Collectives & Outliers
A functioning collective is a network of individuals interacting well with each other. Think for example of a sports team, a family, a working team in a company, a shared flat etc.
How well and tightly these individuals interact determines the sense of cohesion within the group.
Sometimes, there is an individual who interacts differently which creates a distance with the group — let's call this person an outlier. Think of a newcomer who doesn't know the group's habits, or someone from a different culture or generation or abilities making them not having the same communication and interaction styles as the rest of the group.
When everyone needs to cooperate, adaptation is required.
There can be several strategies for this, like for example the onboarding of the individual...
... or the reorganization of the group (at least a part of it) around the outlier...
... or any variation and combination of these!
However, each strategy carries risks. For example if by adapting too much, the outlier loses parts of its uniqueness...
... or if the group loses its own cohesion by stretching too much to adapt.
And unfortunately both can happen simultaneously...
It seems that the key to successful adaptation is the overlap between the zones of adaptability of the collective and the outlier.
When these zones don't overlap well, the adaptation will be painful for everyone and is likely to fail.
And it's not the end of the world, it simply indicates that there might be a better environment where the individual is no longer an outlier.
Outliers are distinctive individuals who, when effectively integrated, can enhance a group's agility with the diversity they bring. However, adaptation can be challenging and doesn't always succeed. In such cases, it's important to remember that being an outlier is often context-dependent, and there's always a group somewhere where one can truly feel at home.
Some questions to reflect further:
- Did this post remind you of a particular experience in your life? In that situation, were you the outlier or part of the collective?
- How can one determine the boundaries of zones of adaptability? And how would you know whether these zones overlap or not?
- When is the right moment for both individuals and groups to stop trying to adapt and simply go their separate ways?
