A word may be said here concerning dysfunctional groups. Not all informal group activities are correlated to the over-all well being of the larger society or community. Gossip cliques in a corporate structure, critical of top management, might be an example. Regardless of the merit contained in the gossip, it usually is dysfunctional to the corporation. In this case, the gossip activity may be functional to the smaller group while being dysfunctional to the whole group.
Functional evaluation is, of course, subjective and related to the observer.
One check is to have different observers evaluate the same phenomena. This will result in more objective conclusions. No matter how informal a group may be, it will have a leader or leaders. Such leaders are often leaders in the more formal organizations. Formal organizations operate social institutions, but the identification of elite leaders who are engaged in informal activities may throw light on formal movements within organizations.