups form and function. However, it does not provide much insight into group evolution. The model shows, for example, how group factors impact individual and group outcomes and vice versa, but it does not provide a pathway to deeper understanding of how a group evolves from the beginning of the trip to the end.

The authors advocate for a systems approach to understanding group formation and function. They encourage those interested in understanding group dynamics to use their model as a framework for examining group development. By using this model as a framework, practitioners can develop an awareness of the factors influencing group dynamics as well as an understanding of how the factors impact each other, and therefore adjust their facilitation approaches to match the needs of the group. Not only can this understanding help group leaders understand why some activities or approaches work with one group but not another, it may also provide guidance for which factors to consider when designing and revising activities, resulting in more effective OAE.