Stages of Group Development: Forming, Storming, Norming, Performing & Adjourning

Norming

After the storming phase, the norming stage of group development begins. The norming stage is characterized by cooperation and integration as a result of group members finally receiving clarity in their goals and addresses to their concerns. Norming represents a time when the group returns to being a cohesive unit and the morale needed to complete group tasks remains high. Group members acknowledge the talents, strengths, and skills of other members on the team, leading to a sense of community and motivation to work towards the group's ultimate goal. Leadership is often shared, production increases overall, information flows easily between members, and group members become more flexible towards the ideas of others. The norming phase of group development also represents a time of security and adaptability within the group, as well as an increased sense of interdependent trust. During norming, individual and collective work is completed to work towards the team's ultimate goal and feedback is shared between members of the group. On the marketing team, the two competing leaders reached an agreement and clarified the goals of the team to their peers. Other members in the group began to express motivation towards completing the group goals and now work harder to finish the project ahead of time. The leaders also communicate with their team more regularly, allowing for an increased sense of security, group cohesion, and trust.

Who made stages of group development

Bruce Wayne Tuckman was an American psychologist best known for his Stages of Development model, which was created in 1965. Through this presentation, Tuckman stated his belief that the stages elaborated within the model were universal to all groups, although the group members and their demographics, the group's purpose, the company goal or culture, and the location of the business or group may differ between organizations. Because groups are a common asset to any modern organization, it is important for managers to be familiar with how they develop, grow, and change over tim

Performing stage

During the performing stage of group development, also known as synergy, the performance of the group is at its peak. The performing phase is characterized by high productivity and happiness between group members brought on by the realized benefits of group work during the norming stage. Group members remain motivated, loyal, unified, and supportive of the group goals, which allows for decisions to be made more easily since everyone is in agreement. Team members are also self-reliant, meaning they are able to experiment, solve problems, and test solutions on their own. The main objective of the performing stage is to complete the group's original goal or fulfill its purpose. In our example, the marketing team reached an agreement and restructured the roles of its members during the norming phase of group development. Team members remain happy and loyal towards to group's function, and they are quickly approaching the completion of the group's goal. The team is free of conflict, members trust each other, and productivity is at an all-time high. Despite initial struggles within the group, the marketing team successfully completes their goal two weeks ahead of schedule.

Summary lesson

The first stage of group development is forming, a time characterized by uncertainty and stress between members of the newly created group. Roles are usually assigned during this phase and goals are set. Following the forming stage, storming occurs. The storming phase is the least productive phase in group development due to conflict and the lack of clarity between group members. Arguments and disagreements take place as leaders and peers present different ideas. Norming is the third stage of group development, representing a time when the group becomes a cohesive unit and morale remains high. Performing follows the norming stage and is a time characterized by high productivity and unity between group members. The purpose of the group is fulfilled at the end of the performing stage. The final stage of group development is adjourning, which is when the group disbands following the successful or unsuccessful completion of its goal. Adjourning is used to provide closure and wrap up final group activities.

Adjourning

Tuckman's final stage of group development, adjourning, was not originally part of his development model. During this closure or mourning phase, the group dissolves or disbands following the successful (or sometimes unsuccessful) completion of their main objective. Adjourning is used to wrap up the activities of the group and provide team members with a sense of closure or fulfillment. The closure phase also allows time for reflection between individuals or the group as a whole, enabling them to recognize the valuable experiences which transpired or the skills which have been built upon. The recognition of completing a goal may be challenging for some individuals, but it is equally as important to realize during the morning phase that other groups will be formed to allow for the expression of newly developed skills and talents. Because the marketing team successfully completed their objective, they enter into the adjourning stage of group development. One of the leaders proposes that the group goes out to dinner to celebrate their success, in addition to offering a time of group reflection before they are permanently disbanded. Many group members are disappointed that the group must dissolve, but they recognize and commend other group members for the skills both personally developed and those developed as a team.

Storming

What happens during the storming stage of team development? Following the team's forming, the storming stage of group development takes place. Also called the power struggle phase, group members often experience conflict and competition between one another as ideas are formulated and methods of performing a task are disagreed upon. Because individuals are now acquainted with peers, group members may begin to feel more confident and address the goals of the team in their own manner, such as by conflicting with how tasks are carried out, deviating from individual role assignments, and even questioning other group members. The storming stage of group development may be compared to living with a roommate for a short time and beginning to realize the differences in how tasks are carried out between each person. In this critical phase of group development, members have an increased need for clarification. More dominant members within the group tend to emerge and lead, while less confident members remain performing in their comfort zone. While problems may exist within the group, the quiet members do not voice their concerns and the group may not be able to reach an agreement later on. Conversely, if a question is asked, it must be addressed so that the group may continue their progress successfully. As a result of the tension experienced during storming, some groups are not able to move past this phase of development. Returning to the marketing team example, the group originally formed a cohesive group that clearly outlined its goals and assigned roles to each of its members. However, during the storming phase, the group begins to lose focus as two strong leaders attempt to control the group. The rest of the members remain quiet while the two individuals vying for control question each other's methods and deviate from their assigned roles. Although the group remains intact, the team's output remains small because of unproductivity during meditation

Forming

stage of group development, also commonly called orientation, is the first step in team building that any group will encounter. At this stage, the group is just beginning to form and members often meet each other with anxiety and uncertainty about the group's final outcome. Members are also cautious and discreet in their behaviors towards other group members as they seek to be accepted by their peers. The forming stage of group development allows group members to form impressions of one another, while conflict and personal opinions are often avoided this early in the group development process. Some group members may feel that the forming stage prevents the team from working, but the main objective of orientation is to become familiar with other team members and their strengths rather than focusing on work. Comparatively, the orientation stage of group development is similar to a first day on the job or the first day of school. Forming is the first stage of Tuckman's group development model. This phase is often met with uncertainty as team members are becoming acquainted with one another. bruce tuckman stages of development The