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Chapter 7: Team Dynamics - A Manual for Team Building

James Groccia, John T. O'Connor, and Susan Vernon Gerstenfeld

Stages of Group Development

As team members work together, the group generally progresses through several stages of development. One model refers to these stages as forming, storming, norming, and performing (Scholtes, 1988). [Scholtes, Peter R., The Team Handbook:How to Use Teams to Improve, 1988.] Each stage is characterized by "typical" emotions and behaviors, which are briefly described below:

Forming is a stage of transition from being an individual to a member of a group. In this stage of development, team members are typically excited about the project, but also anxious about understanding the tasks that must be accomplished and making progress. Group meetings likely center around defining the problem, how it should be attacked, and what information should be gathered. The team may spend time discussing abstract concepts or issues that do not appear relevant, or complaining about the difficulty or lack of clarity of the task. It is not unusual at this stage for group members to show impatience during meetings, or to feel that the group is making little progress. Team members are also learning about each others' working styles, and start to develop methods of handling group conflict.

Storming, the next stage, is often characterized by tension and arguments among team members as they start to appreciate the difficulty of the project and the need to reconcile their individual style with the habits of other group members. Individuals may resist suggestions of others in the team, even when it appears that their ideas are similar. An individual may feel very positively about the project one day but very negatively the next. While this is a difficult stage and team members again may feel that little progress is being made solving the problem, the group is making important progress in defining habits and learning to work together.

In the Norming stage, the team develops a sense of cohesion, establishing and maintaining ground rules about when they will meet, how they will work as a group, and what they will work on individually. At this stage, group members have worked out many of their differences, and try to promote harmony rather than conflict. Personal friendships may develop, and group members should feel more comfortable discussing group dynamics and expressing constructive criticism. The team should now feel like they are making good progress on the project.

Finally, in the Performing stage, the group is working together effectively, making decisions, implementing them, and solving problems. Individual team members feel satisfied with the group's progress, and understand their strengths and weaknesses and those of their partners. Arguments still arise, but the team has the ability to work through them and avoid stalemate. Both students and faculty feel like a lot of work is getting done.

As the group successfully moves through the stages of group development, they essentially develop:

• trust
• the ability to manage conflict and anxiety, and
• habits and practices essential to getting the work done.

Successful teams still experience highs and lows, and periods where they make more or less progress; however, concerns about the project or relationships with other team members should not dominate the project experience. The responsibility for the group's success lies primarily with the members of the group members themselves. However, if the group has difficulty in this regard, they should not delay in getting help. Good communication among project members about their feelings concerning the process is as important as good communication about the project. For projects that take place within a seven-week term, getting help early can mean the difference between a very bad experience and an excellent one.

When a team is not functioning well, the members or the faculty advisor will often have some clues. The following sections are detailed descriptions of those clues or symptoms. Following each set of symptoms is a description of what the underlying problem might be and potential solutions.

Symptoms may have many sources, and it is up to the team and advisors to discuss the meaning of symptoms in the context of the particular team.

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Last modified: November 15, 2006 11:12:20