Tuckman's stages of group development
Tuckman's stages of group development is a recognized framework in group dynamics that outlines the progression teams typically undergo to work effectively together. This model comprises five stages: forming, storming, norming, performing, and adjourning. Initially, in the forming stage, groups come together with excitement but may also experience anxiety about acceptance and roles. The storming stage follows, where conflicts can arise as team members adjust to each other’s working styles and expectations. Successfully navigating through these conflicts leads to norming, where team members establish clear roles and foster a sense of belonging, enhancing collaboration and productivity.
In the performing stage, the team operates at a high level of efficiency, recognizing each member's strengths and maintaining a strong commitment to shared goals. Finally, the adjourning stage occurs when the group disbands, often eliciting mixed emotions of accomplishment and sadness. While Tuckman's model provides valuable insights into group development, it has also sparked critiques, suggesting that some teams may not effectively learn or improve despite progressing through these stages. Overall, Tuckman's theory serves as a foundational guide for understanding group dynamics in both educational and professional contexts.
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Tuckman's stages of group development
Tuckman's stages of group development are part of a commonly applied theory of group dynamics that states that a group or team must go through a series of four to five stages to work effectively together, accomplish their work successfully, and meet and overcome challenges. The first four stages—forming, storming, norming, and performing—refer to the group's process of working together, as a unit. The fifth stage, adjourning, refers to the disbanding of the group, ideally in a positive manner when the members' work together has concluded. Although many teams progress through the stages in the order in which they are identified, the process is not always linear, and some groups may return to previous stages throughout their work together, particularly if they are facing challenges becoming a cohesive and productive unit.
Background
Bruce Tuckman was a psychologist, researcher, and professor of educational psychology at Ohio State University. He studied group dynamics and in 1965 first shared his theory called Tuckman's stages of group development. At that time, the theory only included the first four stages. It was not until 1977 that Tuckman added the adjourning stage. As such, different sources might refer to either the four stages or the five stages of Tuckman's theory.
This theory of group development has been researched and expanded upon by a number of other psychologists studying theories of learning, human resources and management styles, and group dynamics. It forms the basis of most contemporary theories of the life cycles of groups, particularly in educational and professional settings. Many employers seek and value employees with a proven ability to work well as part of a team.
Overview
Each of the five steps in Tuckman's stages of group development has unique identifying characteristics. The first stage, forming, begins as the group is getting together or meeting for the first time. It is characterized by feelings of excitement and positivity—often with high expectations for what the group will be able to accomplish—but usually also includes some anxiety from individual members about their acceptance in the group and their ability to do the work required. To be successful in this stage, researchers recommend that the group initially establishes a clear structure and mission with roles for each individual as well as goals for the whole group. Taking the time to clarify the mission and responsibilities of each person in the group is a good way to facilitate trust and relieve anxiety. If the group has an established leader, it is their role to clarify the structure and mission of the group.
The second stage, storming, occurs when the group encounters its first conflict. The high expectations of the first stage may be reduced to more realistic expectations, if necessary, which may cause some members of the team to become frustrated or upset with other members of the group. Others may experience anxiety again as concern grows about the team members' ability to accomplish their assigned work. There are a number of other reasons why a group might struggle to work together, particularly among younger students. A diversity of learning styles may present a challenge, and the personalities of the members, whether certain individuals are more dominant while others are more submissive, will affect the group dynamic. As a result, this stage may foster some arguments among the team. It also represents an opportunity for the team to learn to manage conflict, and—if the group is able to move successfully through this stage—often promotes greater clarification of goals and the specific tasks that are required to achieve those goals.
The third stage, norming, typically represents the successful resolution of the storming stage. Team members have moved through any conflicts and have clarified roles and responsibilities, and now feel accepted and recognized in the group. The expectations are clear, and the individuals in the group often have come to value different opinions and perspectives from others. Because the group now feels like a cohesive team in which members have a clear understanding of their tasks, individuals are more likely to share their feelings and ideas and ask for help from others on the team. Groups typically become very productive at this stage in the process.
In the final stage, performing, the team members often have very positive feelings about working together, and the group itself has matured. Participants are able to recognize and appreciate the strengths and weaknesses of all the members of the group, including their own, and they usually feel satisfied with the group's accomplishments and their process of resolving problems. At this stage, group members often share responsibilities. If the team is to continue to work together, each member will still need to focus on their own knowledge and commitment to the mission, and the group will likely need to continue to refine its process and set new goals. Teams sometimes face new challenges here that can take them back to the storming stage if their work environment changes significantly or if people join or leave the team. However, successful teams can certainly remain in the performing stage for as long as they work together; some teams that have worked together for years, such as in a professional environment, are able to successfully maintain this high level of performance and cohesion. Research has shown that this cohesion among group members has a significant positive impact on their task performance.
If a team will no longer work together—if a project is complete, for example—then the team reaches the adjournment stage. Individuals in the group may feel a sense of accomplishment if the project was completed successfully, while simultaneously feeling sad or concerned that their time together has come to an end and uncertain about the future. If all members of the team are aware that the group will soon disband, productivity often decreases. At this time, the group will typically try to complete any remaining work and to evaluate their work together to identify the challenges they overcame and the lessons they learned to apply to future group work.
While Tuckman's theory has proven influential, it has still faced critiques. Some observers argue that teams can progress through each one of the developmental stages while never actually learning as a team—and in fact, some teams may progress through the stages while reinforcing dysfunctional behaviors. These critics argue that too much emphasis is placed on teamwork in this model, with not enough consideration given to team learning to facilitate change and improvement among the individual team members and the group as a whole.
Bibliography
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