Sometimes a group can be carried away in their enthusiasm about starting a new project before they clearly think through to their goals. There is only one way to make sure that all members are informed about the group’s goals and objectives and that is to provide time to consider them. It is important to allow time for this, especially when a group is just getting organized. When new members are brought into a group, it is important that the goals and objectives be explained to them and perhaps later reviewed and discussed thoroughly.

Another time at which careful restudy of goals and objectives is needed is when a new program is being planned and a new core of officers is assuming responsibility. Whenever a new project or activity is undertaken, it is well to insure that all members are aware of how this new undertaking relates to the objectives of the group or organization.

An important step in setting group goals and objectives is to explore and discuss the members’ ideas on what the objectives should be. Allowance should be made for discussing modification and change until the ideas are solidified by the group into definite objectives. To insure acceptance there should be discussion and agreement upon the relative importance of these ideas. After an idea is accepted, it must be put into a meaningful statement.

The last step in setting goals and objectives before securing final group acceptance is checking against the criteria for judging objectives. A short consideration of these criteria will help a group reach right decisions.

Briefly, the steps in setting group goals and objectives are:

1. Provide time for the group to consider them.
2. Explore and discuss the ideas, interests, and needs of the group members.
3. Secure consensus on ideas, interest areas, and needs around which goals and objectives are to be formulated.
4. Formulate statements that explicitly set forth the three necessary dimensions of well-stated goals and objectives.
5. Test each goal and objective against the criteria for judging objectives.
6. Insure common understanding and acceptance by the members of the group.

Once goals and objectives are set, future group experiences tend to be shaped by them and activities can be evaluated in terms of them. The extent that the motivating interests and aims of members of a group are incorporated into its goals and objectives will affect directly the loyalty and participation of its members in the program and activities of the organization.

Several standards may be used to judge the usefulness of objectives. An organization might judge their objectives by the following questions:

1. Are objectives stated in terms which identify the people or group concerned, the kind of behavior or behavior changes expected of the people involved, and the content or area of life in which this behavior is to operate?
2. Are objectives dynamic – likely to promote action on the part of the group?
3. Are objectives compatible with the general aims of the group or organization?
4. Are objectives achievable considering the level of maturity of the group or organization and permitted by the resources available to the group?
5. Are objectives developmental – will they lead the group to constantly higher levels of achievement?
6. Are objectives varied enough to meet the needs of individuals within the group?
7. Are objectives limited enough in number to avoid undue diffusion of effort within the organization?
8. Can objectives be evaluated – can evidence of actual progress be secured?
9. Were objectives cooperatively determined – was the group as a whole involved in the determination and acceptance of them?

The real purpose of a group is not to have certain persons perform activities. It may be to bring about changes in the group and its members, or, if it is an action group, to make group decisions and carry out specified action programs. An objective should identify changes to take place in the group or the kind of action expected of the group and its members.

An objective stated as a planned activity fails to indicate the kind of accomplishment expected. The real purposes of a group are not holding a bake sale or a dance. Instead, such activities are usually a means of accomplishing the group’s purposes or objectives. For example, a bake sale is a short-run activity which may raise funds for the intermediate goal of providing a scholarship. This is directed at the ultimate goal of improving the educational level of our citizens. Groups, if they are to be most efficient, must be careful to choose those short-run means-ends complexes (activities) which are not only consistent with, but also positively oriented toward, the intermediate and long range goals of the group.

Sometimes objectives are stated as general topics or content areas to be handled by the group. Statements of this kind do not specify what is expected of the group. Thus, in a group concerned with health, the objectives might be stated by listing such topics as sanitation, vaccination, or health insurance. A well-stated objective indicates the kind of changes desired in the group and its members, or the action sought. Behavioral changes can be made in group members by changing their knowledge, understandings, skills, interests, appreciations, and attitudes. Objectives of an action group should identify the kind of action expected and the specific end to be accomplished. A group objective is stated with sufficient clarity if a member can describe or illustrate the kind of behavior or action his group is expecting to accomplish.

Another way in which objectives are sometimes stated is in the form of generalized patterns of behavior. Such statements fail to indicate specifically the area of life or the activity to which the behavior is related. For example, one may find objectives that state: “To develop broad interests;” or “To develop desirable social attitudes.”

While these indicate the kind of change expected of the group members, it is doubtful if such highly generalized objectives could be very useful to a group. It is necessary to specify more definitely the content area to which this behavior applies, or the situation of the group and its members when such behavior is to be used.

The most useful form for stating objectives is to express them in terms which clearly identify: (1) the people, group, or groups concerned, (2) the kind of behavior or action to be accomplished, and (3) the content or problem area in which this behavior or action is to operate. For example, the following statements of objectives include all three of these elements. The first is an example of an educational objective, the second an action objective.

Objectives stated clearly enough to be useful to a group in planning its program and selecting its activities will need to indicate all three of these elements. When objectives are formulated on this three-dimensional basis they become a concise set of specifications to guide the further development of programs and plans. Once goals and objectives are clearly established, alternative techniques or means for accomplishing them can be explored and decided upon and a purposeful plan of action determined.

Groups sometimes adopt general, and often abstract, objectives and then proceed to consider them as immediately and easily achievable. Such objectives, especially for groups having relatively infrequent meetings, will usually not supply the needed direction nor allow for a degree of achievement necessary for group motivation, growth, and development. All groups need some short-run, specific objectives that are achievable. A feeling of wellbeing and satisfaction results from the achievement of any goal. Such objectives help groups to proceed with purpose and in an organized manner; they help insure accomplishment, and permit the identification of evidence for the evaluation of achievement.

Levels of Objectives

It is also helpful to think of objectives on various levels.

Objectives of learning activities in education have been classified into levels and are marked by grade promotion and graduation. In considering objectives for groups and group members, it is helpful to make a similar classification.

Objectives based on the needs and interests of group members as individuals are usually very specific. Examples might include learning to speak more effectively, or increasing understanding of a teen-age son or daughter.

Other objectives may be based on the needs and interests of a group or organization. These are group rather than individually oriented and require the efforts of people working together. Some examples might be to develop favorable public relations with other local service clubs, to secure a new minister, to double the membership of the community club.

Objectives based on the needs and interests of the community, county, state, or nation are dependent upon the joint efforts of several groups and organizations. Their objectives might include inaugurating a housing development program for low-income families, bringing about rural and urban understanding of the zoning problems of a growing city, or county school reorganization.

General and remote objectives – the all-inclusive aims of society – are so broad they could serve as an umbrella for most groups and organizations. They might include “strengthening democracy,” and insuring the good life for all people.

The needs of individuals and of society must be joined in such a way that both can be met reasonably well. In any group, the relative importance and relationship of the individual member and his objectives and the group and its objectives need to be recognized and understood. One way to visualize this relationship is to consider two circles partially overlapping (Fig. 8.1). One of these can represent the objectives and goals of the individual member of a group < Circle I). The other circle can represent the objectives and goals of the group (Circle G). If these circles overlap, then an individual’s objectives and the group’s objectives are partially the same (Area C) and partially not the same.

The circle representing the goals and objectives of the individual is larger than that representing the group because it is recognized that the interests of an individual member are varied and only a part of them can be met by membership in a single group. Most groups are organized around a relatively few specific interests common to all members.

Individual and group goals and objectives overlap considerably for some members (Case B) and very little for certain members in some groups (Case A). If the overlapping is relatively large, as in B, there should be strong individual member motivation. If this situation exists the groups’ chances for goal accomplishment will be improved providing there is appropriate choice of means. This same concept of overlap of group and community goals and objectives is appropriate in any consideration of goals and objectives that are more inclusive than just for anyone specific group.

In the actual operation of groups, objectives are a rather complex interwoven network. Sometimes all levels are involved. At times, objectives seem hidden – even lost. Every group periodically needs to review and re-identify its objectives and classify them into their appropriate levels. All objectives must be consistent and compatible at any level just as immediate or short-run goals must be consistent and compatible with intermediate and more ultimate objectives.

Every individual desires security, recognition, response, and new experience. The relative emphasis he places on these desires is based upon his own experiences which are reflected in his personal value system. The time and energy he gives to any group is relative to his personal evaluation of how much that group satisfies these desires in comparison with other groups of which he is a part or other things which he might do with his time. This is not to imply that this is a calculated rational process for all individuals or that any individual goes through this rational process in all instances.

Time is usually a scarce resource. The degree to which an individual participates in any group depends upon the alternative uses he has for his time. Usually one participates in groups offering the greatest opportunity to maximize the satisfaction of one’s basic desires. Desired satisfactions are based upon a personal value system. Thus, the affiliation patterns of group members affect the degree of identity, involvement, and participation in any specific group.

As a result of group participation, individuals become identified in the over-all status pattern of the community. It is a two-way process. Middle-class people tend to associate in middle-class groups; people who associate in middle-class groups become identified as middle-class people; and groups become identified as middle-class because most of their members are middle-class – and so the process evolves.

Groups are usually not completely class bound. They tend to contain a small proportion of members from the class immediately beneath them – often leaders in that class. One way in which an individual moves up the class system is by gaining acceptance in groups which are identified with a class above him. A group may contain members from the social level immediately above its class identity. The research evidence is that few groups include members from more than three strata in their communities.

A group must have social justification in terms of the over-all values of the community if it is to continue to exist and have status. It must have certain goals and objectives related to community goals and objectives. In many cases groups participate in certain kinds of activities to secure this type of social justification from the community. In this sense an external force has affected their group functioning.

Understanding External Forces

Group members wishing to understand the external forces affecting their groups in the total community picture should ask themselves the following questions:

1. How well does this group conform to the community value system, i.e. :
   1. Are its goals and objectives consistent with community goals and objectives?
   2. Do its methods of operation conform to community norms?
   3. How important to the group is this conformity?
2. Does the group have extra-community organizational connections? If so, what is the nature of the extra-community organizational value system? Is it consistent with the community value system and expectations?
3. What are the other associations of the group members?
4. How do the members look upon this group:
   1. How do they define its goals, objectives, and limitations?
   2. How important is the group to them in relation to the other groups of which they are a part?
5. What is the group’s status in the community in relation to the other existing groups?
6. What does the community expect of the group:
   1. In terms of goals, objectives, accomplishments, areas of responsibility and activity?
   2. In terms of how the group goes about its tasks?

Answers to these questions should give some insights into the external dynamics that may be affecting group functioning. Also, one can reasonably estimate the community response to any specific action which the group might wish to take.

Every group has a status in the community, whose members rank it in relationship to coexisting groups. Where and how a group is ranked depends to a degree upon how consistent its goals, objectives, and means are with the general community values. Related to its status is its role – or what the community expects it to do. At any given time two or more groups may be competing for a given status position. Any or all of these forces may affect the goals the group sets, and how it attempts and how hard it will work to accomplish them.

Parent Organizations

Many local groups have affiliations with an organizational structure which exists outside the community. The Masonic Lodge, the American Legion, the American Red Cross, many church denominations, and Federated Women’s Clubs are examples of this type. Most affiliated community groups have a high degree of local autonomy. But there are many instances where the “over-all organization” does exert influence through counsel, guidance, required or recommended programs and policies, and program aids provided to the local affiliate. It is important to recognize that such external forces affecting group function exist and must be considered in understanding group functioning.

Sometimes groups have problems in this regard because they are affiliated with outside organizations which do not hold the same values as the community. For example, the parent organization may set down certain policy positions on a national level. In some communities these policies may not be completely acceptable. The local unit is faced with the task of adjusting to this difference in values.

Groups, like individuals, can make different adjustments when faced with this kind of a dilemma: they can ignore the community values, which means they risk losing status or being ostracized by the community; they can ignore the institutional values, which means they risk censure by the parent institution; or they can try to adjust between the two. The fact that they are an integral part of an extra-community pattern as well as an integral part of the community is a force which constantly influences their activities and behavior. To understand such groups, one must recognize the value orientation of both the community and the parent institutions.

Groups with affiliation outside the community must often walk a tight-wire between individual group member interests, community values, and the values of the “over-all organization.” In many cases these are not completely compatible.

Another type of group is found in nearly every community. It is a subdivision of an existing formal structure. A good example is the “ladies aid society” – an integral part of most churches. The goals and objectives of these groups, and their means of attaining them, must be consistent with those of the parent group.

Most communities have groups that are independent of any formal group structure existing beyond the community. This independent group usually reflects community values and the social level of most of its members. Though independent, the community has expectations of the group, assigns it status, and has some influence on it. Such forces will affect its ongoing activities and must be considered in understanding its functioning.

These values and motivations vary from person to person. If people are to work together as a group, there must be a certain unity in interests, objectives, and purposes. When people meet and effectively explore their individual interests and problems, they soon find it necessary to define their goals and objectives. These will give them a common basis upon which they can work as a group.

Individuals with different expectations, abilities, and backgrounds often have difficulty in becoming a smoothly functioning group. People after: join groups with different kinds of expectations as to what the group will do for them. If group members are to enjoy their organization and its functions and gain satisfactions from group participation and accomplishments, they must each feel they have a part in forming its purposes and goals. Each person must feel that the group’s goals are consistent with his own, that the group is his group, and that the important decisions of the group are at least partially his decisions.

The basic properties of group goals and individual goals are not fundamentally different. Group activities, like individual activities, are motivated by needs and directed toward goals. Group goals can guide the behavior of group members and motivate them to perform certain activities rather than others. Thus it is important to recognize that group goals can be a source of real influence upon group members.

When a particular group goal has been established, it is expected that “good” group members will work toward its attainment, even when the goal they preferred was not accepted. Individual group members are influenced in varying degrees and in different ways by the various goals of a group. The magnitude of this influence can vary quantitatively among members and from goal to goal for any particular member.

Research tells us that compatibility of individual goals influences the degree to which group goals become established and the amount of influence they will have over members. When all or most of the members of a group have the same goal in mind, it is almost certain that this goal will become a group goal and the group will make a concerted effort to achieve it.

It is evident that group goals must be closely related to the interests and needs of the individual members. The expression of interests and needs by anyone member is influenced to a considerable degree by the manifestation of interests and needs by fellow members. This mutual expression and identification of interests and needs is the real basis for the formation of a group and for the formulation of its goals and objectives.

Members who most fully accept group goals display most strongly the drives and motivations which help a group achieve its goals. Those who merely acquiesce are less motivated toward group achievement. Those who reject the group goals tend to pursue individual interests and private goals.

In some groups, members have little knowledge or understanding of group goals. Again, if a group goal is not fully accepted by the members it has little power to motivate the individual toward activities which might lead to its fulfillment. Such a situation is inclined to develop a low level of motivation, rather poor coordination of efforts, and a relatively high incidence of self-oriented rather than grcuptask oriented behavior on the part of individual members. Member involvement in the process of goal definition enhances the probability that group goals will be understood, accepted, and internalized by group members.

Regular group members influence new members to accept group goals and perform group functions. How effectively this is done depends largely upon the degree to which they satisfy their own interests and needs by participation in the group’s activities.

Remember, however, that prospective and new members must have the opportunity to learn about and understand the group’s goals. Groups whose members like one another as people, groups that supply personal need satisfactions, and groups with high prestige all exert strong influences upon members to accept their goals.

Many groups have well-defined objectives which give them direction. They have been found to be most productive. Other groups with vague concepts as to why they are organized, what they are attempting to accomplish, or why they are engaged in their activities are less productive. Time spent by group members in effectively defining group goals and objectives can do much to give a group direction and purpose and to increase the quality and efficiency of its achievements.

According to the analytical framework, all groups have three main areas of interest. They are: (1) the group itself, with its individual members and its internal and external dynamics; (2) the techniques, or means and methods used by the group; and (3) the goals or objectives toward which the group is oriented.

Group goals specify or define its ends; they identify the targets toward which the group activities are aimed. They also provide the framework within which rational decisions can be made about the number and kinds of activities the group should undertake. They should provide criteria against which progress can be measured. When effectively developed and stated they can provide a major basis for common interest, for feelings of identity, for motivation, for group standards, for meaningful participation, and for group member satisfactions.

Our society is replete with groups organized for social action, recreation, self-education, or almost any purpose or combination of purposes. In the midst of all this activity, we should continually ask if important things are getting done. Are these groups really fulfilling the needs of the individual group members, the group as a whole, and the larger society? Failure, in many cases, is not a matter of too few groups, of insufficient members, or lack of effort. More often it is due to failure to analyze important needs in the light of changing conditions, to choose things that are pertinent in terms of the interests and needs of the group or community, and to clearly state realistic objectives that will help meet the needs.

Most groups have trouble motivating members to participate actively and meaningfully. This problem may often revolve around the lack of clear understanding and agreement on what the purposes of the group are; or around a failure to see how all the activities are really contributing to the attainment of the assumed objectives.

We live in a rapidly changing society. Goals that might have been very important last year may not be important today. The interests and needs of group members change rapidly, indicating the necessity for a periodic review and discussion of group goals and objectives. Such a review may lead to the changing of objectives, a reorientation of emphasis, the adding of additional goals, or even to a recognition of the need for the dissolution of the group. It may also lead to a more specific statement of short-run objectives within the more general framework of existing long-term goals. If study reveals that the objectives of the group should continue as before, it should lead to increased group member motivation based on the reaffirmation of the importance of the group and its goals.

Some organizations seem to exist only because they have always existed and because people keep coming to meetings. Many members do not come, and some who come do not seem highly motivated. A meeting of such a group may appear to be solely for the sake of arranging for more meetings. The objective seems to become that of filling meeting “spots” rather than planring an integrated program that truly contributes to the accomplishment of more important objectives.

Sometimes a maze of organization habits – reading minutes, conducting rituals, or carrying out a set order of business – crowd out any important objectives which the group might like to pursue. This can happen to any group. Focusing attention on definite group objectives and on activities designed to help accomplish those objectives will overcome such difficulties.

People continue to participate actively in groups only when it yields certain satisfactions. Satisfactions are based mainly on individual expectations and the fulfillment of those expectations. If there is to be general satisfaction among group members, there must be some agreement on the group’s purposes. If members have widely different expectations, it is difficult to see how any specific activities would provide motivation and satisfaction for all. If goals are not clearly defined, it is difficult, if not impossible, to measure progress or accomplishment. The importance of adequately stated goals and objectives in relation to the evaluation process will be discussed in more detail.

Clearly stated goals and objectives are an absolute necessity for effective decision making regarding activities or techniques which have the greatest potential to aid in effective group functioning and progress.

While clearly stated goals and objectives do not guarantee effective planning, it is difficult, if not impossible, to see how effective planning can be done without them.

First, it must be discovered – through communication – what the individual interests of the various persons are, and which of these individual interests are held in common by most of the potential group members. When people get together to form a group to achieve a certain goal or set of goals, it is assumed that they expect to get the active participation of those involved. If members are going to give continued effort to any group, they must feel that through such participation they will be able to satisfy at least those individual interests which are held in common and also that some of their personal needs will be satisfied incidentally and without conflict with others’ interests.

The minimum essentials of group formation are represented graphically in Figure 5.2. The left portion of the diagram illustrates individuals with different priorities of individual interests. If these individuals are to be formed into a group, common interests must be established. There, must emerge the belief that the individuals possess some: interests in common and that the group formed represents; the potential of fulfilling those interests.

In democratic groups, it is the responsibility of members to become aware of these individual variations and to make contributions which move the group to rational adjustments to frustrations.

Membership Renewal

With this rudimentary consideration of group formation and membership we can move on to a brief discussion of membership renewal. In a culture such as ours, with great vertical and horizontal mobility, there is apt to be frequent need to renew or enlarge membership. Some organizations have a built-in declining membership. The college fraternity loses members through graduation. The Junior Chamber of Commerce sets a maximum age limit for members. For such groups, renewal of membership is a constant need and requires a considerable expenditure of effort. Many communities sponsor organizations known as “newcomers clubs,” the principal purpose of which is to introduce recent arrivals to the group life of the community. In such a group, membership renewal becomes the principal goal. Even the most stable of groups are liable to find themselves with a membership declining, either in numbers or in interest. They must go about adding to the membership with an attitude quite similar to that called for in group formation.

Upgrading Membership

Another aspect of group membership is the continuing one of upgrading. There is usually a certain uniformity, or homogeneity, in group membership. People tend to congregate into groups made up of others with similar education, status, class, occupation, religion, likes, dislikes, etc. Exceptions will be noted, but this is a general rule. Even the leadership tends to come from the same level, for we are as suspicious of superiority as we are bored with inferiority. Within any group, however, there is still a wide spread in group skills, in resource potential, and in many of the other qualities which go to make up good group membership. Upgrading may mean the exploitation of this degree of heterogeneity, or it may mean going outside what may be considered the normal range of members to secure individuals with special ability.
Often groups underestimate the group affiliation interest and desires of people who have exceptional knowledge or skills. Many people with these special attributes would be interested in becoming “regular” group members or playing special roles in groups if only they understood the group’s goals and means and were asked to join.

Some groups do not attempt to upgrade their membership because consciously, or unconsciously, they don’t want people with greater knowledge, abilities, or skills in their group. They fear that these new members might upset the status structure. This point of view denies the possibility of the potential for individual and group growth from internal stimulation and higher group standards made possible by adding high caliber new members.

Resource Personnel

Related to upgrading group membership is the effective use of consultants, or resource personnel, by groups. Seldom does any group contain experts or specialists in all the fields they may wish to explore. Common sense suggests that liberal use be made of persons with special knowledge or skills rather than proceeding on a basis of pooled ignorance. It has already been suggested that upon occasion such specialized help may be integrated into the group. In many other cases it will obviously be impossible, and sometimes not even desirable.

The frequency and intelligence with which groups use specialists may be one evidence of maturity. Resource personnel are available in an ever-widening circle of specialties. Their talents may be general or limited, but a little effort and ingenuity can usually turn up the knowledge sought.

If a group is to be productive it must have goals and they must be understood. If a group is to make progress, goals must exist against which such progress can be measured. If effective means are to be chosen, progress toward goals is the only way by which their effectiveness can be measured. Adequate objectives are a prime requisite of effective group action. Whence do they come? In a democratic group situation such as we have been discussing they are chosen. And who chooses them? The group itself, under the stimulus of the forces already described, which we have called dynamics, internal and external.

We proceed with our diagram by producing another circle, this time in the shape of a target entitled goals.

Techniques

A third portion of the framework is illustrated by a square. This represents the means by which the wants and desires of the group are translated into goals and also the means by which these goals are sought and gained, and is entitled techniques.

A group technique, a pre-designed pattern for human interaction, offers a better potential for progress toward goals than does unstructured random behavior. Many techniques are available. Some are quite standardized and traditional, while others are of a more spontaneous nature. In addition to an understanding of the nature of the group and its goals, one also should know the potentials and limitations of the available techniques. This will be discussed at length later.

A proper technique has the potential for activating individual drives and motivations and for stimulating both internal and external dynamics so that the forces may be better integrated and directed toward the goals of the group. This assumes that the proper technique has been chosen and that it is applied in the proper social setting.

The arrows within the square represent the potential driving forces of various methods which, in the abstract, may be thought of in familiar terms such as informality, spontaneity, control, and diffusion of responsibility. Some of these represent negative potentials, such as non-directed participation, excessive emotional involvement, lack of control, or inadequate personnel. It will be noted that we have made liberal use of the word “potential.” This is in recognition of the fact that no technique, formal or informal, enters into the dynamics of group action until it is applied. Only when in actual use do the potential forces inherent in a technique become real forces, and only then can they enter into the dynamics of the situation.

The arrows outside the square represent the characteristics of the milieu in which the group operates, insofar as they will have an influence over the types of technique used. These characteristics may vary widely from one group to another and even at different times with the same group. It is easy to see that a technique which was applicable at one time might not be at another because of the climate in which the group was operating. Similarly, comparable groups operating in different surroundings might find methods which were excellent for one situation to be entirely inappropriate for another.

Usually the more traditional techniques by which group action is stimulated are referred to by formal names. Some of the more familiar are discussion, panel, symposium, role-playing, dialogue, interview, and committee hearing. We may be sure that there is always some technique at work within a group. It may be at a subconscious level, but is nevertheless operative. Man, by his very nature, is always working toward a goal and employing means for achieving it, whether he is aware of it or not. Even doing nothing may be a technique – since it may cause others to react.

In Part II there will be an extensive discussion of formal group techniques. It is the real hope; however, that interest will be directed toward devising new techniques; toward social creativeness.

We can all be socially creative! Certain basic understandings of human relations skills are needed. Along with these the possession of the principles of group behavior and the tools of analysis will lead to ways of dealing with each situation. Such creativity will inevitably lead to greater group productivity and many personal and common satisfactions.

The Complete Framework

We can now combine the three figures – the group, the goals, and techniques – into one, using algebraic symbols (Fig. 4.4). The group, plus the techniques, equals the goals.

At first glance it may seem that a static system has been set up, that the elements of group behavior have been broken down into three separate parts and that we can discuss them separately. Only in the most elementary sense is this true. Individuals and groups change; only they can select their goals and determine the means by which to seek them. The group process is an ever-changing thing and the parts of its structure are separated only for ease in study, never for subdivision.

Permeating the whole structure which has been developed is man’s value system – what he considers important. Values are the guides by which individuals and groups determine their goals. Man’s interests and motivations come from this value system, which organizes his experience and orients his past. Values will determine what individuals come together to form a group, how they will interact, and how they will select their goals and adopt their techniques. The individual in the group setting thus becomes the next focal point of attention.