Group Analysis journal paper
I had an absolutely fascinating collaboration with some group dynamics colleagues, using Compendium, our most mature knowledge cartography tool, to map the dynamics they were seeing as therapists. Delighted to say that an article we wrote up has now come out in one of the leading journals in the field, which is starting to attract some attention:
Marion Brown, Andrew Downie, and Simon Buckingham Shum (2012). Mapping the Matrix: Using Compendium as a Tool for Recording the Analytic Group. Group Analysis, 45, (1), pp. 99-115. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0533316411430453 Eprint: http://oro.open.ac.uk/33148
Abstract: This paper describes the application of Compendium, a knowledge cartography software tool, for the recording of group process. As a hypertext tool, it enables analysts to visualise connections between people, ideas and information, establishing an evidence base within and across contexts (such as group sessions). After customising its visual language, templates and keyword system, it has been piloted as a research tool for the measurement of group process. This would appear to hold the promise of providing a “digital substrate” for recording, discussing and analysing long term group dynamics in new ways. While the project is in its early stages, early indications are that it is a useful tool which can highlight group process and record change over time. In the longer term, it seems plausible that group processes such as multiple mirroring and identification, and such complex structures as the matrix, could be made visible and researchable through this methodology.
We hope to organise a follow-up workshop to map the road ahead…
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