The aims of the research were: i) to show that some informal htiman groups are stable ii) to discover the processes underlying this stability A third, implicit, aim was the adaptation of cybernetic methodology to small group studies. It was felt that a systems approach would provide a formal, but flexible analytic tool appropriate to the richness and complexity of the phenomenon. Various explanatory hypotheses were constructed, all of which took the variables 'size' and 'level of activity' as the objects of any stabilising process. The hypotheses were tested by laboratory experiment, by longtidudinal, participant-observer studies of natural groups, and by a computer simulation (GROUP-1) that mapped assumptions onto historical data. It was found that when 'size' and 'activity' were maintained within specified limits, this was a consequence of a series of stabilising processes. Once a group became stable, two major sources of disruption were identified, both originating outside the group. These were an external block on activity, or a sudden influx of new members. In the absence of disruption, stability was manifested in the following way. An increase in group size towards its upper boundary triggered a series of repercussions that 'encouraged' members to leave. A decrease triggered a similar and opposite effect. The group's 'level of activity' was shielded from the effects of size change by a series of buffer mechanisms, and so maintained its own independent equilibrium. These quasi-mechanical processes were facilitated by a set of beliefs and techniques (the group's knowledge of how and why to pursue its aims), but the persistence of these beliefs and techniques were themselves dependent on the operation of the stabilising processes. It was concluded that viable groups were constituted as irreductable cybernetic wholes. All processes, physical and informational, supported, but were dependent on, all other process.

This thesis is an attempt to propose an analytical model for estimating and predicting capability in human networks (i.e. work teams). Capability in this context is the ability to utilise the collective inherent and acquired resources of individuals to complete a given task. The motivation of proposing a method for measuring collective capability of teams is to assist project managers and team builders to allocate and assign “The most capable teams” to a project to maximise the likelihood of success. The review of literature in engineering, human sciences and economics has led to a definition of capability. One of the key findings of this research work is that collective capability can be predicted by: 1. Demographic homophily of members of the team, 2. The diversity of skills that each member brings to the team, 3. The past experience or attainments of the members, and 4. The strength of relationship amongst the members of the team. The influence of the four predictors of capability is investigated through the design of empirical surveys conducted among postgraduate students over a period of 2 years. The data collected from the surveys are used to assess the correlation between the predictors and the dependent variable using standard statistical methods. The conclusions of the study confirm that there are positive and significant relationships between the independent predictors and collective capability of project teams. The demographic homophily of the individuals in team and their instrumental (task related) relationships’ strength become the two most effective predictors which have the highest effect on the collective capability of a team as a whole. The skills diversity of the members in a group and their previous level of attainments/experiences in similar projects were also proved to be effective factors (with lower level of effect) in increasing the capability of the whole team in fulfilling the requirements of a pre-defined project.

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Through both a theoretical analysis of the framework itself, as well as ethnographic research of one particular university-community engagement project underway in Provo, UT, this thesis explores both the process of training students for this type of community engagement as well as the malleability of the program format for potential application across other schools and communities. The research findings highlight how the program itself, taking the form of an offered undergraduate course at a liberal arts college in Provo, offers unique opportunities for undergraduate students to engage in applied anthropological work for a client, as well as how the local community center partnered with the university benefits from (and in some cases, resists) the findings of the community engagement made possible through the program.