The Small Group Paperback – January 1, 1961 by Michael S. Olmsted
 
"This book is a well-written coup d'oeil of the basic unit of social interaction, which is the small group. He first differentiates the small group into two: there is the primary group, or the group that is more familial in nature. This is where we can find filial relationships, from siblings to good friends. The other group, the secondary group, is the group that is united in trying to achieve a certain task: these are groups found at work most often.The small group works best in a regulated, democratic environment. Laissez-faire leadership and authoritarian leadership are bound to lead to anxiety, as the former group does not know what to do, and the latter elicits either rebellious feelings or apathetic feelings - both of which aren't conducive to work done. A strong small group has large, societal ramifications in that if these are strong within a society, the success of Russian Communism or Nazi Germany wouldn't have been realized. The dictators during those times preyed upon a weak social psyche: 'tell us what to do, Herr Hitler, because you will save us!'At the book's end, Olmsted also touches upon leadership, and notes that there are different leaders for different occasions. The leader in analysis in the workplace may just be another follower in a more casual setting: the leader of instrumental activity in culture, who conglomerates information into coherent and cogent chunks, are effective in the workplace. As analysts, however, few of us are liked in expressive situations, such as cocktail parties (save for a few). There are different leaders in society, and the best leader is the best leader only for that certain group." - review from goodreads
 
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