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�Definition and Characteristics�

A collection of two or more interacting individuals who maintain stable patterns of relationships , share common goals, and perceive themselves as being a group.

A Group exists is an organization, its members –

Are motivated to join.
Perceive the group as a unified unit of interacting people.
Contribute in various amounts to the group processes (that is some people contribute more time or energy to the group than do others).
Reach agreements and have disagreements through various forms of interaction.

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Stages of Group Development

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CHARACTERISTICS

1. Share common identity

2. Have common goals and objectives

3. Share common leadership

4. Share successes and failures

5. Cooperate and collaborate

6. Have membership roles

7. Make decision effectively

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Stages of Group Development

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Difference between Group and Team -

A group is not necessarily a team. A group can have individuals with varied interests, attitude as well as thought processes. It is not necessary that the group members would have a common objective or a common goal to achieve.

A team must have individuals with a common objective to achieve. They should all work together and strive towards the achievement of a common goal.

Amity Institute of Behavioural & Allied Sciences

Stages of Group Development

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��Differences between a Group and a Team��

Group	Team
Strong, clearly focused leader	Shared Leadership Roles
Individual accountability	Individual and mutual accountability
Individual work products	Collective Work Products
Leader runs efficient meetings that report progress	Leader encourages open-ended discussion and active problem-solving meetings
Discusses, decides and delegates	Does real work together

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Stages of Group Development

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Classification of groups

A formal group is created within an organization to complete a specific role or task. This may be to oversea a launch of a particular product or service.

Informal groups are established by individuals within the organization that a need to interact with one another and who also believe that these informal groups meet a need that formal groups cannot meet within the firm.

Amity Institute of Behavioural & Allied Sciences

Stages of Group Development

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Classification of groups

A formal Group (Command Group) It is composed of the individuals who report directly to a given manager.

A formal Group (Task Group) It is usually formed to solve a problem. It is comprised of the employees who work together to complete a particular task.

Informal Group (Interest Group) People working together to attain a specific objective with which each is concerned.

Informal Group (Friendship group) People brought together because they share one or more common characteristics.

Amity Institute of Behavioural & Allied Sciences

Stages of Group Development

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Five Stages of Group Formation

Forming

Storming

Norming

Performing

Adjourning

Amity Institute of Behavioural & Allied Sciences

Stages of Group Development

There is a relatively large body of literature from education, psychology, and the private sector that talks about the ways that teams develop (e.g., Friend & Cook, 2003; Tuckman & Jenson, 1977). Most researchers agree that teams generally move through four stages of development. While authors assign some different names to the stages, this module uses the terms that are best known in the field: forming, storming, norming, and performing. Forming refers to the first stage of development in which teams come together and begin to identify what they want to accomplish and how they will work together. Storming refers to the second stage, in which teams encounter some differences of opinion that occasionally lead to a more uncomfortable form of conflict. In stage three, norming, teams develop strategies for working through conflict and using it in more positive and creative ways. Finally, stage four, or performing refers to the highest stage of team development in which teams are highly effective and make excellent use of creative problem solving. It is important to note that teams develop at different rates, and that not all go through the four stages in a linear way. Many effective teams develop their own identities, so that a high performing team may not use all of the structures that we typically see in a newly forming team. Finally, it is important to note that leadership is critical in team development. The leader of a stage one or two team may need to play a stronger role in helping the team establish its structure and processes. By the time a team gets to stage four, however, there is less need for one person to take responsibility for leading the team. At this stage, leadership may be shared by all team members. If possible, slides 5 – 9 should be printed as handouts so that participants can take notes on the presentation.

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Stage One: Forming

This is the initial stage when the group comes together and members begin to develop their relationship with one another and learn what is expected of them.
When team building begins and trust starts to develop.
Group members will start establishing limits on acceptable behavior through experimentation. Other members’ reactions will determine if a behavior will be repeated.
This is also the time when the tasks of the group and the members will be decided.

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Stages of Group Development

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Forming…contd…

GROUP MEMBERS LOOK TO THE LEADER FOR DIRECTION.
MEMBERS HAVE A DESIRE FOR ACCEPTANCE BY THE GROUP AND FITTING IN.
MEMBERS ARE SIZING EACH OTHER UP – CHECKING OUT PERSONALITIES AND TALENTS OF OTHER MEMBERS.

Amity Institute of Behavioural & Allied Sciences

Stages of Group Development

The slide above gives an idea of what a stage 1 team looks like and needs to do in order to establish a good foundation for future collaboration. While some members may feel that early discussions about how to form the team seem like a lot of process with minimal completion of tasks, effective team leaders can model the importance of laying this groundwork in order to avoid confusion and conflict in the future. It is critical for new teams to know what their purpose is and what they would like to accomplish. The establishment of group norms provides an opportunity for team members to discuss how they would like to function and communicate with one another. Examples of group norms typically used by collaborative teams include:

We will not interrupt one another.
We will respect diverse points of view.
We may judge ideas, but not people.
We will strive for equal participation (e.g., equal talking time for everyone).
We will promote creative problem solving and risk taking.
We will tell people when we think their ideas are valuable.
We will clarify decisions that have been made.
We will start and end meetings on time.

New teams need to decide on the processes they will use to work together, including how often they will meet, what roles will be used, how agendas and minutes will be used, how decisions will be made, and how they will monitor their progress as a team. Leaders of stage one teams may need to provide a lot of guidance to the team in order to accomplish all that needs to be done to form an effective team.

After presenting this information, you may wish to ask participants to give their own examples of activities and processes they have found helpful in newly forming teams. You might also ask participants to give examples of stage 1 teams that have not worked too well, and let them identify how knowledge of the first stage of team development might have been used to help that team.

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Storming

THIS STAGE IS CHARACTERIZED BY TENSION, COMPETITION, AND CONFLICT AMONG GROUP MEMBERS.
QUESTIONS ARISE ABOUT WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR WHAT AND WHAT THE RULES ARE.
SOME MEMBERS MAY REMAIN SILENT WHILE OTHERS ATTEMPT TO DOMINATE.
SOME MEMBERS QUESTION AUTHORITY AND COMPETENCY OF THE GROUP LEADER
THE GROUP LEADER HAS TO RAISE THE CONFLICT ISSUE AND DEAL WITH IT.

Amity Institute of Behavioural & Allied Sciences

Stages of Group Development

Like all relationships, collaborative teams eventually encounter challenges. These may take the form of disagreements over issues, conflict over role distribution and the accomplishment of tasks, disagreements about the team’s use of process and structure, unevenness in participation (e.g., some voices are heard much more than others), and issues related to power and control. The good news is that conflict can also lead to better and more creative problem solving, a greater sense of responsibility, and better team outcomes. The primary challenge of a stage 2 team is to move the team from viewing conflict as undesirable to viewing it as something that can be used to enhance the team process and decision-making. Strategies for working through conflict include:

Use a group processing strategy that allow members to surface issues that are causing challenges for this team (e.g., take time at the end of a meeting to hold a round robin discussion about what challenges the team is facing; give team members index cards on which they can write their concerns about the team’s functioning)
Clarify the team’s purpose, structure and use of roles to ensure that everyone knows what they are supposed to be doing and takes personal responsibility.
Re-visit the team’s norms to ensure that they are being followed and to add new norms as needed.
Develop strategies to ensure that all members have the opportunity to share their ideas during meetings.

For some teams, the most difficult step is to identify the nature and cause of conflict. It can feel easier to ignore conflict, but it rarely disappears on its own. This task frequently falls to the appointed team leader or facilitator; however, there are times when other team members need to step forward and share their concerns about the team.

After presenting this information, you may wish to ask participants to describe any stage 2 teams that they have experienced, including the degree to which the team was successful in moving on to stage 3.

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Norming

LEADERSHIP IS SHARED AND CLIQUES DISSOLVED.
CONFLICTS ARE RESOLVED AND THERE IS A STRONGER SENSE OF BELONGING TO THE GROUP.
CREATIVITY IS HIGH.
PEOPLE KNOW WHERE THEY FIT IN AND WHAT IS EXPECTED OF THEM.

Amity Institute of Behavioural & Allied Sciences

Stages of Group Development

Stage 2 is not a place that most teams want to be for too long, so most teams will eventually find ways to move to “norming,” or stage 3. This stage is characterized by utilization of more sophisticated problem-solving and decision-making. Some teams find it helpful to use specific problem-solving protocols, while others develop their own strategies (see module 9 for more on problem-solving). Stage 3 teams continue to work on conflict resolution, but they no longer view conflict as a problem. A key characteristic of stage 3 is the shifting of leadership to include all members of the group. While one person may remain a designated team leader, this person is no longer the primary leader. Leadership may shift from meeting to meeting, depending on what topic is being discussed and who has expertise that is relevant in that area. It is important that the team remains vigilant about including time for processing and monitoring of its functioning. If it fails to do this, the team may revert to some of the patterns observed in stage 2.

After discussing the characteristics of a stage 3 team, you may wish to ask participants to talk about experiences they have had with teams where leadership began to be more distributed over time. Ask them to provide strategies that have been successful for them personally in moving to a greater sense of leadership.

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Stage 4:Performing

NOW THE GROUP IS IN HIGH GEAR AND HIGHLY PRODUCTIVE. THE NEED FOR GROUP APPROVAL IS PAST.
GROUP MEMBERS CAN NOW FOCUS ON THE TASK AND CARE FOR OTHER MEMBERS OF THE GROUP.
GROUP IDENTITY IS COMPLETE, GROUP MORALE IS HIGH, AND GROUP LOYALTY IS INTENSE.

Amity Institute of Behavioural & Allied Sciences

Stages of Group Development

Stage 4 teams are not common, but they are needed and enjoyable to be a part of. Key characteristics of stage 4 teams are that they are efficient, energetic, and knowledgeable about both their processes and the content of their work. Some stage 4 teams may decide that they need less structure than they did in earlier stages of their development. Instead, they use flexible roles and structures depending on the task that is to be accomplished. They are very effective at knowing what decisions need to be made by the whole group, and what decisions and activities can be carried out in smaller sub-groups. They ensure that there is good communication between and among the various groups. By the time groups reach stage four, team members feel empowered and there is no longer a need for a single leader. Individual members, at various times, serve in leadership roles based on their knowledge and interests. Team members also remember the need for celebration of the team’s accomplishments and the relationships they have formed with one another.

There are, however, some challenges, even in stage four. One of these is that the group may become too complacent about its strengths and take for granted all that needs to be done to maintain a strong team. If and when new members join the team, it is essential that the group is attentive to some of the critical aspects of stage one. They need to help new members understand their purpose, group norms, and group processes. It is critical for stage four teams to be inclusive, especially when new members enter into the team.

After discussing this information, you may wish to ask participants to reflect on the following question: Imagine yourself on a stage 4 team. What would be the most valuable aspect of this team to you?

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Stage 5: Adjourning Stage

Teams assembled for specific project or for a finite length of time go through a fifth stage, called adjourning , when the team breaks up. A planned conclusion usually includes recognition for participation and achievement and an opportunity for members to say personal goodbyes.
Disbanding a team can create some apprehension, and not all team members handle this well. The termination of the team is a regressive movement from giving up control to the team to giving up inclusion in the team.

Amity Institute of Behavioural & Allied Sciences

Stages of Group Development