Stages of Group Development

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TO: MANAGERIAL STAFF FROM: TEAM A SUBJECT: STAGES OF GROUP DEVELOPMENT DATE: JUNE 16, 2013 CC: JON ZIMMERMAN STAGES OF GROUP DEVELOPMENT Groups go through several different stages of development, just as employees go through learning curves. Awareness of each stage of development of each group can be very beneficial and is extremely essential to leaders in helping them understand the reasons for groups’ behavior at each stage. Also, it helps to steer groups to behavior necessary to progress that group into the next stage. The stages a group goes through are commonly known as Forming, Storming, Norming, Performing and Adjourning. FORMING Forming begins when a group initially comes together. The expectation is high and those involved are optimistic about what they may be able to accomplish. At this point, communication is superficial and polite as group members begin to consider questions like, “What am I here for?”, “Who else is here?” and “Who am I comfortable with?” It is vital at this stage for the group to join in with each other as they go through introductions and orientation. To ensure that things go over smoothly and to minimize any confusion, a strong and effective group leader is put in place to assist group members in understanding and feeling a level of comfort before moving on to the next stage. STORMING The storming stage of group development is when the members get to know one another better. When a group is formed the members of the group are trying to understand their role, they wonder if they will be respected and accepted as a team member. Often times this creates tension and disunity within the group as well as competition. During this stage team members need to work together to understand one another’s role within the team. During this state the leader of the team needs to organize the group in a way

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