Page 325 - Fundamentals of Management Myths Debunked (2017)_Flat

324 Part 4 • Leading
Exhibit 10–2 Stages of Group Development
storming stage
The second stage of group development, which is
characterized by intragroup conflict
norming stage
The third stage of group development, which
is characterized by close relationships and
cohesiveness
performing stage Stage I Stage II
The fourth stage of group development, when Forming Storming
the group is fully functional and works on the
group task
adjourning stage
The final stage of group development for temporary
groups, during which groups prepare to disband

Stage III Stage IV Stage V
Norming Performing Adjourning

of uncertainty as members “test the waters” to determine what types of behavior are acceptable.
This stage is complete when members begin to think of themselves as part of a group.
The storming stage is appropriately named because of the intragroup conflict. There’s
conflict over who will control the group and what the group needs to be doing. When this
Palmer Luckey (center), inventor of the stage is complete, a relatively clear hierarchy of leadership and agreement on the group’s
Oculus Rift virtual reality headset, started a direction will be evident.
company to launch his product. Shown here
in the forming stage of the start-up Oculus The norming stage is one in which close relationships develop and the group becomes
VR are hardware engineer Chris Dycus, cohesive. The group now demonstrates a strong sense of group identity and camaraderie. This
foreground; Nate Mitchell, vice president of stage is complete when the group structure solidifies and the group has assimilated a common
product, left; CEO Brendan Iribe, second from
right; and Michael Antonov, chief software set of expectations (or norms) regarding member behavior.
architect. The fourth stage is the performing
stage. The group structure is in place and
accepted by group members. Their ener-
gies have moved from getting to know
and understand each other to working on
the group’s task. This is the last stage of
development for permanent work groups.
However, for temporary groups—project
teams, task forces, or similar groups that
have a limited task to do—the final stage
is the adjourning stage. In this stage, the
group prepares to disband. Attention is
focused on wrapping up activities instead
of task performance. Group members react
in different ways. Some are upbeat, thrilled
about the group’s accomplishments. Others
may be sad over the loss of camaraderie and
friendships.
Think of a class project you’ve been
involved in and you’ve probably experi-
enced these stages firsthand. Group mem-
bers are selected or assigned and then
meet for the first time. There’s a “feeling
out” period to assess what the group is
Ana Venegas/ZUMA Press/Newscom