FIVE STAGES OF GROUP DEVELOPMENT By Sherryl M. McGuire, Ph.D. There are five stages of group development. However, not all groups reach all stages of development. The five stages of group development are Forming, Storming, Norming, Performing, and Adjourning. The stage which many groups do not necessarily reach is the Performing stage. It is possible that a group never develops past Storming, but this will often be either a dysfunctional group or a group in extreme chaos and stress. During the Forming stage, members of the group are generally trying to get to know one another and feel accepted into the group. At this point, no one in the group makes big waves, everyone just tries to get along and find their …show more content…
The storming phase is marked with considerable competition and personal conflict. After a group has been through Forming (and mostly achieved this), then they face different challenges, and if the situation is highly stressful, it can exacerbate a more typical Storming stage. Perhaps the competitiveness for the product or service is greater than before, or there are greater levels of pressure on the staff to avoid errors and mistakes. Sometimes, in an effort to improve areas of responsibility, the environment fosters “each person for him/herself”, even when the exact opposite would actually be a more effective response for everyone. If there is this perceived mentality, team work may be a struggle and there is an added strain of not being able to operate at greatest efficiency. Some members of the staff can be very aggressive, while others may make quiet, subtle changes. And once these habits and attitudes have been employed for a while, it may be very difficult to change them. In such conditions, communications and information sharing between staff sections is critical, yet because there are frequently previous methods relied upon, it makes it more difficult to adjust to the changing situation. Nevertheless, communications and information sharing is the bread and butter and the reason for success in many situations. Part of the Storming stage is a vying for power or leadership. Individuals who have strong opinions about their
Developmental Sequence in Small Groups. The article focused on two realms of group development: interpersonal relationships and task activity. He hypothesized a four stage model in which each stage needed to be successfully navigated in order to reach effective group functioning” (Bonebright, 2010, p. 113).
A useful theory to explain our processes and development as a group is Tuckman’s theory of group working which explains the stages that a group will progress through in order to achieve an objective, including the Forming, Storming, Norming, Performing and Adjourning stages (Mindtools, 2016). The forming stage was pre-established for our group because we had been allocated together prior to the task and we had already managed to build relationships with one another. It was at the storming stage we began to establish our roles within the group and allocate tasks for
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 forming and orientation stage of the group is the initial step of getting the group started. Gladding (2012) outlines seven steps that make up the forming stage of group development. First, one must develop a basis for the group.
Groups do not always start off fully-formed and functioning. Bruce Tuckman's model of the developmental sequence in small groups suggests that groups grow through clearly defined stages, from their creation as groups of
Assessment of the stage of the group’s development. (Use Garland, Jones, Kolodny’s Five Stage Model of Group Development). Cite examples to support your assessment.
Forming is the stage when a group initially need to come together and get to know each other, then the team sets a goal. This is when the
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
Stage one is typically known as the forming phase, in which the group tends to look towards the leader for guidance, in an attempt to keep things simple and avoid controversy. Mostly throughout the beginning,
Tuckmans stages of group interaction is a 4 stage process involving forming, storming, norming and performing.
Tuckman (1965) proposed that when developing teams, groups proceed through four general stages of development, namely: Forming, storming, norming and performing.
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.
52). This common belief among users of this style drives them to search for answers using all of the tools at the team’s disposal. The different dynamics of the team become assets. They see the differences that distinguish the members of the team as points of view are respected and viewed objectively. Differences like a male versus a female’s perspective, race, culture, and even social or economic status are viewpoints that give all in the team a bigger picture of the different issues they may need to consider when coming to a conclusion about how best to achieve their goal. Though this style is thought of as the best route for teams to use, it is also one of the most difficult. Even a person who has a natural talent or personality that promotes this style of conflict management has to practice to be effective using this style in a team setting. A person cannot be judgmental and must be sure not to take anything said personally. This is something that most if not all of the team members must have an awareness of. All team members have to feel comfortable with the results and with what was given up from their own personal point of view to arrive at the team’s decision. This style is also very demanding so it requires a good amount of patience. Depending on how quick a decision is needed it is not always possible for a team to achieve and some in the team may not believe that their best interests were achieved.
The dynamics of a team relies heavily on the interaction of team members during times of conflict not just during times of agreement. Often groups seek to achieve a cohesive relationship in an effort to unite the team towards its goals. Group members can make the mistake of subverting conflict in an attempt to maintain this team unity. Conflict serves a valuable role in effective group interactions that must be understood by participants of a team. An examination into the characteristics of conflict and cohesion and the relationship between the two dynamics can provide perspective to
The Avengers went through 5 stages of group development that was theorized by Bruce Tuckman. The first stage is forming, wherein the Avengers gathered at the end of the first class. Each member collected information from each other such as the individual member’s name, contact number and email address. As the professor gave a task, the members felt the tension as to who will become the leader to obtain the information needed by the professor and write in the sheet of paper. There was minimal interaction between members and everyone just focused on the questions given. M5 stood out as a leader in this group activity as he voiced out that he would write in the sheet of paper and submit it online on Moodle. The initiative to complete this task