Group Development Stages

B.W.Tuckman

All groups go through a series of stages of development before performing in a fully mature and effective manner and a team develops from individuals through a series of stages in accordance with the shared experiences of its members.
He identified four stages of team development that have been adopted by other researchers.
Forming
The group is not yet a group, simply a collection of individuals. At this stage, the purpose of the group is discussed along with its title, composition, leadership and life-span. Individuals will be keen to establish their personal identities in the group and make some impression on others. Important mechanisms include developing trust, finding similarities, setting up 'rules' and norms, 'contracting' with group members, finding out if 'this is the group for me' etc. attraction bonds, orientation to others, dependency, inclusion. Team members become acquainted with each other, information is exchanged. They determine each team member's strengths and assign roles and responsibilities.
Storming
Most groups go through a stage of conflict following the initial, often false, consensus. Purpose, leadership, roles and norms may all be challenged. Hidden agendas may be revealed, and some interpersonal hostility is to be expected. If successfully handled, storming leads to the formulation of more realistic objectives, procedures and norms. This stage is particularly important to the formation of trust within the group even though it is characterised by dissatisfaction, competition, conflict , fight, counterdependency. Members jockey for position, become aware of their differences and try to determine how they will work together.
Norming
The group establishes norms and patterns of work within which it functions. There will be a lot of tentative experimentation by individuals testing the temperature of the group and establishing their levels of commitment - development of structure, increased harmony. A group consensus emerges, it comes to an agreement on its purpose or function. Members are clear what their roles and responsibilities are. The group has a sense of identity and members strive to work together.
Performing
Only when the previous three stages have been successfully completed will the group reach optimum performance level. Achievement orientation, productivity, group structure, norms, and behavior are understood and accepted, members know how to work with each other. They can handle disagreements and misunderstandings effectively. The group is focused on accomplishing its purpose.

For a group in which the task is clearly defined and seen by all members as highly important, the first three stages may be dealt with in the first few hours of meeting. For most groups it takes longer and needs to be anticipated. Managers of project teams (involving people from different parts of the organisation) need to plan for and allow time for group development; less time should be needed when members come together from within one department.

Implications
1. Stage of group development influences other processes (e.g., cohesiveness, conformity, production)
2. Interventions must take group's stage into account (e.g., leadership, therapy)
3. Diagnosing stage group is at is important for facilitators and group leaders:

Refs:
Tuckman, B. W. (1965). Developmental sequences in small groups. Psychological Bulletin, 63, 384-399.
Tuckman, B. W., & Jensen, M. A. C. (1977). Stages of small group development revisited. Group and Organizational Studies, 2, 419- 427.

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