5 Stages of Group Development in Organizations are listed and explained one after the other in this article. We hope you find it informative.
Stages in Group Dynamics
Stages Of Group Development in Organizations
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Groups, whether formal or informal do not just exist. They must all exist for a reason, they start, and over time, they grow and develop into full maturity.
How a group grows and develops can be categorized into four unique stages. In this article, we will look intensively into how these groups are developed.
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1. Forming Stage
This is the stage in which the group is formed. At this stage of group development, members of the group come in close contact with each other, and they get to know themselves through some sort of interaction and in the course of understanding their objectives.
It is often at this stage that group rules are often developed so that every member of the group gets to work by the rules of the group to avoid any unnecessary friction as they get to work.
At this stage, every group equally gets to choose a leader as well as other representatives for themselves that will champion the goals and objectives of the group.
2. Storming Stage
It is at this stage of group formation that the group comes to grips with the inherent conflict and as well as develops solutions that will keep the group focused on its work.
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At this point, because the members have close contact with each other, they begin to learn to understand and accept the differences each other thereby increasing their chances of productivity.
In order to be accepted at this stage is a silent power tussle as everyone in the group struggles to make a mark on the group and thereby gain control and power of the group.
This struggle is sometimes evident in the way the agendas of the group are set or some of the members of the group trying to dominate the group by having their ideas dominate that of others in the group.
As a result of the power tussle it is pertinent that conflict management becomes an integral part of the storming stage because, without conflict management, most groups do not live longer than this stage.
4. Norming stage
At this stage in the group, the members of the group have come to the realization of the group and have decided to accept the group for what the group is and they are all committed to the objectives of the group.
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The norms of the group now develop at this stage. The norms are shared values or unwritten rules of behavior among members of a group or society.
Because the norms have been developed, the group now has coherence and the members of the group are now committed to adherence to these norms because whoever does not comply with these norms usually has to pay some kind of fine.
5. Performing stage
This is the stage of maturity. At this stage, the group has fully matured and now functions as effectively as it was created to function.
Not so many groups get to this stage, so many die at the first, second, or third stage. For a group to reach this stage, it needs to have its roles redefined as it suits the group.
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It is usually at this stage that the group is able to develop members’ skills, recruit new ones, and perform the task for which the group was created to perform.
