Stages of Group Development & Group Roles

Forming, Storming, Norming, Performing, Adjourning

What are the stages of group development?

Forming

The group forms and begins its identity with members learning about the group. Members rely on safe patterns of behavior and desire acceptance.

Storming

Difficult time in which each person finds a position in the group and tries to decide whether to remain in the group. Power struggles for leadership may exist and subgroups may form with many conflicts.

Norming

The groups begins to experience some relief from previous tensions and decides on specific goals or objectives for next step.

Performing

The group has clearly defined purposes and every member is participating. Members may fear the inevitable future breakup of the group. This is the most productive stage of group development.

Adjourning

The group reaches closure and evaluates its progress of reaching its goals.

Forming

The climate of the group is uncertainty with insecurity and a low level of trust.

Storming

The climate of the group is unstable and emotional with competition and conflict.

Norming

The climate is a feeling of openness and progress with increased relatedness between members. The group is cohesive.

Performing

The climate is open, pleasant, and relaxed with a high level of trust and cooperation.

Adjourning

The climate is mixed with both relief that task is finished and sadness that group is disbanding.

Forming

The individuals must become oriented to the group task and the other group members.

Storming

The individuals task is to find a position in the group and define what his/her contribution can be.

Norming

The individuals task is to share feelings and ideas, solicit and give feedback, and explore actions related to the task.

Performing

The individuals task is to carry out his/her part of the work.

Adjourning

The individuals task is to evaluate the group process and outcome of group.

Forming

The leaders task is to provide support and to encourage participation without encouraging dependence.

Storming

The leaders task is to focus on channeling energy into constructive activity and encouraging resolution of conflicts.

Norming

The leaders task is to guide the group by staying on track, testing the feasibility of suggestions, and reaching consensus in making decisions.

Performing

The leaders task is to act as facilitator and to allow members to act.

Adjourning

The leaders task is to encourage sharing and to help the group face termination.

Forming

The group's task is orientation. The group must form an identity as a group.

Storming

The group's task is to resolve conflicts and organize itself into roles to complete goals.

Norming

The group's task is to decide on specific goals.

Performing

The group's task is to move toward goal and engage in productive behaviors.

Adjourning

The group's task is to support and provide recognition of group's work and achievements.

List the group roles:

Individual Roles, Group Task Roles, and Group Building & Maintenance Roles

Individual Roles

Blocker/Complainer, Recognition Seeker, Dominator/Monopolizer, Help-seeker/Victim, Distractor/Seducer, Mute, Truant/Late-comer, Moralist are all examples of ___.

Group Task Roles

Initiator/Contributor, Info seeker/Questioner, Opinion seeker, info giver, opinion giver, summarizer, coordinator, orientor/facilitator, evaluator are all examples of ___.

Group Building & Maintenance Roles

encourager, harmonizer, compromiser, gate-keeper, standard setter/rule maker, follower are all examples of ___.

Individual roles

roles that meet only the needs of the group member, not of the group

Blocker/complainer

resists progress by arguing or disagreeing beyond reason

recognition seeker

calls attention to himself through boasting and pointing out his achievements

dominator/monopolizer

asserts his/her authority and superiority in manipulating the group or certain members of the group; activity controls the group by continually talking

help-seeker/victim

tries to elicit sympathy from the group or individual members

distracter/seducer

horses around" demonstrating his/her lack of involvement, gains personal attention

mute

seeks control passively through silence; does not follow the group (sleeping member, wandering member)

truant/late-comer

invalidates significance of the group by coming in late

moralist

acts as pledge of right and wrong

group task roles

roles that identify group problems and select methods to solve those problems

initiator/contributor

suggests or proposes to the group new ideas or different ways of regarding the group problem or goal

information seeker/questioner

asks for clarification of issues and information

opinion seeker

does not ask primarily for facts of the case, but for clarification of values pertinent to what the group is undertaking

information giver

offers facts or generalizations that are "authoritative" or who shares his own experience in relation to the group problems

opinion giver

states his ideas and values about group suggestions

summarizer

states the current position of the group

contributor

shows or clarifies how ideas can work

orientor/facilitator

keeps the group on target by defining where the group is in relationship to its goal; keeps the group focused

evaluator

assesses the accomplishment of the group in relation to its tasks

group building & maintenance roles

roles that are oriented toward the functioning of the group as a whole. they are designed to alter or maintain the group's way of working to strengthen, regulate and perpetrate the group as a group

encourager

gives acceptance to the contributions of others, exerts a positive influence on the group

harmonizer

reconciles differences between group members in order to make/keep peace

compromiser

admits his error to maintain group harmony and meets the person with an opposing idea halfway

gate-keeper

facilitates the contributions of others, thereby keeping communication open

standard setter/rule maker

sets group goals/standards to be achieved and evaluates the functioning of the group

follower

goes along with the ideas of other members, assuming more interesting audience role