Adaptive Structuration Theory

Adaptive Structuration Theory was the most difficult for me to understand. Basically, the theory is concerned with groups and the idea that the members of the group are responsible for how the group functions. The group members do this through "structuration" which is how people use thier rules (how to act) and resources (personal abilities/characteristics) when interacting. The reason the theory is called "adaptive" is because the primary researcher, Poole, says that group members are adapting their rules and resources to different settings in order to accomplish their goals. Basically, from what I understand, the theory presents the idea that every group member has an impact on how the group functions and what ultimately happens.

The best example that I can think of for this particular theory is when I was a camp counselor. I was specifically in charge of the high ropes course, and every weekend before the next group of campers arrived for the week, my ropes staff and I had to sit down and plan out what course we would take the campers on, alternatives if the weather was bad, and what exactly we wanted the campers to get out of each experience. When we first started off, our group interactions were awkward because people just wanted to let the supervisor take care of all the details, and he did for the first two weeks. However, when some of the staff no longer wanted to follow his plan, they began to speak up and provide new ideas for how the courses should run. This totally changed the group dynamic and by the end of the summer, everyone had an equal voice in how the ropes course would work. We all used our rules (specifically about how to respectfully address a supervisor) and resources (creative thinking abilities) to interact with each other and ultimately accomplish our group's goals.