Newcomers as change agents: Minority in¯uence in task groups

Because groups are not static entities, efforts to explain group processes and outcomes must take account of temporal aspects of group life (Arrow, McGrath, & Berdahl, 2000). In this chapter we focus on how groups respond to changes in membership occasioned by the entry of new members. In particular we are interested in the conditions under which newcomers in¯uence the groups they enter.