The Group Development Process

Graphics courtesy of NTaskOpens in new window GroupsOpens in new window and teamsOpens in new window go through a maturation process. Their development is much like the life-cycle processes found in many disciplines—products in marketing and human development in biology. All of these processes are described in terms of stages that differ in terms of number, sequence, length, and nature. Bruce TuckmanOpens in new window formulated perhaps the most popular group development process that includes five stages: forming, storming, norming, performing, and adjourning. In the following headings, we take a look at each stage in more detail.

1.     Forming

Group members who are new to each other and can’t predict each other’s behavior can be expected to experience the stress of uncertainty. In this stage, most group members are positive and polite. Some are uncertain and anxious, as they haven’t fully understood what work the group will do.

Mutual trustOpens in new window is low and there is a good deal of holding back to see who takes charge and how. Others are simply excited about the task ahead.

A leader plays a dominant role at this stage, because group members’ roles and responsibilities aren’t clear. This stage can last for some time, as people start to work together, and as they make an effort to get to know their new colleagues. If a leader does not assert their authority, an emergent leader will often step in to fulfill the group’s need for leadership and direction.

2.     Storming

If you don’t know someone very well, it is easy to offend. Each group member brings to the group a set of experiences, combined with education and a self-conceptOpens in new window.

Group members won’t be able to read this information on a nametag, but instead they will only come to know it through time and interaction.

There may be more than one way to solve the problem or task at hand, and some group members may prefer one strategy over another. Some members of the group may be more senior to the organization than you, and members may treat them differently.

Some group members may be as new as you are and just as uncertain about everyone’s talents, skills, roles, and self-perceptions. The wise leader will anticipate the storming stage and help facilitate opportunities for the members to resolve uncertainty before the work commences.

There may be challenges for leadership, and conflicting viewpoints. This stage clearly can be viewed as the time where people start to push against the boundaries established in the forming stage. This is a time of testing. This is the stage where many teams stall or fail because of power and politics. Subgroups take shape, and subtle forms of rebellion, such as procrastination, occur.

Storming often starts where there is a conflict between team members’ natural working styles. People may work in different ways for all sorts of reasons but, if differing working styles cause unforeseen problems, they may become frustrated.

3.     Norming

Who speaks first? Who takes notes? Who is creative, who is visual, and who is detail oriented?

Sometimes job titles and functions speak for themselves, but human beings are complex. Employees are not simply a list of job functions, and in the dynamic marketplace of today’s business environment one often finds that people have talents and skills well beyond their official role or task. Drawing on these strengths can make the group more effective.

The norming stage is marked by less division and more collaboration. The level of anxietyOpens in new window associated with interaction is generally reduced, making for a more positive work climate that promotes listening.

When people feel less threatened and their needs are met, they are more likely to focus their complete attention on the purpose of the group. If they are still concerned with who does what, and whether they will speak in error, the interaction framework will stay in the storming stage.

Tensions are reduced when the normative expectations are known, and the degree to which a leader can describe these at the outset can reduce the amount of time the group remains in uncertainty.

Group members generally express more satisfaction with clear expectations and are more inclined to participate. There is often a prolonged overlap between storming and normign, because, as new tasks come up, the group may lapse back into behavior from the storming stage.

4.     Performing

The group reaches the performing stage, when hard work leads, without friction, to the achievement of the team’s goal. Activity during this vital stage is focused on solving task problems, as contributors get their work done without hampering others.

This stage is often characterized by a climate of open communication, strong cooperation, and lots of helping behavior. The group accomplishes its mandate, fulfills its purpose, and reaches its goals.

Cohesiveness and personal commitment to group’s goals help the group achieve more than could anyone individually acting alone.

To facilitate performance, group members can’t skip the initiation of getting to know each other or the sorting out of roles and norms, but they can try to focus on performance with clear expectations from the moment the group is formed.

5.     Adjourning

At this stage the work is done; it is time to move on to other things. The return to independence can be eased by rituals celebrating the end and new beginnings.

Parties, award ceremonies, and graduations can punctuate the end. Many teams will reach this stage eventually. For example, project teams exist for only a fixed period, and even permanent teams may be disbanded through organizational restructuring.

Team members who like routine, or who have developed close working relationships with colleagues, may find this stage difficult, particularly if their future now looks uncertain. Leaders need to emphasize valuable lessons learned during the adjourning stage.