Opening the black box of group dynamics : the participation/reification duality as generative mechanism

This study proposes exploring the generative mechanisms at play behind group dynamics by offering a longitudinal analysis of the development of a self-organized group composed of city dentists. By adopting a longitudinal perspective we shed light on the relational and organizational mechanisms which explain how the group evolves over time. To do so, we use the participation/reification framework introduced by Wenger (1998) so as to integrate the necessary connection between the two streams of group dynamics : the development stream and the problem solving stream. Data were collected through a two-year participant observation, with two sets of interviews, social network analysis and document analysis. The results show that groups have to balance over time three dimensions: the identity, the affective and the instrumental. These three dimensions are characterized by specific participation/reification combinations connected with the organizational characteristics of the group.