Essay on Examining the Group Dynamics of a Team

After reading the case study “Building a Coalition” I think that within the five-stage group-development model described in our textbook the group involved in the case is somewhere between  the forming stage and storming stage, I can see signs of both stages at the same time.

The forming stage is characterized by dependency, and need for acceptance and guidance. In this stage the "meet and greet" is done. During the meet and greet each member gathers information that will determine the strength of potential relationships amongst group members, as well as establish group hierarchy. Generally, in this stage the leader of group is selected. The group leader has a tendency to be someone that is viewed as stable and

The next time the group met they were in the storming stage (Tuckman 1965). This stage is where any conflict happens, the group member explore their roles within the group. Within this stage there can often be a struggle for power, status and control. Even though conflict

The identification and understanding of an individual’s role and that of the other team member’s roles is crucial as is the recognition of how the different roles complement each other and work together.

The five stages of group/team development are: forming, storming, norming, performing and adjourning. In the forming stage, the group members get aquainted with one another and figure out what the goals of the group are. In the storming stage, individual personalities within the group emerge and group members start to figure out what their roles will be. In the norming stage, the group begins to find unity and group members resolve their differences. In the performing stage, the group members solve problems and focus on completing their assigned task. In the adjourning stage, the group begins to disband and the members transition out and into other projects.

Our team decided not to split specific duties amongst each team member but rather approach the task as one unit. We had members with various backgrounds in different concentrations and we tried to use a synergistic strategy, where we would sum all of those skills together to have different viewpoints to consider rather than assigning each member to an area of expertise.

Team development often requires organisational change and some staff are fearful of change and worried about working with people they do not know. Personality clashes sometimes may become issues. It is important when developing teams to recruit staff with the relevant skills and expertise required and new team members should be inducted in a way that they understand the team working principles and what their roles are so they

Roles and responsibilities – It is possible that during the project development some staff may have difficulty in defining their roles within the team or were not part of the role development process that takes place during the forming stage of Tuckman’s team development model. It is also likely within the project team to have duplication of roles/function, even though Belbin’s Team roles model may have been used. However it is not a pre-requisite that all team must have the nine roles specific by Belbin. ‘Team members can take on more than one role and some roles are not necessary in certain teams’. (Horn 2009:13)

This stage sees group members begin to confront each other as they begin to vie for roles within the group that will help them to belong and to feel valued. Thus as members begin to assert their individual personalities, the comfort of the forming stage begins to come under siege. Members experience personal, intra and inter group conflicts. Aggression and resentment may manifest in this stage and thus if strong personalities emerge and leadership is unresponsive to group and individual needs, the situation may become destructive to the

To be perfectly honest, I didn’t have a clue as regards “Forbidden Island” and wasn’t too familiar with many board or card games. My initial

In his article “The Role Set”, Dr. Charles Horvath provides a definition of a “role” in an effort to reach a consensus that will allow organizational roles to be more widely and cohesively studied and discussed (Horvath, pg. 1). He explains that a role is a “set of relationships, responsibilities, restraints and rights,” that determine how a person’s role within an organization helps to advance the organization’s overall purpose (Horvath, pg. 1-2). He also clarifies that a person’s actions and behaviors are governed by the expectations (responsibilities) and rules (restraints) of the organization as they relate to that individual’s role (Horvath, pg. 3-6).

First, here is a summary of the development stages of a team. In the forming stage, team members come togetherand form initial impressions. They socialize in order to get to know each other and bond with other team members. In the storming stage, team members experience hostility and infighting over tasks and how the team works. In the norming stage, team members start to come together and realize what needs to be accomplished. In the performing stage, team members are well-organized and well-functioningand maintain a positive balance. In the adjourning stage, team members achieve closure when the project is accomplished.

People can change their team roles through experience, conscious effort or in response to the needs of a particular situation.

Teams are often depicted as a group of people sharing leadership of and working together on a specific project, whereas a group (but not a team) consists of individuals who work independently and are led by a strong, focused individual (Erofeev, Glazer, & Ivanitskaya, 2009). In the health care organization, it is important to have a group of people working together as a well a team. Each person individually need to fully understand what his or her role is in a group or team, if not there will be conflicts.

Characteristics of group formation and team processes are highlighted in the Harvard Business School case of Henry Tam and the Music Games International (MGI) Team. The MGI founders sought to improve the commercialization of their music game by launching a team to market their product and develop a business plan. The team was formed with positive intentions by the MGI founders; however, the lack of a common goal, defined roles, and a decision-making process hindered team progress and productivity. The following sections evaluate the MGI team’s processes in detail, describe root causes of problems, and present specific actions Henry can take to improve the team’s overall effectiveness.