Joe Miles, PhD
In August, I began a new position at The University of Tennessee, Knoxville: Associate Dean for Institutional Transformation. (This transition and new position have certainly kept me busy, which is part of the reason my column was 11 days late getting to Tom Treadwell for the publication of this issue – Sorry, Tom!). Part of my charge in this new position is related to overseeing efforts within my college to develop and maintain a collegial, inclusive, and welcoming climate where all individuals (students, staff, and faculty) can achieve success and thrive. It’s an interesting time to be thinking about how we can create a climate where everyone can thrive, when the broader context of higher education is continuously shifting and full of anxiety-producing uncertainty that we cannot control. But, as I have conversations with department heads, faculty, and students about their concerns related to climate, I have been reflecting on how every issue we discuss can be informed by group theory, research, and practice. For example, I have been working with department heads on ways to foster cohesion in their departments and manage conflict in faculty meetings, and I have been working with faculty on ways to create dialogic classroom norms and build skills for bystander intervention in the name of fostering a more collegial work environment. And, as uncertainty about funding for research, visas for international students and colleagues, and academic freedom and free speech have continued to build concerns, connecting with one another has built a sense of unity, hope, and support among faculty groups. To be sure, group theory, research, and practice seem especially needed in our current time!
As I have reflected on this, I also think about the fact that our Division remains relatively small, and I wonder about the disconnect between the utility and importance of group work for addressing our most pressing social issues and engagement with the Division that champions group research and practice. How can we help those outside of our Division see the ways in which group work can be used to bring about important changes not just at the individual level, but at the institutional and societal levels, as well.
Many years ago, I was Program Chair for the Division with Jill Paquin while APA was rolling out its effort to foster collaborative programming. Jill and I reached out to many other divisions that seemed to have natural synergies to invite them to develop collaborative programming with us. What was interesting to me was that many or most of these folks hadn’t really ever thought of their work as being “group” work or about the possible connections to our Division (though many were open to exploring the possibilities).
I think the challenges of our time present the perfect opportunity to foster awareness in the potential of group research and practice to provide solutions, and to invite people into our Division. To this end, in the coming months, I hope to work with our Domain Reps. to grow our committees and engage people in meaningful ways to support group research and practice and, as importantly, use group to meaningfully bring about institutional and societal change. If you or a student or colleague are looking for ways to get involved in the work of one of our committees, please reach out to me or to the affiliated Domain Rep.
On an unrelated note, if you haven’t seen, APA journals gave a shout out to our journal, Group Dynamics: Theory, Research, and Practice, on its Facebook page, highlighting the 22% increase in impact factor to 2.2 and I thought that was worth acknowledging and celebrating! Thank you to Bryan Bonner, our current Editor; George Tasca, our immediate past Editor; our Associate Editors, and all current and past reviewers and authors!