Team Dynamics Explain Group Development

Team Dynamics

Explain group development from a personal perspective. Explain your personal difficulties with group participation?

One of the most useful descriptions I ever heard, to explain my own experience of being in a group is that of the 'forming/norming/storming/performing' theory or Bruce Tuckerton (Allerman 2004: 1) at first, everyone asserts their own identity in a group during the forming process, as the group establishes its leaders, followers or more ideally its specialists and hopefully its sense of vision and mission. Forming is the icebreaking or 'getting to know you process.' I find myself looking around, seeing how my talents measure up and how my perspectives gel with other member's perspectives. Sometimes I have emerged as a leader, usually when I feel that I have a unique perspective upon the task at hand, although I am also comfortable allowing others to facilitate the discussion.

The most uncomfortable part of being in a group is when my individual perspective clashes with the majority, or the group fails to establish purpose and instead only becomes a network of personality conflicts -- the storming process almost inevitably has some discomfort, especially if people come from different perspectives and disciplines or many people want to be leaders. During the norming process, hopefully the task creates cohesion and even the non-leaders find their niche in the group and the performing process ideally uses every participant's talent in some way.

My 'problems' with group participation are not with the process of becoming a group member but when a real group fails to come into being, and the group is personally polarized rather than productive.

How do individuals maintain their individuality while fully participating in the group process?