The evolving group: towards a prescriptive theory of intentional group development

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide a theoretical framework for understanding and formulating team intentional change. Design/methodology/approach – Based on a critical review of existing theories of group development, gaps in the literature regarding how teams can and should develop, especially when the change is intentional and has a desired direction, are examined. A set of propositions is offered to address these aspects of group development that have been neglected by the literature. Findings – A systematic and critical discussion of the core literature on group development showed: the complex and discontinuous nature of change in groups was neglected, because the group was not treated as a complex system; the literature has not dealt with group development processes when the change process is intentional (it has been descriptive of what occurs), nor has it examined which are key drivers of group change; existing literature on group development have predominantly seen negative emotion as catalytic to group development, and they have ignored the role of positive emotion. Therefore, drawing on positive psychology, complexity theory, small group research literatures, and Boyatzis' intentional change theory, a prescriptive theoretical framework for explaining intentional group change and development is offered and discussed. Originality/value – A prescriptive model or theoretical framework with a set of hypotheses are proposed that explain intentional, and positive group development processes.