Collective Identity Crisis
When Groups Face Change
One week ago, I participated in a gathering of scholars and practitioners who’s work is (informed by) Adult Development Theory. What struck me most wasn't the content we discussed but the palpable tension in the room as participants grappled with fundamental questions about the organization's evolving identity. It was a microcosm of something I see everywhere these days.
Groups across all sectors ask the same anxious question: Who are we? From workplace teams navigating restructuring to community organizations adapting to new demographics, the struggle to understand collective identity during transitions has become a defining challenge of our times.
The Emotional Landscape of Change
When groups face profound transitions, the emotional intensity can be overwhelming. Long-standing members may feel grief for what's being lost, while newer members may experience confusion about what they've joined. These aren't just individual feelings—they create a collective emotional field that shapes how the group moves forward.
The anxiety is contagious. When some members doubt their place, others begin questioning whether they belong. When leaders seem uncertain, the entire group can feel unmoored. Yet within this discomfort lies essential information about what the community values and fears losing.
How Identity Emerges and Evolves
Group identity isn't fixed—it's constantly being reformed through interactions, decisions, and shared experiences. Every conversation adds to or shifts the collective sense of "who we are." This process intensifies during transitions when old patterns no longer fit but new ones haven't yet emerged.
What makes this particularly challenging is the ambiguity. Unlike technical problems with clear solutions, identity questions require groups to tolerate not knowing how to make sense of this new terrain. The uncertainty that makes people uncomfortable also creates space for new possibilities to emerge.
Learning from Natural Patterns
Brian Thomas Swimme's work on cosmogenesis reminds us that complexity emerges through periods of apparent chaos (Swimme, 2022). Just as the universe evolved from simple particles to complex systems through billions of years of transformation, human groups develop through similar cycles of dissolution and reformation.
This perspective helps normalize the discomfort. The confusion and conflict that arise during transitions aren't signs of failure but natural aspects of evolution. Groups that understand this can approach their uncertainty with more curiosity and less judgment.
The Role of Ambiguity
Perhaps most importantly, ambiguity serves a purpose. When everything is certain, there's no room for growth. The discomfort of not knowing invites groups to:
Question assumptions that may no longer serve
Consider perspectives they might otherwise dismiss
Stay open to possibilities they couldn't previously imagine
Cultivate collective resilience for future changes
Organizations that try to avoid ambiguity often repeat the same patterns. Those who learn to work with uncertainty carry the potential to discover more creative and sustainable ways forward.
Navigating Transitions Together
Some practices help groups move through identity transitions more skillfully:
Acknowledging the emotional reality - Naming fears and hopes makes them less powerful
Creating spaces for honest dialogue - Real conversation beats strategic planning
Balancing honoring the past with embracing change - Both continuity and transformation matter
Accepting that clarity comes through engagement, not analysis alone
Leaders face particular challenges during these times, holding their own uncertainty while others look to them for direction. Acknowledging "we're figuring this out together" often creates more trust than false confidence.
A Practice to Try This Week
If you're part of a group navigating change, consider exploring this question with a trusted colleague:
What do we most want to preserve about who we've been, and what new possibilities excite us about who we're becoming?
Starting with just one authentic conversation can shift the energy of an entire group. Sometimes, the simple act of naming both loss and possibility helps communities find their way forward.
Reference
Swimme, B. T. (2022). Finding our bearings in the river of time. In Cosmogenesis (Vignette #1). Handout for a session with Brian Swimme, Beena Sharma, and Bruce Alderman at Lume Network Gathering, June 21, 2025.