Five Stages of Group Development and How Relationships Form

Five Stages of Group Development and How Relationships Form When people join a group, he or she may give up his or her independence because of the person was used to working alone and currently has to work within a group to accomplish a goal. To develop a good group there are five stages of development, which are forming, storming, norming, performing, and adjourning. The first step is forming, which occurs when the group first meets, and there can be uncertainty about his or her roles, group goals, and who will lead the group. At this stage the group gets to know one another and start thinking together as a group. The second stage is storming, which occurs when the group members test one another for who has more authority and who will be a follower. This stage can be a long process because conflicts can occur and subgroups form. The third stage is norming, which occurs when the group is in agreement about how the group will run. The group comes together and becomes more of a family, which allows the group to have commitment to the task (McGraw-Hill Education, n.d.). The fourth stage is performing, which occurs when the group is focused on solving task problems and getting the goals accomplished. Also conflict at this stage is minimum and if there is a problem the conflict is solved without disrupting the whole group (McGraw-Hill Education, n.d.). Because the group is like family at this stage the group can achieve the goal, which is more that can be done individually. The last stage is adjourning, which occurs when the task is complete and the group moves onto other activities or tasks. At this stage the group members will have a sense of sadness because of the group breaking apart (McGraw-Hill Education, n.d.). At this stage the group can also have a party or award ceremony to show the ending of the task. At this party or award ceremony the leader of the group can discuss the lessons learned and praise the group for their hard work.
Barriers

References: McGraw-Hill Education . (n.d.). Groups and Teamwork. Retrieved from http://highered.mcgraw-hill.com/sites/dl/free/007091091x/79496/KreitnerSmapleCh.pdf