Positive interdependence

Positive interdependence is an element of cooperative and collaborative learning where members of a group who share common goals perceive that working together is individually and collectively beneficial, and success depends on the participation of all the members. Positive interdependence is an element of cooperative and collaborative learning where members of a group who share common goals perceive that working together is individually and collectively beneficial, and success depends on the participation of all the members. In contrast to Negative Interdependence (i.e., individuals can only achieve their goal via the failure of a competitor) and No Interdependence (i.e., a correlation does not exist between individuals' goals), positive interdependence happens when 'individuals perceive that they can attain their goals if and only if the other individuals with whom they are cooperatively linked attain their goals'. Consequently, positive interdependence results in members of a group 'encouraging and facilitating each other's efforts...in order to reach the group's goals'. Positive interdependence can also be understood by its effects on the psychological processes of learners in a group setting. It promotes substitutability (the degree to which actions of one group member substitutes for the actions of another), positive cathexis (investment of positive psychological energy in objects outside one's self), and inducibility (openness to influencing and being influenced by others), whereas Negative Interdependence creates nonsubstituability, negative cathexis and a resistance to being influenced by others. Derived from the constructivist learning theory and social psychology's social interdependence theory, positive interdependence theory is the foundation of modern collaborative and cooperative practice in business, science, and education. Kurt Koffka, one of the founders of the gestalt school of psychology, proposed that interdependence was essential for a group to become a dynamic whole and recognized that interdependence will vary from one individual to another within the group. As part of his early work in social and organizational psychology, his student Kurt Lewin theorized that the essence of the group gestalt depends on interdependence among members, and further, it is created by sharing a common goal. His student, Morton Deutsch, expanded on the social interdependence theory during his work on conflict resolution. Deutsch studied how the 'tension systems' of different people within a group might be interrelated. Deutsch conceptualized the three types of interdependence: positive, negative, and none. A basic premise of social interdependence theory centers on the participant's goal structure which determines how they interact with one another. Other important variables for success include personal predisposition or cognitive bias. and training in social cooperation and collaboration techniques. The social dominance theory is considered to be the opposite of social interdependence theory. David Johnson, Deutsch's student in the study of social psychology, with his brother Roger Johnson, a science educator, and their sister, educator Edye Johnson Holubec, further developed positive interdependence theory as part of their research and work in teacher and professional training at the Cooperative Learning Center at the University of Minnesota (founded in 1969). Johnson, Johnson, and Holubek identify positive interdependence as the first essential element for successful cooperative learning. Positive interdependence (cooperation) results in promotive interaction where individuals encourage and facilitate teammates' efforts to complete the task. Negative interdependence (competition) encourages contrient interaction where team members work to oppose or block the success of others on their team while working to further their own, individual goals. Interpersonal interaction alone does not increase productivity or lead to higher achievement in learning groups; instead, positive interdependence is needed to produce those results.