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Nuggets of Wisdom
Words to inspire, motivate, and guide you to
Successful
Living
UNDERSTANDING GROUP DYNAMICS
This week Dr. Gerald shared a document with us that reminded
the Successful Living Publishing staff of how far our organization has come
in building its LLIFE teams. More importantly, it was a reminder of
the process that people go through as teams are forged.
This process is played out in families, on the job, in
social organizations, and in just about every other situation where group
dynamics are involved. However, because we don’t often talk about, people
who are experiencing it for the first time often believe that “something’s
wrong” when they don’t find smooth sailing each step of the way.
Reality is that whenever more than one person is involved,
there should not be an expectation that everyone will always agree.
If it appears that there is no need for diverse views, one should wonder if
people are engaged, if they really care about the project that is in
progress. It is very normal to have useful discussions that permit
people to express themselves, and then come to agreement. The result
is a more cohesive unit than when the process began.
In 1965 Bruce Tuckman published his Forming Storming Norming
Performing model that describes this process. (A fifth stage,
Adjouring, was added in the 1970’s). Similar models, such as
Tannenbaum and Schmidt Continuum and Hersey and Blanchard's Situational
Leadership® model, were developed about the same time.
See if you can see your group, team, or organization in the
following description of group development. We hope it helps you
better recognize your group’s behavior for what it is - normal.
STAGES OF GROUP DEVELOPMENT
FORMING ("cautious affiliation"); During this stage
you'll see:
High dependence on leader for guidance and
direction. Little agreement on team aims other than received from leader.
Individual roles and responsibilities are unclear. Leader must be prepared
to answer lots of questions about the team's purpose, objectives and
external relationships. Processes are often ignored. Members test tolerance
of system and leader. Leader directs (similar to Situational Leadership®
'Telling' mode).
Things to do to facilitate this stage:
1. Take time to get to know one another
2. Remind more task-oriented members, who may be impatient with
"getting to know you", that this is a necessary part- of becoming
a team
3. Orient new members
4. Address: "Why are we here?",
"Why are you here?"
5. Validate the skills each person brings
6. Clarify purpose, goals and roles (as
understood at this time)
7. Establish procedures and ground rules for
meetings
8. Provide training in team basics
STORMING ("strained relationships"):
During this stage you'll see:
Decisions don't come easily within group.
Team members vie for position as they attempt to establish themselves in
relation to other team members and the leader, who might receive challenges
from team members. Clarity of purpose increases but plenty of uncertainties
persist. Cliques and factions form and there may be power struggles. The
team needs to be focused on its goals to avoid becoming distracted by
relationships and emotional issues. Compromises may be required to enable
progress. Leader coaches (similar to Situational Leadership® 'Selling'
mode).
Things to do to facilitate this stage:
1. Expect storming - talk about it openly;
don't gloss over it
2. Establish procedures for conflict resolution
before they are needed and follow them
3. Use structured processes for problem solving
and dealing with conflict
4. Adhere to your ground rules
5. Add new ground rules if needed to deal with
conflict
6. Insist on using good communication practices
7. Utilize a process observer
8. Explore all viewpoints
9. Try to surface hidden agendas
10. Provide training in conflict resolution,
communication
NORMING ("We're in this together."): During this stage
you'll see:
Agreement and consensus are largely formed
among team, who respond well to facilitation by leader. Roles and
responsibilities are clear and accepted. Big decisions are made by group
agreement. Smaller decisions may be delegated to individuals or small teams
within group. Commitment and unity is strong. The team may engage in fun
and social activities. The team discusses and develops its processes and
working style. There is general respect for the leader and some of
leadership is more shared by the team. Leader facilitates and enables
(similar to the Situational Leadership® 'Participating' mode).
Things to do to facilitate this stage:
1. Talk openly and decide consciously about the
norm you want to establish
2. Be deliberate about members taking on more
responsibility
3. Develop and use approaches to reward and
recognition
4. Provide training in areas such as
group facilitation, problem solving
5. Develop and use evaluation procedures
PERFORMING (collaboration and synergy): During this stage you'll see:
The team is more strategically aware; the
team knows clearly why it is doing what it is doing. The team has a shared
vision and is able to stand on its own feet with no interference or
participation from the leader. There is a focus on over-achieving goals,
and the team makes most of the decisions against criteria agreed with the
leader. The team has a high degree of autonomy. Disagreements occur but now
they are resolved within the team positively and necessary changes to
processes and structure are made by the team. The team is able to work
towards achieving the goal, and also to attend to relationship, style and
process issues along the way. Team members look after each other. The team
requires delegated tasks and projects from the leader. The team does not
need to be instructed or assisted. Team members might ask for assistance
from the leader with personal and interpersonal development. Leader
delegates and oversees (similar to the Situational Leadership® 'Delegating'
mode).
Things to do to facilitate this stage:
1. Rotate roles
2. Share leadership functions
3. Take deliberate steps to avoid "groupthink"
4. Plan for group growth - e.g., take on more
complex responsibilities or use more advanced techniques
5. Use evaluation results to improve
performance
6. Celebrate accomplishments! ! !
7. Talk about what's next
The fifth stage is Adjourning - The process
of "un-forming" the group, that is, letting go of the group
structure and moving on.
NOTE: The Farmers' Market in East St. Louis
is coming along quite nicely. Please go to www.llife.org/farmersmarket.htm
for more information and recent videos.
Our Team is blossoming! See the videos of East St.
Louis District Director Aubrey Keller speaking out on
Equal Status and Renaissance Leader Marlon Brown's powerful words
about his own learning and growth process.
Until Next Week,
Dr. Gerald and the Successful Living >
LLIFE
110 N. Main Street
East St. Louis, IL 62210
618-875-8875
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