Mgmt 591 Woodson Coalition Week 3 Case Study 1

Part 1: Group Development The genesis and growth of a group always goes through five stages: forming, storming, norming, performing and adjourning. Forming is always the first stage, where the group members meet for the first time and roles as well as structure and purpose are not firmly established. This stage closes when the individuals label themselves as a group. Appropriately named, the storming stage is defined by intragroup conflict in the areas of limited autonomy and leadership, and is a critical in group development. The resolution of this stage comes with a visible leader along with rankings of group members. After the dust has settled, the norming stage begins with development of cohesiveness, close relationships, and ends when organization of the group solidifies into expected roles and behaviors. Actual group function starts in the performing stage where the group is wholly accepted and can begin working toward the task that was assigned. Adjourning is when the task is completed, and the group disbands.
This group is currently in the forming and storming stage, as members have not yet been selected into the development team, and already there are strong opinions about what needs to be done to solve the problems of truancy, low student performance and crime, as well as how to create an after school program effectively with the support of three different organizations.
Part 2: Problem Identification The primary problem that is causing much strife in this case is disagreement between the three organizations level of involvement, power over decision making, and outcomes of the after-school program. The school district wants the after-school program to be in line with existing school board procedures, any new jobs formed to be unionized, and to have the same level of input and power as Woodson. The Woodson Foundation wants to use “hard data to measure performance” which is something that the school district disagrees with. The NCPIE wants parents to