Question

What occurs during the process of group development? What factors contribute to the facilitation of group development?

Answer 1

Bruce Tuckman’s forming, storming, norming, and performing model describes the stages that serve as a helpful tool in understanding the process of development of a group. The model explains how a team develops over time and all the stages are considered as necessarybfactors which are essential for the development of a group. Accordingly, Group development is marked by the following stages:

Forming and Mutual Acceptance
Mutual acceptance is the first stage in a group's development where the focus is on the interpersonal relations among the members. Typically, Members assess one another with regard to trustworthiness, emotional comfort, and acceptance and resolve their initial conflicts over power and authority in order to come to a decision making process.

Storming or Decision-Making
Planning and decision-making occur during the second stage of a group's development. this is the planning stage that includes defining the tasks and how to accomplish them- who will be leaders and how will members communicate and coordinate with each other over a task?

Norming/ Motivation and Commitment
In the third stage of development, the Members' attention is directed to self-motivation and the motivation of other group members for the accomplishment of the varied tasks. The emphasis is on execution and achievement, by questioning and prodding as well through facilitation and sharing of work.

Performing/ Control and Sanctions
This is the final stage of development wherein a group has become a mature, effective, efficient and productive unit. The group is said to have established explicit and implicit norms for the members, has dileneated a chain of command and each of the group members bring their particular unique contributions in the form of a perspective, a skill, or a resource to the team.