Groups and Teams Essay -- Team Work Group Cycle Essays Papers

Groups and Teams The forming, storming, norming, performing model of team development was first introduced by Bruce Tuckman in 1965. He argued that these phases are all necessary and inevitable for the team growth, overcoming challenges and tackling problems, finding solutions, planning work and delivering results. Tuckman later added a fifth phase, adjourning, which is referred to by some as the mourning stage, which involves completing the task and breaking up the team. (Wikipedia, 2005) All teams, whether social, academic, or professional go through these five phases during team development (more permanent teams may not immediately face the adjourning phase) either consciously or subconsciously and the cycles are repeated throughout the life of the team. In the first phase, forming, quite simply, is forming a new team. A group of individuals are to form a team. The text, Organizational Behavior, 9th Edition, states that a primary concern is the initial entry of members to a team. This stage may be uncomfortable to some. For instance, at the University of Phoenix (UoP) learning teams are formed in the beginning of each class. Most learning teams are formed when students first begin taking classes at UoP and are, for the most part, maintained throughout the students' time at the school. During that first class period it may be uncomfortable for a group of strangers to begin talking and forming a team. The text says that during this stage individuals ask a number of questions such as, ?What can the group do for me ?What will I be asked to contribute ?Can my needs be met (p. 268,  ¶ 2) Individuals are getting to know each other and trying to determine where they fit best. Once the team is formed, the next step the team will encounter i s storming. The storming stage begins when the team is presented with tasks.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  ?The storming stage of group development is a period of high emotionality and tension among the group members.? (p. 269,  ¶ 1) The team enters the storming stage as different ideas are presented for consideration. Topics that send UoP learning teams into the storming phase are, when and where to meet, which topic to do a presentation or paper on, or deadlines for assignments. During this phase team members become more familiar with the personality types of each other. The storming stage can also be very uncomfortable as feelings a... ...al go through these phases whether they define them in this sense or not. All teams form together, norm together, perform as one, and either adjourn once the task is completed or begin performing another task. While more permanent teams revert back to the performing stage most often, ?even the highest performing teams will revert to earlier stages in certain circumstances? (Wikipedia, 2005). Adding a new member will send developed teams into the forming stage, all teams will face conflict and that may send the team into the storming phase, resolving that conflict shifts the team into norming and eventually the team will begin to perform again as a powerful harmonious unit. References Schermerhorn, J. R., Hunt, J. G., & Osborn, R. N. (2005). Organizational Behavior. 9th edition, Chapter: 9. New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Smith, M. K. (2005) 'Bruce W. Tuckman - forming, storming, norming and performing in groups, the encyclopaedia of informal education. Retrieved July 12, 2005 from www.infed.org/thinkers/tuckman.htm. Wikipedia.org. Forming-Storming-Norming-Perfoming. (2005) Retrieved July 12, 2005 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forming-storming-norming-performing