Keeping Groups Focused

Ive found out through trial and error, through life and friends, that keeping a small group cohesive and focused is a tough job. The book describes the different aspects of systems that make up small groups as little pieces to a bigger pie. I think that the idea of small group interactions as living, diverse, complex systems works well when we understand how easily they can fall apart. The book talks about how interdependence of group members creates a stronger group bond, as each member of the group relies upon the other members for support.
This idea reminded me of a common game that is often played as a camp or school activity. Its a great test and example of how interdependence on each member of a group works. The activity was when you take all the members of the group and form a tight, standing circle. The group is then supposed to sit down at exactly the same time on the person behind them, while supporting the person in front of them. Its a tough game to get right, and the majority of the time you ended up on the ground. But it was great when you could get it right, and got exponentially more interesting as the number of people increased. (I think the biggest circle Ive ever been apart of was about 40 people) . The activity exemplified the good and bad of small groups. If everyone was in alignment and on the same level as the other members, the outcome was good. But when even one member of the group faltered, was out of time, or out of place, the group might be able to sit, but not for long, and eventually you crashed down to the group.
Another area I've found that is very dependent upon a cohesive group system is in football. I played football in high school as a lineman, who are the guys responsible for either protecting or attacking the quarterback and running backs. As part of the team, myself and each guy beside me had to have a perfect understanding of what we were doing each play, and I relied upon them for support the same way they did me. But just like any complex system, sometimes we didnt communicate properly, or make a bad call, and the quarterback got sacked. Oh well. Live and learn and keep playing.