Working in groups or teams has become a regular and at times essential part of getting things done in most of our working and social lives. Whether it is a management team, a project committee, an industry work group, or even some social club or school committee, the way the people in the group function together is an important part of getting things done.
However, initially, the need to interact with other people almost seems to be more of a barrier to getting things done rather than helping accomplish your goals. Whether the group that you form a part of is going to be temporary or long term, it goes through a process of building itself before it can really become effective.
When the members of any group get together for the first time, they need to decide on the purpose of what they are going to be doing, the role of various people, and get agreement on how things are going to be approached. Some of the common questions people ask themselves at the onset include such things as 'How we will organise ourselves?', 'Who is in charge?', 'How do we fit in to the group?' and 'What is our relationship with other groups?'
These questions are not necessarily all answered the first time the group gets together. The questions may continue to form part of the ongoing dynamics as the group tries to understand itself and confirm where it is going. If the questions come up and cause blockages that are not cleared, then the team will experience problems in working and conflict in members' interactions with each other. In working through these issues, almost any group evolves through a number of phases. Models of group development generally have five stages:
Forming
Initially, group members want to establish how they fit into the group, where people are coming from, and what kinds of behaviours are acceptable. Members feel the need to find out more about each other and their positions and styles. As more discussions occur and people exchange their views, ground rules for the group are established. Initial relationships begin to form but people tend to be cautious and polite. At this stage the team may appear to be acting effectively and progressing with its tasks, but dealings tend to be superficial.
During forming, members are thinking what the group would want from them, who they relate to in the group, who are the key people who set the tone for what is happening, and how things are going to be accomplished. For many, they are also wondering what they could get out of their involvement.
Storming
As members start taking a personal interest or stake in the group, initial conflict begins to form. Group members start taking stands and want to exert their own influence. The group moves from the initial cautious approach into a storming phase. Relationships of power and influence become apparent and there is conflict over who controls what happens and how to approach handling the way things need to be done. Some members of the group may try and exert their influence so as to become recognised as group leaders in order to shape the group agenda.
During the storming phase, people start questioning how much influence they have, they wonder how they stand relative to others, they start thinking how they can get what they want and their own ideas noticed, and they wonder about who will handle responsibilities and standards. They also start forming alliances and identifying people who have different ideas from themselves. Ultimately, the storming stage involves a debate on what approach the group will take and the future direction, and who will be influencing this. While this stage can be disruptive and even hostile at times, this conflict is often necessary to put things in context and set up the conditions for a genuine and constructive basis for group functioning.
Norming
During the norming stage, group members begin to recognise and accept roles and to understand how other people are going to be involved and contribute to group objectives. There is more personal acceptance among the members and a sense of unity and group cohesion starts developing. There may still be the occasional occurrence of storming behaviour to settle differences over group norms but resolution of these results in greater clarity and acceptance. Contributions of individuals to the group increase and become less conditional, greater listening takes place, and the group begins to focus on problem-solving.
Members start commenting to themselves that things are working, hoping that conflict is now being sorted out. They also think through whether they now have a clear idea of how things are going to be done. Commitment of all the members is looked at and the group as a whole looks at how it can get more buy-in from people who are still unsure. People start giving feedback to each other and there is a common alignment with group goals.
Performing
Performing is seen as the final stage of group development in some models and it is during this stage that the group really begins to focus on the problem at hand. The efforts of the group are directed towards goal attainment. Interaction between members is based on accomplishing goals and this has a strong shared focus. The roles of team members have been identified and their strengths are recognised. Members feel they are making effective contributions to the group and are generally proud of their involvement. Team members take steps to bring individuals in line when norms are violated, but there is also a mature acceptance of the other members. This shows itself in greater tolerance within the context of achieving the purpose of the group. The thoughts that people have about the group change to be more task-focused rather than how they are going to fit in or considering interpersonal dynamics. In high-performing groups there is a sense of pride in their achievements.
Adjournment/transforming
In many cases, groups have a specified purpose and once they have accomplished this, they end their existence. This usually occurs through a formal closure and is often characterised by a number of rituals. Group members may still maintain contact based on the relationships they form during the existence of the group. In other groups such as management teams, the group is expected to continue for long periods of time. However, nothing lasts forever and even effective groups encounter changes in composition or outside influences that affect them and the way they do things. For instance, even the best motor racing teams and football teams cannot sustain their performance indefinitely.
Groups in environments that are characterised by ongoing change will experience frequent transformation needs as they have to realign members' roles and tasks so they can deal with the new demands and work conditions. Such groups display flexibility and are capable of dynamic movement as they match environmental demands with their self-managed change. In some cases, such groups are constantly reinventing themselves.
During the transformation phase, group members ask themselves how the group should interpret and respond to change. They also question how they themselves will be affected by the change. Questions over the levels of communication and common understanding of the demands and necessary changes are high on the agenda. Another aspect is how changing roles will influence current group members and how these implications will be handled at both a practical and personal level. In some cases, the transformation stage may be so radical that it throws the group back into a forming stage and a need to go through the whole formation process again.
Generally, effective groups will progress through all these stages. It may be possible that some stages happen more quickly than with people in other groups or in different situations. For example, the events that one group may have to deal with could provide a high level of pressure for things to be done more quickly while another may not have the same incentives to move through the initial storming and norming phases.
Whether a group facilitator, a leader, or a member, knowing some of the dynamics and understanding why they are happening can help you get through the group formation process that much more quickly and effectively.
Dr Craig Donald is an industrial psychologist and specialist in human factors in security and CCTV. He is the co-developer of the Surveillance and Monitoring Assessment Exercise (SAMAE) for the selection and placement of CCTV operators and presenter of the CCTV Surveillance Skills training course. He can be contacted on telephone: (011) 787 7811, fax: (011) 886 6815, or e-mail: [email protected]
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