Groups and Teams | Theory | Dynamic Network Lab | Teachers College, Columbia University

Dynamic network theory and network goal analysis are highly applicable to group and team dynamics, given their focus on goals and objectives. Going beyond a purely group-level focus alone, dynamic network theory illustrates that out-group entities in the dynamic network system can also be very influential, as illustrated in the network goal graph / dynamic network chart below:

Multilevel Views

A multilevel perspective appears when we see multiple teams in an organization, as illustrated below. Here, a portrayal of the entire organization can be seen. In this simple example, technologies could also allow one to toggle between different groups and their effects on different organizational goals and objectives. To note, the term "dynamic network system", our original term, is interchangeable with the newer term "network goal systems", to help promote further conceptual differentiation from other systems approaches.

Analyses

Researchers involved in group or team studies have the capacity to examine the complex network dynamics at individual and group levels. For example, individual contributions can be compared with overall averages to expose the dynamics of the complete system. When multiple team members are included in a network goal survey, we can also calculate dynamic network intelligence among participating members. This gauges the degree to which each team member knows others’ motives in the system. Click here for more details about team analyses.