Question

After viewing the video clip (Remember the Titans) in your Ch. 7 powerpoint, please provide an example of each stage of the group process: 1. Forming: 2. Storming: 3. Norming: 4. Performing: 5. Adjourning: Then, please provide a personal example of a group experience you have had, and describe a phase of the group process that was memorable. Please respond to a peer's experience thoughtfully.

Answer 1

Bruce Tuckman (1965) came up with the Stages of Group Processes. These are the stages every group goes through on their way for optimum performance. They are:

a. Forming

This stage is characterized by members familiarizing with each other.For example, they will be polite and formal with each other. They will not be having sufficient information regarding their work. The leader plays a dominant role in decision making.

b. Storming

This stage is where most teams fail. It begins with the conflicts between the members of the group. Sometimes differences of opinions can make them frustrated. For example, overlapping job roles may create conflicts among members. The leader has to be careful in defining the job roles of each member. Team members may start questioning the goals of the team. As new tasks come up, the group keeps going back to storming stage.

c. Performing

In this stage, the members finally come to a consensus and work together in achieving the group goal. The leader delegates the work to each member. People who join and leave the group at this particular stage don't affect the performance of the team.

d. Adjourning

Many groups will reach this stage eventually. For example a project team will come to an end once the project is over. Members who became friends and comfortable with each other will find this stage difficult.

My personal experience of forming a group was with my school friends. We entered the forming stage when we joined school. We started having lunch together and hanging out together. In storming stage, individual differences among friends created issues and we sometimes ended up fighting. But we worked through that. We got together and planned vacations and holidays. As a group, we went for road trips. This can be considered a performing stage. We helped each other through thick and thin. In the adjourning stage, we had to leave each other to join colleges. Everybody had different dreams, so it was difficult to stay together forever.