When a group establishes itself, it will automatically establish its rules and principles. Its members learn how to work together and how to care for the group.

Often, groups believe that this happens by itself.

They have seen it work elsewhere, they come from places where they’ve experienced great cohesion and partnership. And quite often they will believe it happened by itself. The only thing that is needed, so they think, is to be friendly with one another and maybe even to have a common objective.

What they don’t realize, is that the great groups are the ones that survived.

That is those groups where the members found ways to care as much for the group as for what it aimed to achieve. Most often this means, that they’ve consciously paid attention to the way they relate with one another and cared enough to discuss it among themselves. Open conversations allow for care to express itself but also to define boundaries, and expectations, as well as decide how the group will continue.

In the process, it is natural that group membership shifts. Individuals need this process to decide for themselves how they can or cannot adjust to the group. That is because this process helps them see if and how the group includes them and how they as an individual can contribute to shaping the group.