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Large Groups
As the size of a group increases, so its characteristics change (see Figure below). Many regard six as a critical number for groups in all sorts of situations. With six or less, the degree of intimacy, whether physical or virtual, offered by close proximity can somehow make it difficult for group members to register their feelings about the group. Leadership tends to be fluid and interchangeable. As the group size increases, the climate of the group changes. Individuals become less constrained by the norms of the group and become more aware of their feelings. In addition, leadership and other roles become more established. With numbers of 12 to 25 the likelihood of full face-to-face - indeed virtual - interaction decreases and sub-groups start to emerge. When the group is over 25 in number, effective interaction between everyone becomes almost impossible. When in a room, some people, because of the group's size, may have to sit behind others, and anyone speaking may fail to see, or be seen b, everyone in the group; in online groups, individual responses get overlooked in the welter of messages. When leadership occurs it is likely to take on a clear cut, 'external' role. (Chapter 7 looks at some of the practicalities of working with larger groups.)
Figure: Changing characteristics of groups with increase in membership
 |
Number of members |
Changing characteristics |
|
2-6 |
Little structure or organisation required;
leadership fluid |
7-12 |
Structure and differentiation of roles begins;
face-to-face interaction less frequent |
13-25 |
Structure and role differentiation vital;
sub-groups emerge;
face-to-face interaction less frequent |
26-? |
Positive leadership vital to success; sub-groups form;
greater anonymity; stereotyping, projections and 'flight/fight' occur |
Whereas in the small group it is easy to think but difficult to feel, in the large one the opposite is likely to be the case. It becomes difficult to mobilise the intellect, issues become polarised, splitting ('I all right/you all wrong') takes over as a defence against anxiety about chaos, and, in order to manage this, people are likely to stereotype each other. The leader or teacher, as someone who is evidently different, is likely to be subject to these perceptions more than most and the authority/dependency problem will almost certainly be sharper and more acute.
Leaders become invested with all sorts of power and expertise. But as soon as they come up with something the group regards as 'inferior' their credibility will sag and they may be attacked for their inadequacy! Power is more sharply polarised; too sudden or big a change in the power relationship is likely to produce a flight/fight situation. If the group challenges the leader, and if in turn it is challenged back, it might retreat or withdraw. An example of this would be when a teacher, after playing a formal and omniscient role, invites the class informally to come up with some of their own ideas.
Another experience of people in large groups is that their identity becomes more fragile and their sense of reality is distorted. The mechanism of projection is likely to operate: unwanted parts of the self are pushed onto others, and fantasies about other people's motives, attitudes and intentions abound.
So much for the undercurrents! At the behavioural level, it becomes evident that the larger the group, the more formal and oratorical the spoken contributions become. In the educational context we can see that students have two kinds of relationship open to them: one is with small discussion or learning groups with which they already have some identity, and the other with the wider group membership, many of whom they know from social or sporting contacts, or even in another learning group. In training 'workshops' there is a constant alternation between small groups of different sizes and the large plenary group. In some ways this mixture can provide participants with a sense of a home base (their sub-group) amid the feeling of identity loss that the large group may create. The facilitator in workshops however is able to circulate round the sub-groups and is thus less likely to be on the receiving end of displaced or projected bad feeling through becoming more 'real' to participants.
The complex play of relationships in a large group and the emotional swirl that is likely to go with it is thus, at least potentially, fraught with confusion, inaction and frustration. Strong leadership is both needed and, usually, gratefully accepted.
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