Sunday, March 21, 2010

Group Development

Tuckman's Five-Stage Theory of Group Development was discussed during class and is an important concept to understand for successful group work. The first of the five stages is forming which is usually where "ice-breaker" activities are used. Learning your intended goal, understanding the project and time-line are all included in this stage. Storming is the second stage where the roles within the group are defined and testing the other members boundaries to feel comfortable. The third stage is norming where group cohesiveness is most apparent and the challenges of testing the waters has passed and now owning the roles the team members have taken. Finally the performance stage where problems are solved. Open communication, respect, constructiveness is important within a cohesive work group. Lastly is the adjourning stage where tasks have been completed and accomplishment has been established. This final stage is extremely important because groups often have time limits. If a team is together for too long of a period the stages can go in reverse disrupting the harmony within the workplace. Any type of group can be affected by these stages including active, project, production, advice teams and even friendships.

2 comments:

  1. Isn't it crazy how that all works out? it's so logical, though. I mean, it starts with nobody knowing each other, then moves to people playing for power and status, and THEN people settle down and start working together during the NORMING stages. I thought this was one of the most interesting things from the book so far.

    ReplyDelete
  2. It is interesting to see how everything plays out after the wheels have been set into motion and groups begin to find out if they will make it through the rigorous process. It is very interesting how some of these stages apply to many relationships and not just working relationships.

    ReplyDelete