When students finish studying this part, they should be able to:

1.      Define the stages of team development.

2.      Explain the selection process of team members.

3.      Define the interaction process among team members.

4.      Describe the team-based problem solving as an integration process.

5.      Identify the process of developing team spirit in organizations.

6.      Identify the required skills for teamwork organizations.

3.1 The Stages of Team Development

The group development process is dynamic. While most groups are in continual state of change and rarely ever reach complete stability, the group development process does follow a general pattern. Groups appear through a five-stage development sequence: Forming, storming, norming, performing, and adjourning, as shown in Figure 3.1.

Figure 3.1: Group development stages

A) Forming Stage 

The First stage is forming. During this stage the members get acquainted with each other. They establish the ground rules by trying to find out what behaviors are acceptable. In the forming stage, group members focus their efforts on seeking basic information, defining goals, developing procedures for performing the task and making preliminary evaluation of how the group might interact to accomplish goals. There is often a great deal of uncertainty at this point as group members begin to test the extent to which their input will be valued. The following behaviors are common for individuals in the forming stage of group development:

ü    Keeping feelings to themselves until they know the situation.

ü    Acting more secure that they actually feel.

ü    Experiencing confusion and uncertainty about what is expected.

ü    Being polite.

ü    Trying to size up personal benefits and personal costs of being involved in the group.

ü    Accepting dependence on a powerful person.

During the forming stage, people tend to be a bit confused and uncertain about how to act in the group and how beneficial it will be to become a member of the group. Once the individuals come to think of themselves as members of a group, the forming stage is complete.

B) Storming Stage 

In the storming stage, group members frequently experience conflict with one another as they locate and attempt to resolve differences of opinion about key issues, relative priorities of goals, who is responsible for what, and the task-related direction of the leader. Competition for the leadership role and conflict over goals are dominant themes at this stage. Some members may withdraw or try to isolate themselves from emotional tension that is generated. Groups with members from diverse backgrounds or cultures may experience greater conflict than more homogenous groups. It is important at this stage not to suppress or withdraw from the conflict. Suppressing conflict will likely create bitterness and resentment, which will last long after members attempt to express their differences and emotions. Withdrawal can cause the group to fail more quickly.

The storming stage is characterized by a high degree of conflict within the group. Members often resist the control of the group’s leaders and show hostility toward each other. If these conflicts are not resolved some group members may withdraw and the group may disband. However, as conflicts are resolved and the group’s leadership is accepted, the storming stage is complete.

C) Norming Stage

During the norming stage, a real sense of cohesion and teamwork begins to emerge. Group members feel good about each other and identify with the group. At this stage, group members:

ü     Share feelings,

ü     Give and receive feedback, and

ü     Begin to share a sense of success.

In the norming stage, the group becomes more cohesive, and identification as a member of the group becomes great. Close relationships develop, shared feelings become common, feeling of camaraderie and shared responsibility for the group’s activities are heightened. The norming stage is complete when the members of the group accept a common set of expectations that constitutes an acceptable way of doing things.

D) Performing Stage 

The fourth stage is performing. By this stage, questions about group relationship and leadership have been resolved and the group is ready to work. Having fully developed, the group may devote its energy to getting the Job done – the group’s good relations and acceptance of the leadership helps the group perform well.

The performing stage, when the group is fully functional, is the most difficult to achieve. The interpersonal relations in this stage are marked with by high level of interdependence. The group is oriented to maintaining good relations and getting its task accomplished. Group members can now:

ü      Work well with everyone in the group.

ü      Communication is constant.

ü      Decisions are made easily through , and

ü      Members understand the roles they need to perform for the group to be highly effective.

At the performing stage, the group has learned to solve complex problems and implement solutions. Members are committed to the task and willing to experiment to solve problems.

E) Adjourning Stage 

The final stage is adjourning. Group may cease to exist because they have met their goals and are no longer needed (such as an adhoc group created to raise money for a charity Project). Other groups may adjourn norms that have developed and are no longer effective for the group.

The adjourning stage involves the termination of task behaviors and disengagement from relations-oriented behaviors. Some groups, such as a project team created to investigate and report on a specific program within a limited time frame, have well defined point of adjournment. Other groups, such as an executive committee, may go on indefinitely.

3.2 Interaction among Team Members

As you might imagine, assembling a team is no easy task. Doing so requires not only having the right combination of skilled people, but also individuals who are willing to work together with others as a team. The following model provides some useful insights on how to manage the interaction process of work teams effectively, suggesting that the process proceeds in four distinct stages, as shown in Table 3.1.

Table 3.1: Interaction process among team members

3.3. Cohesiveness: Developing the Team Spirit

Highly cohesive work teams are ones in which the members are attracted to each other, accept the group’s demands and help work toward meeting them.

• Team cohesion tends to be strengthened under conditions of high external threat or competition.

• Cohesion generally tends to be greater the more time team members spend together.

• Similarly, cohesiveness tends to be greater in smaller teams.

• Finally, because nothing succeeds like success “teams with a history of success" tend to be tightly cohesive.

Team’s cohesion can influence productivity in many additional ways. It makes sense that after team experiences success, its members will feel more committed to each other. Similarly, we might expect a cohesive team to work well together and to achieve a high level of success.

Organization-related steps managers can take to build spirit of work teams include:

1.      Building a stable overall organization or company structure that team members view as secure

2.      Becoming involved in team events and demonstrating interest in team progress and functioning

3.      Properly rewarding and recognizing teams for their accomplishments

4.      Setting goals and priorities for the team

5.      Developing clear objectives, directions, and project plans for the team

6.      Providing proper technical direction and leadership for the team

7.      Establishing autonomy for the team and challenging work within the team

8.      Appointing experienced and qualified team personnel

9.      Encouraging team involvement

10.  Building visibility within the organization for the team's work.

3.4 Required Skills for Team-Based Organizations

The team process is a series of changes which occur as a group of individuals develop into a cohesive and effective team. If the process is understood, it can be accelerated.

There are two main sets of skills which a team must acquire:

• Managerial Skills

• Interpersonal Skills

Acceleration of the team process is simply the accelerated acquisition of these skills.

As a self-managing unit, a team has to undertake most of the functions of a Group Leader – collectively. For instance, meetings must be organized, budgets decided, strategic planning undertaken, goals set, performance monitored, reviews scheduled, etc. It is increasingly recognized that it is a fallacy to expect an individual to suddenly assume managerial responsibility without assistance; in the group it is even more so. Even if there are practiced managers in the group, they must first agree on a method, and then convince and train the remainder of the group.

As a collection of people, a team needs to learn some basic manners and people-management skills. Again, think of that self-opinionated, cantankerous loud-mouth; he/she should learn good manners, and the group must learn to enforce these manners without destructive confrontation

Generally speaking; team members should possess the following skills:

·        Share a common purpose / goals

·        Build relationships for trust and respect

·        Balance task and process

·        Plan thoroughly before acting.

·        Involve members in clear problem-solving and decision-making procedures

·        Respect and understand each others' "diversity"

·        Value synergism and interdependence

·        Emphasize and support team goals

·        Reward individual performance that supports the team.

 Assessment 3.1

 Building Teamwork Skills

Describe a group which you have been a member of and discuss its development overtime. And then answer the following questions:

1.       Did the group seem to proceed through all the stages of group development? Why or why not?

2.       If you are not already part of a group of this class, form small groups as directed by your instructor and reach some consensus on your response.

 A. Group Description:

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B. Development Stages: