Group development & 5 stages of team development

-

Group development

Definition

Group development refers to the process by which members of newly formed work teams learn about their teammates, establish their roles and responsibilities, and acquire the task work and teamwork capabilities required to coordinate their effort to perform effectively as a team.

5 stages of team development


Now that we know where the stages come from, let’s break down the ins and outs of each stage and what you can expect from your team in each.

 

1 Forming 

The first stage is forming, which is when the members within the team first come together to meet. It can be considered the period of orientation when everyone is getting to know one another and becoming acquainted.

Think of the forming stage like the first day of school or the first day at a new job. There’s excitement in the air and everyone is ready to roll up their sleeves and get started on the project. Usually, group dynamics and roles have yet to be established, a team leader will typically emerge and take charge and direct the individual members. 

The forming stage is also where team members discuss things like:

  • Team goals
  • Individual roles
  • Strategy
  • Ground rules

2 Storming

Next up is storming. Stage two of five is considered the most critical but also the most difficult to go through. It can be riddled with conflict as the individual personalities and work styles clash within the team. It’s also common for team performance to dip a bit in the storming stage as members can sometimes disagree on goals, strategy, responsibilities, and roles. Also, keep an eye out for subgroups or cliques that can begin to form during this stage.

In order to not get bottlenecked in the storming stage, members have to work together and play to each other’s strengths to overcome obstacles and stay on pace. Also, take the time to address and overcome conflicts early on so they don’t stay an issue throughout the other phases.

Think of this phase like when you move in with a friend you’ve never lived with before, and you slowly start to notice the little things about them that get on your nerves. The same is likely to happen with members of your team. While some teams think they can skip this stage, it’s important to dive into it with the expectation that there may be some conflict. 

 

 

3 Norming 

Once you’ve weathered the storm, pun intended, your team can move into norming. Here, team members have figured out how to work together and there’s no more conflict or internal competitions lingering.

Unity is upon everyone and a consensus develops around who the leaders are, what everyone’s role is, and what comes next. There’s also a sense of bonding between the team and is more familiar with each other’s personalities and sense of humor. There should also be a sense of comfort in the norming stage when giving constructive feedback or asking for help as you work through various tasks.

 

4 Performing 

Next up is the performing stage, which tends to be where there is the most cohesive work environment, people are happy and excited, and team performance is at an all-time high. There’s a clear and stable structure in place throughout the group and everyone is fully committed to achieving the goals put in place.  In the performing stage, there’s a sense of focus, purpose, and alignment from everyone on the team, no matter their role. 

Remember that no matter what, problems and conflict can still emerge, but they’re handled and dealt with in a constructive and honest manner. And, because there’s a bond and a relationship already built amongst the team members, it’s easier and faster to get to a resolution if a conflict were to occur.

5 Adjourning 

Last but not least is the adjourning stage. Sometimes also called the termination, mourning, or ending stage, most, if not all, of the goals of the team have been accomplished. The project as a whole is being wrapped up and final tasks and documentation are completed. As the workload becomes smaller, it’s common for team members to be taken off the assignment and delegated to a new project. The team members also usually debrief and discuss what went well and what could be improved on for projects in the future.

Depending on how long the project lasted and the bond that was formed, there is sometimes a ceremonial celebration of the work that was completed and the overall success of the project. 

 

  

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Stages or phases of international marketing involvement

-
Image
DEFINITION:  International Marketing is  a phase in which domestic companies have the capacity to produce goods to sell abroad on persistent basis and have the possibility to operate globally as well . Discuss the four phases of international marketing involvement. The levels of involvement are not same for all the firms. It varies from firms to firms depending upon its internal and external factors. Internal factors are monetary and non-monetary resources and external factors are govt. policies and market potential.   After a company decides to enter into international market, it must decide the degree of marketing involvement. A firm may get itself involve in foreign marketing in any of the five following ways   (1)    No Direct foreign marketing (2) Infrequent foreign marketing, (3) Regular foreign marketing,  (4) International marketing, and    (5) Global marketing .  The level of involvement differs in every company, as it depend...
Read more

Digital marketing vs. traditional marketing

-
Image
  Digital marketing vs. traditional marketing: what’s the difference? What is digital marketing? Put simply, digital marketing is using digital channels such as websites and social media as tools for marketing communication. If you’re using social media you will be well versed in the adverts that pop up in your stream—that’s digital marketing. What is traditional marketing? Traditional marketing on the other hand involves traditional channels, like billboards and printed media. Think Don Draper in Mad Men brainstorming TV commercial ideas and copy for Coca-Cola. Up until the development of the internet in the 1990’s, traditional marketing was pretty much the only type of marketing. Difference: The main difference between digital and traditional marketing is the medium through which an audience encounters a marketing message. While traditional marketing uses traditional media like magazines and newspapers, digital marketing uses digital media, such as social media or websi...
Read more

PESTLE IN MARKETING TERMS

-
Image
  What is PESTLE? A PESTLE analysis is a tool used to gain a macro picture of an industry environment. PESTLE stands for Political, Economic, Social, Technological, Legal and Environmental factors. It allows a company to form an impression of the factors that might impact a new business or industry. Some factors will be more important to different types of businesses, and a PESTLE analysis will help identity risk factors for the SWOT analysis. Why do a PESTLE Analysis? A PESTLE analysis allows a strategic and systematic evaluation of a business's prospects, risks and opportunities in a new environment. While a SWOT analysis concentrates on a company's internal processes, PESTLE provides information on external factors. PESTLE can be used for large and small scale projects. PESTLE: POLITICAL: Political factors relate to government controls and influences over economy or industry. Government factors may be legislation or economic policies. The political en...
Read more