Peer groups are an essential part of our personal and professional lives. They provide support, shared experiences, and opportunities to grow. But within these groups, cliques can often form—a phenomenon can have positive and negative effects. Effects. Whether you're navigating a social circle or a professional business advisory group, understanding cliques and their impact on peer advisory groups is key to fostering a healthy and constructive environment.
What Are Cliques?
A clique is a small, exclusive group of people within a larger group who stick together due to shared interests, values, or goals. While cliques are often associated with high school dynamics, they are also common in adult environments—think workplace teams, community projects, or even professional peer groups.
Although cliques may seem harmless initially, they can profoundly influence a group's dynamics.
How Cliques Affect Peer Groups
Cliques can bring advantages and challenges to peer groups, including business and peer advisory groups. Here's a simple breakdown:
Positive Effects
Support and Camaraderie
Cliques often offer a sense of belonging. For instance, within a business advisory group, smaller teams can help members build strong connections, share ideas freely, and feel supported by like-minded individuals.
Focused Collaboration
People in cliques often share common goals or expertise, making collaborating on specific projects or discussions easier. For example, a peer advisory group with tech-focused members may produce targeted solutions faster than a broader, more generalized group.
Negative Effects
Exclusivity and Division
One downside of cliques is the exclusivity they create, which can alienate members outside the group. This can harm the overall cohesion of a peer group or business advisory group, reducing trust and collaboration.
Stifled Diversity of Opinions
Cliques may lead to “groupthink,” where only the ideas of the small, exclusive group dominate. This stifles creativity and innovation, particularly damaging in peer advisory groups that rely on diverse viewpoints to grow.
Tensions and Conflict
Cliques can unintentionally create tensions by forming “us vs. them” dynamics. This can affect morale and reduce the group's effectiveness over time.
The Role of Peer Advisory Groups in Overcoming Cliques
Peer advisory groups, especially those designed for business professionals, have a unique advantage in addressing cliques. By emphasizing diverse perspectives and structured discussions, these groups maximize collaboration and shared learning. For instance, in a well-facilitated business advisory group, leadership often creates an environment that naturally reduces cliquish behavior by emphasizing the value of inclusivity and problem-solving.
