Rhizome Advanced Guide to Groups: an rhizome.coop
introduction to mainstream and margins @rhizomecoop
Introduction to Mainstream and
Margins
The concepts of mainstream and margins are key
to understanding team dynamics and supporting
groups to thrive. They originate from Process Work
and have been further developed by Training for
Change. Today, they are an important approach
that underpins Rhizome’s work.
The mainstream and margins are integral parts of all
groups. The mainstream, though not necessarily the
majority, is the part of the group that sets the tone,
communication-style and way of working. It is usually
done unconsciously. The margins might express
other behaviours, but if it doesn’t become the new
norm of the group, they remain in the periphery.
Every group, team and organisation marginalises
certain behaviours or characteristics. Sometimes it’s
more obvious what or who is pushed to the edges,
and at other times you will need to observe closely.
What is marginalised will vary between groups and
will change over time, but it’s often a reproduction
of the power structures in wider society. People carry
their rank into a group, based on things like ethnicity,
gender, and class.
If we want a team to thrive, then negotiating these
dynamics is absolutely crucial. When we are aware
of this dynamic, we can choose to go with the ow
of the mainstream norm-setting, or we can bring it
to the attention of the group and support everyone
to explore with curiosity what impact it has on the
group and its members.
Change is generally instigated by the margins, who
will usually have more awareness of the dynamics.
However, if the relationship between mainstream
and margins doesn’t change, the group will not
thrive. For this to happen, people from the margins
need to step into their own power; once one
person from the margins does so, people from other
margins will tend to follow.
An example that illustrates the complex dynamics is
whether a group takes turns to speak or speaks up
as and when. If the mainstream is to take turns to
speak, people who are used to a more spontaneous
ow will be asked to refrain and stick to taking
turns. In this way, the mainstream keeps the people
with those behaviours on the edge of the group.
Eventually, people in the margins may seek to
change the dynamic.
What can we do?
What’s unique about this approach is that it
explicitly aims at empowering people in the margins
to go further than challenging the mainstream,
through supporting change and the re-negotiation
of the power relationships within the group. The aim
with this is to ensure that there is space for everyone
to thrive, to hold differences, and for the group to
be at the top of its game. As such, sometimes it’s
appropriate to work directly with the dynamics.
At others simply understanding what is going on
provides clues on how best to support the group.