Lesson 6: Working in Groups
Attention
Learning Outcomes
Upon completion of this lesson's material, students will be able to:
- Demonstrate proficiency in working in groups.
Teaching
A Model of Group Development
One way of understanding group process is through looking at models of group development. A four-stage model of group development that can lead to “high-performance teams” include: Forming, Storming, Norming, and Performing.
Stages of Group Process
| Name of Stage | Description |
|---|---|
Forming |
In the forming stage, a group attempts to define the task and decide how it will be accomplished. Members may feel excitement, anticipation, and optimism or suspicion, fear, and anxiety about the work ahead. The group also attempts to determine acceptable group behavior and how to deal with group problems, and begins to develop group identity.
|
Storming |
In this stage, members may resist the tasks at hand or may resist approaches different from those each individual is comfortable using. Common group behavior during this stage includes establishment of unrealistic goals, concern about excessive work, defensiveness and competition among the members—who may argue even when they agree on the real issues—and questioning of suggested approaches. Some groups fail to get beyond this stage, and remain in conflict.
|
Norming |
In this stage, groups begin to develop a sense of team closeness, and are more willing to discuss the team’s dynamics and to express criticism constructively. The group attempts to reach harmony or avoid personal conflict by establishing ground rules. Group members might begin to feel a sense of relief that things are going to “work out.”
|
Performing |
In this stage, group members have a better understanding of each other’s strengths and weaknesses, and are able to work through group problems. They often feel close to the team and satisfaction with the team’s progress. Effective committees, and in some cases whole planning bodies, can become high-performing teams, in spite of disagreements over priorities and other decisions.
|
Adjourning |
This stage involves the process of "unforming" the group, letting go of the group structure and moving on. Some authors describe this stage as “Deforming and Mourning”, recognizing the sense of loss sometimes felt by team members. Adjourning involves dissolution. It entails the termination of roles, the completion of tasks and reduction of dependency. |
Why is understanding Group Process Important Group Dynamics is the study of forces operating within a group in social interaction. It can be viewed in terms of the internal nature of groups, their information, structure and process, the way they affect individual members, other groups, and the organization. Group influences the behavior of individuals in different ways in the form of conformity to group norms, group cohesiveness, group participation, group competition and group problem solving which are found in both in formal and informal groups. It is behavior of individuals which make a big difference in an organization. Understanding group process can be very beneficial when working in a group setting. Having this basic information allows you to know what to expect when working a group. You will eventually see the pattern if you look close enough. |
Group Think Click HERE to visit a site that describes the process of Group Think. Click HERE to view the PowerPoint presentation (in PDF format) from this same site. |
Assessment
Lesson 6 Discussion A
This is a special discussion. As a group you are going to work together to come up with a poster (you can create a poster in a word processor) that would be a 1-page, graphic-intensive, tool for explaining group process.
You will actually have to engage in some GROUP PROCESS right here in the discussion board in order to get this accomplished! EVERYONE needs to participate in the process but not everyone needs to participate in the same way. Your Instructor will assist you with the facilitation of your first online group project!
Lesson 6 Discussion B
In this discussion we are going to talk about the concept of Group Think. Be sure to review the resources in the Teaching section above.
Watch the movie below and then participate in the Online discussion. Note the movie is of a radio broadcast, so it is audio-only.
Share your thoughts about Group Think (share what you think and not simply reiterate what was said). Share an experience when you either went along with a group or stood out from a group. We have all been in situations where we have, or have been tempted to, simply go along with the herd to be accepted.