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Five Stages of Group Development Essay

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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

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