Forming is the first stage of forming a group. Group members begin to know one another and exchange personal information in addition to testing each other. Members at this juncture are usually anxious and not sure of the roles they are to play or their leader. The formal leader takes over the management of the group, or otherwise, an informal one will detach and satisfy the needs of the members to be guided. In another scenario where a leader was initially appointed by an organization imposes their authority using their previous engagement as a mandate to control the group. The duration of this stage is unknown, but it depends on issues like composition, accountability, and tasks. The qualities of the leader can shorten or extend the duration of the phase (Zoltan & Vancea, 2016).
At the storming stage, the members will test the knowledge of the leader including management and control approaches. Conflicts are experienced as members try to occupy some positions and take part in the process. Subgroups and intense disagreements are common. The ability of the leader to direct the conflict will help in moving to the next phase. The communication style of the members will determine the duration of this step. Temporary groups can bypass this stage but is a necessary one for the evolution of stable long-term teams (Zoltan & Vancea, 2016).
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Norming is the third stage in which the group has withered the storm, and members are open to resolving conflicts. A sense of individuality is developed, and rules for behavior are also set. Group cohesion develops in this phase and is usually critical for groups that are moving to the performance stage (Zoltan & Vancea, 2016).
The group starts to address critical issues about the task they have to accomplish at the performing stage. Members interact and support one another to achieve the desired goal. Conflicts are dealt with constructively. The performance of the groups is optimal and fully adapted to the structure of the organization. The leader is tasked to provide timely feedback to the members (Zoltan & Vancea, 2016).
The last stage is adjourning after the group has achieved the desired purpose and it stops to exist. Members start to detach from the team and engage in other activities. The dissolution period is often an emotional moment. Dissolving an organizational group is indicative that members will progress from a professional perspective. However, a team can be disbanded for underperforming, and the last step usually takes a shorter time, yet the emotional connections are not intense (Zoltan & Vancea, 2016).
Most organizational group theories identify the Tuckman’s model as satisfactory in explaining the sequence in which groups in their evolution. Most articles have relied on the model which has been widely accepted and developed over the years in different approaches to management theory and organizational behavior. Most formal groups will go through the five steps, but some short-term goal-oriented groups will not follow the five stages (Zoltan & Vancea, 2016).
Reference
Zoltan & Vancea, (2016). Work Group Development Models – The Evolution from Simple Group to Effective Team. Ecoforum, 5 (1), 8
