Course Snippet

The text on this page is taken from Unit 6 of the Certificate in Interpersonal Skills for Volunteers by distance learning course.

The Life Cycle of a Group

The nature of a group can change quite dramatically over time. There is a wide range of theories on group development but most assume that groups go through a number of stages. Perhaps the most influential model of group development has been that of Tuckman (1965) and many practitioners working with groups have adopted versions of his model. Not all groups will go through every stage; this will depend on how long the group is together, how the group is structured, its aims and objectives, the style of leadership and the individual members. In time, however, many groups will pass through some of the following stages of group development identified by Tuckman:

Stage One - Group bonding (Forming).
Stage Two - Group conflict and fragmentation (Storming).
Stage Three - Group maintenance and the development of norms (Norming).
Stage Four - Group working and achieving its aims (Performing).
Stage Five - Group disbanding (Adjourning, sometimes referred to as Mourning).

Tuckman (1965) cited in Brown (1992), p.101

Stage One: The Establishment and Formation of the Group (Forming)

At this stage, individuals in the group are brought together. This can be a difficult time for people, as they begin to explore how to behave within the group. There is a great deal of individual exploration, with members of the group getting to know each other and discovering common interests. For some less outgoing members, this can be a very intimidating experience.

The role of the leader during this forming stage is to encourage the members to open up and to find common ground, for the individuals to relax and feel more confident. There is a need to ensure that a balance is achieved between the more extrovert and the more introvert members of the group. The leader should aim for each individual to feel that he/she has an equal status within the group.

Once group members begin to feel they know one another and common ground has been established, the aims of the group need to be agreed. It is the task of the leader to focus the members on the aims and goals of the group. The norms of the group will begin to evolve at this stage, which is further characterised by the group's dependence on the group leader, who needs to establish the group's confidence and respect.

Developing group cohesiveness is very important at this stage. Cohesiveness evolves as bonds within the group emerge and members begin to feel they belong. At this stage, there may be fears of 'not belonging' or not 'fitting in'. In order to facilitate group cohesiveness and bonding, the group leader may try to prevent the group from forming sub-groups. Sub-groups may, however, already be formed if some of the members of the group are acquainted.

From this initial stage, the group style is established. Style refers to whether the group has a positive or optimistic outlook, whether it is supportive or antagonistic, whether it is serious or light-hearted. Once the style of the group is established, the group can be resistant to change at a later stage, therefore it is important that the leader steers the group towards a style that is best suited to meet the aims of the group.

Reference:
Brown, A. (1992), Groupwork, (3rd Edition), Ashgate Publishing, Aldershot

Course Snippet

The text on this page is taken from Unit 6 of the Certificate in Interpersonal Skills for Volunteers by distance learning course.