Understanding Group Dynamics Through the Lens of Wilfred Bion: A Guide for Leaders

By Dr. Rafael Chiuzi

?*This paper is a handout utilized in one of my Senior Leadership Development Programs. I consider it to be under permanent construction and evolution.

Effective leadership requires the ability to manage tasks and strategies and the capacity to navigate the emotional and psychological complexities of team dynamics. In this realm, one could use a fairly undervalued thinker like Wilfred Bion and his theory on group behavior, particularly those outlined in Experiences in Groups (1961), to better comprehend how subconscious forces shape group behaviour. This small essay is an attempt to guide you through very complex concepts as an introductory exercise as a leadership reflection practice.

Imagine the following scenario:

A company is preparing to roll out a major internal project—a new company-wide software platform designed to streamline operations. A cross-functional team is assembled to manage the rollout, consisting of IT, HR, operations, and finance representatives. The team is tasked with developing a rollout plan, addressing potential challenges, and ensuring a smooth implementation across all departments. The team begins with enthusiasm, recognizing the importance of the project. However, as meetings progress, subtle patterns hinder the team’s ability to move forward effectively.

The group relies heavily on the IT manager, viewing her as the authority on all decisions, even in areas like training or process alignment. Team members hesitate to contribute, waiting for her input before taking action, which slows decision-making and limits innovation.

During discussions about timelines, tensions arise. Operations push for rapid implementation, believing delays will disrupt daily workflows. HR disengaged from the conversation, citing concerns that the platform training process still needs to be fully defined. As a result, the team struggles to agree on a realistic timeline.

The group begins to think that the partnership between the IT and finance leads, assuming their collaboration will resolve all planning and resource allocation issues. Other team members start to disengage, feeling their contributions are less critical.

The team’s leader, a senior manager, notices that while meetings appear productive on the surface, key issues like training, stakeholder communication, and rollout timing remain unresolved. The group seems stuck in repetitive debates, with most decisions deferred to the IT lead. Despite the initial momentum, the project risks falling behind schedule due to unresolved tensions and uneven contributions.

The Dual Nature of Groups

Bion's central contribution is his distinction between the workgroup and the basic assumption group. The workgroup represents the rational, task-focused aspects of group behavior. It is goal-oriented, collaborative, and essential for achieving defined objectives. The workgroup, in other words, is what every leader thinks the group is (or, at least, what they would desire them to be). So, managers very often will focus their energy on trying to enhance effective workgroup behavior, such as ensuring clear communication, structuring processes, and creating other mechanisms that offer the illusion of stability.

However, according to Bion, beneath the surface lies the basic assumption group. This group is mostly driven by unconscious emotions such as fear, anxiety, or unmet needs. These emotional undercurrents have the potential to disrupt rational processes, no matter how carefully designed they are, leading to irrational, or even self-destructive behaviors. For instance, a leadership team managing organizational restructuring may outwardly appear focused on strategy development (workgroup behavior). However, hidden fears about job security, role ambiguity, or power loss might manifest as avoidance, over-reliance on senior leaders, or internal conflict—classic indicators of basic assumption dynamics (Bion, 1961).

But do not let the example fool you, these dynamics are not exclusively related to crises. Even in routine operations, teams may unconsciously assume basic assumption behavior. A newly formed team, for example, might exhibit dependency behaviors by deferring all decisions to the team leader, slowing innovation and progress.

Awareness of these unconscious forces is a good strategy for leaders managing teams and tasks. Without it, attempts to drive performance or implement change may falter as the group's unacknowledged emotional needs overshadow its rational goals.?

The Three Basic Assumptions

Bion identified three primary unconscious dynamics, or basic assumptions, that often govern group behavior: dependency, fight-flight, and pairing.

Dependency occurs when group members unconsciously look to a leader for guidance, security, and solutions. While this dynamic can create stability in uncertain times, it stifles initiative and innovation. For example, in a crisis, teams may become overly reliant on a CEO, waiting for direction instead of contributing ideas. Leaders who recognize this dynamic can mitigate it by fostering distributed leadership and encouraging team members to take ownership of challenges (French & Simpson, 2010). Another example can be seen in classroom settings, where students might expect the instructor to provide all answers, limiting their engagement in problem-solving and critical thinking.

Fight-or-flight reflects the group's response to perceived threats, manifesting as either confrontation (fight) or avoidance (flight). This dynamic is particularly prevalent in high-stakes environments. During a merger, for instance, one faction of employees might resist new leadership (fight) while another disengage entirely (flight). Effective leaders address fight-flight dynamics by creating a sense of psychological safety, allowing group members to express concerns and collaborate on solutions (Gabriel, 1999). In sports teams, fight-flight dynamics often emerge after a losing streak, where players might direct blame outward (fight) or withdraw from team efforts (flight). Coaches who create open communication and emphasize collective responsibility can redirect the team's focus toward growth and improvement.?

Pairing is the group's tendency to place hope in two members or ideas, believing they will solve all problems. While this dynamic can foster optimism, it often defers responsibility from the broader group. In an innovation team, members might idealize the partnership between two senior leaders, assuming their vision will carry the team to success. Leaders can counteract pairing by emphasizing collective effort and ensuring diverse contributions to decision-making (Hirschhorn, 1988). Similarly, in a startup environment, pairing might occur when employees place unrealistic expectations on a charismatic founder and technical lead to deliver success without broader team involvement.

The Role of the Leader

Leaders occupy a pivotal role in navigating these dynamics.

As Bion noted, leaders often become the focal point of group projections, idealized as saviors or blamed as scapegoats depending on the group's emotional state. Managing these projections requires emotional intelligence, self-awareness, and a commitment to balancing task-oriented and emotional group needs.

For example, during an organizational change, employees may project their anxieties onto the leader, expecting them to resolve all uncertainties. Leaders who recognize this dependency can shift the focus back to the team, fostering autonomy and collaboration. Similarly, leaders must remain calm and composed in fight-flight situations, modeling constructive behaviors that help the group move toward rational problem-solving.

Research on transformational leadership supports Bion's emphasis on addressing group dynamics. Leaders who inspire trust, convey a clear vision, and provide support are better equipped to manage the emotional undercurrents that disrupt group cohesion (Bass, 1990). For instance, transformational leaders often use storytelling to unify teams, countering fight-flight tendencies by reframing challenges as shared opportunities.

Applications in Modern Leadership

Bion's theories remain highly relevant in today's leadership contexts. In therapy groups, facilitators use his framework to address subconscious resistance and foster deeper connections.

In corporate environments, leaders who understand basic assumptions can navigate team dynamics more effectively, especially during times of uncertainty.

For example, When Tim Cook took over as CEO of Apple in 2011, many employees and stakeholders operated under clear pairing assumptions, idealizing the late Steve Jobs and doubting whether Cook could fill his role. Recognizing this, Cook shifted the narrative from reliance on a single visionary leader to a focus on Apple’s collective innovation culture. By emphasizing collaboration and ensuring all team members felt valued, Cook helped Apple maintain its momentum and fostered a sense of shared ownership in the company’s ongoing success. His ability to navigate emotional dynamics ensured a smooth transition during a potentially destabilizing time.

Vivid examples of dependency in modern contexts occurs in innovation-driven environments like Silicon Valley, where teams often place exaggerated faith in star engineers or visionary founders like Elizabeth Holmes from Theranos or Adam Newman from WeWork. This dynamic can undermine team morale if others feel undervalued. Leaders who distribute recognition and foster collaborative efforts can mitigate these effects, ensuring more equitable participation.

Now, let’s take a look at the mini-case, using this theory.

Analysis of the Project Rollout Team Through Bion’s Lens

The team exhibits clear signs of operating as a workgroup and as a basic assumption group, where subconscious emotional dynamics undermine rational decision-making. The dependency on the IT manager highlights the dependency assumption, as team members defer their contributions, assuming the IT lead holds all the answers. While offering short-term stability, this behavior stifles innovation and prevents other members from engaging fully with the project. Leaders addressing such dynamics must distribute ownership by fostering an environment where all members feel empowered to contribute based on their expertise. Encouraging collective problem-solving rather than relying on a single “expert” can help the team move beyond this unproductive pattern.?

The fight-flight assumption also emerges during discussions about timelines, where operations aggressively push for rapid implementation (fight). At the same time, HR is disengaged from the process (flight). These behaviors stem from unresolved anxieties—operations fear prolonged disruption, while HR is uncertain about readiness for training. Such polarized responses prevent the group from collaborating effectively on solutions. To mitigate this, the project manager must create psychological safety, allowing all members to voice concerns and work through disagreements constructively. For example, facilitating structured discussions that balance operational urgency with HR’s need for training clarity could align the team toward a shared timeline.

Lastly, the pairing assumption surfaces as the group begins to place undue reliance on the partnership between the IT and finance leads. This dynamic shifts responsibility away from the broader team, leading to disengagement from other members who feel their contributions are less critical. To counteract this, the project manager should emphasize the collective responsibility for the rollout’s success, ensuring that all voices are heard and valued in decision-making. By distributing recognition and engaging all stakeholders equally, the leader can prevent over-reliance on specific individuals or subgroups. Overall, applying Bion’s framework highlights the need for leaders to address the group's emotional and task-related needs, fostering a balance that drives more effective collaboration and project outcomes.

Wilfred Bion's insights into group dynamics offer leaders a powerful lens for understanding the hidden forces that shape team behavior.

Leaders can foster healthier and more productive teams by distinguishing between work group and basic assumption dynamics, identifying subconscious assumptions, and managing group projections.

In an era of rapid change and increasing complexity, Bion's work provides timeless tools for navigating the emotional and psychological challenges of leadership. As organizations continue to evolve, the ability to recognize and address these dynamics will remain a cornerstone of effective leadership.?

References

• Bion, W. R. (1961). Experiences in groups and other papers. Tavistock Publications.
• Bass, B. M. (1990). From transactional to transformational leadership: Learning to share the vision. Organizational Dynamics, 18(3), 19–31.
• French, R., & Simpson, P. (2010). The "work group": Redressing the balance in Bion's experiences in groups. Human Relations, 63(12), 1859-1878.
• Gabriel, Y. (1999). Beyond happy families: A critical reevaluation of Bion's group dynamics. Human Relations, 52(2), 197-217.
• Hirschhorn, L. (1988). The workplace within: Psychodynamics of organizational life. MIT Press.?

About the author

Dr. Rafael Chiuzi is an accomplished organizational psychologist and Associate Professor of Organizational Behaviour at the University of Toronto Mississauga, where he equips future leaders with the skills to shape resilient and inclusive workplaces. Over his 15-year career, Dr. Chiuzi has designed executive education programs that have empowered hundreds of leaders across industries to harness human potential and navigate complex organizational dynamics. A 2x TEDx speaker, Dr. Chiuzi is a trusted voice on leadership and psychological safety, blending rigorous scientific insight with engaging, real-world storytelling. His transformative work has driven sustainable growth and cultural change for Fortune 500 companies worldwide, while his research and teaching continue to resonate with audiences from corporate boardrooms to international conferences. Dr. Chiuzi is also a published author and sought-after keynote speaker, inspiring leaders in Canada and beyond to foster cultures of collaboration, innovation, and performance.

www.rafaelchiuzi.ca

Bluesky: @chiuzi.bsky.social

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