Group Development

Your Role as a LeaderThis presentation is copyrighted and licensed by PaperClip Communications 2010.

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Stages of Group Development

• Organizations develop in steps with specific characteristics.

Stages of Group DevelopmentStep One: Forming

Group members learn about one another and the tasks at hand. They often feel anxious, excited, and dependent upon each other. Oftentimes, issues of inclusion, trust, and the testing of authority arise.

Strategies that can help in this stage include…• Add structure• Educate about differences and similarities• Explore work styles• Utilize team building initiatives• Establish ground rules

Stages of Group DevelopmentStep Two: Storming

Group members become more comfortable with each other. They begin to engage in arguments and vie for status in the group. They may begin to see a discrepancy of high hopes versus the reality of what lies ahead. Members typically feel confused, frustrated, and negative. Oftentimes issues of power, control, and conflict arise.

Strategies that can help in this stage include…• Encourage and facilitate dialogue• Hold members responsible for behavior• Educate about how to make decisions and solve problems• Provide support• Pay attention to emerging leaders• Re-evaluate and set realistic group goals

Stages of Group DevelopmentStep Three: Norming

Group members establish rules about how the team will function to achieve their goal. They address the types of communication that will help and hinder them in achieving success. Typically, members feel open to feedback, acceptance, and comfort. Oftentimes, issues of team harmony, shared responsibility, and confidence building arise.

Strategies that can help in this stage include…• Empower members and relinquish control• Express your own thoughts and ideas• Create challenges for the group• Limit resources to allow for shared responsibility• Recognize and reward positive contributions

Stages of Group DevelopmentStep Four: Performing

If things have gone well, group members function at the highest level in this stage. They have achieved collective harmony and feel comfortable with each other, and their work. Their main concern is success. At this stage, members usually feel appreciated, accepted, satisfied with progress, confident, and optimistic. Often issues of maintaining harmony and momentum arise.

Strategies that can help in this stage include…• Celebrate accomplishments and revel in successes• Suggest new goals• Test assumptions about group roles, norms, etc. and develop

new ones if necessary• Develop self-assessment process to see how well the group

works as a team

Stages of Group DevelopmentStep Five: Adjourning

Group members’ involvement with one another and the task at hand comes to an end. Members often feel solidarity and pride. Often the need for increased reflection and decreased work arise.

Strategies that can help in this stage include…• Engage in reflective dialogue• Attempt to energize group• Suggest closure initiatives• Revisit group goals and their level of attainment

Five Tips For Building a Great Team

• Create an organization based on trust and respect. In order for a group to develop positively, it needs a nurturing environment. Gaining the respect and trust of your group members is paramount. You can do this by being kind, consistent, listening well, and admitting your own mistakes.

• Build an inclusive atmosphere. Members need to feel accepted for who they are, and that they have a place at the table in the organization. Be welcoming to people from a variety of backgrounds.

Five Tips For Building a Great Team• Don’t limit your focus. Build relationships in group

settings, and on a one-to-one basis. Some members need that individual time to open-up, and to get comfortable with you, before doing so in the group. Encourage everyone to participate in meetings and activities.

• Don’t play favorites. You’ll probably be tempted to spend more time with some members than with others. Challenge yourself to branch out. Commit to spending some time getting to know each member. They will notice with whom you spend your time.

Five Tips For Building a Great Team• Involve members in building teamwork. Empower

members to take ownership of their group. Elicit their opinions, and ask them to take on different roles within the organization. Incorporate their suggestions, criticisms, and ideas into your approach.

Keep in mind that many students, especially those leaving homefor the first time, desperately want to belong to something

bigger than themselves. You can help by providing positive waysfor them to find that sense of belonging within our school’s

community. That way they’ll be less likely to turn to destructivehabits as an escape, or to get involved with people who may not

have their best interests at heart.

How You Can Be a True Team Player

• Swap Favors. Respond to your fellow student leaders when they’re in need. Your collegial approach will gain respect, and they’ll be much more likely to return the favor when you’re the one in need.

• Avoid Cliques. Nothing breaks down group cohesiveness like cliques. Some group members will become better friends than others. It’s important to reach out beyond your comfort zone to get to know others.

• Balance Strengths and Weaknesses. In solid teams, people complement one another, thus creating an effective balance. Don’t keep yourself from learning new things because “it’s not a strength of mine.” Instead, grab this chance to learn and allow others to learn from you, too.

How You Can Be a True Team Player

• Create Team Traditions. Spending so much time together, you’ll develop your own special traditions that reflect your group’s special sense of loyalty or quirkiness. It’s part of the fun, and really adds to a sense of togetherness.

• Establish Open Lines of Communication. Develop mutual respect through open and honest sharing. Trust is crucial. Agree to discuss issues directly with each other, rather than behind someone’s back. And follow through. If you sense that another group member is having a problem with you, confront that person with care and tact. It may simply be a small misunderstanding.

• Don’t Argue in Public. Your views may differ from those of other group members, yet be sure to maintain a public air of support. That means addressing contentious issues in private. Don’t raise your voice, use abusive language, or engage in name-calling. End the discussion on an upbeat note by communicating your appreciation of the other person’s contributions.

How You Can Be a True Team Player

• Don’t Be the Weak Link. You’ve probably heard the saying: “A team is only as strong as its weakest link.” Be sure that you’re not that weak link on your leadership team. Live up to your responsibilities, communicate effectively and meet—or surpass--expectations.

• Maintain a Professional Attitude. Professionals work together to resolve a situation rather than searching for someone to blame. Honestly evaluating your own responsibilities, and owning up to your mistakes, is the sign of a consummate professional. Be polite. Good manners are an important part of any workplace relationship. Remember the “thank you” and “please” philosophy. And be careful not to interrupt others, even when your enthusiasm is bubbling over!

• Leave Your Team Baggage Behind. You may have been a part of teams before! Some may have been great, some not so good, but you need to leave some of those expectations or perceptions behind! Bring to the group the strategies and skills you learned from previous teamwork initiatives. However, leave behind the expectations that this experience will be exactly like the last.

How You Can Be a True Team Player

Enhancing Your Other Awareness:So many times we talk about “self-awareness,” which is an important concept to grasp, indeed. Yet, as a leader, it’s also important to increase your “other-awareness,” too. What does this mean? It includes things like:

• Getting to know members well enough that you can sense when something is out of the ordinary

• Looking beyond what people tell you and seeing what their non-verbals are communicating

• Seeing what you can do for others instead of expecting them to do things for you

• Checking in with your quieter, behind-the-scenes members who may not make their needs/wants as evident as those outgoing, enthusiastic members of your organization

Working With Your Advisor:What Your Advisor Wants and Needs From You

• Wants: You to be challenged AND rewarded through your experience.• Needs: You to follow through on what you agree to do.• Wants: To be a full participant in the group activities and endeavors.• Needs: Time away from the group to accomplish those

“administrative” duties she still needs to get done.• Wants: You to communicate fully – the good, the bad, and the ugly –

in a respectful manner.• Needs: To share information with the group that may be for your ears

only and expects you to keep it in confidence.• Wants: To have fun! Advisors want to work hard and then play hard

in appropriate ways.• Needs: You to have fun and enjoy your experience.

Your Fellowership Skills• According to Robert Kelley in the book Insights on

Leadership by Larry C. Spears, exemplary followership means:“Being actively engaged in helping the organization succeed while exercising independent, critical judgment of goals, tasks, potential problems, and methods. Exemplary followers have the ability to work cooperatively with a leader to accomplish the organization’s goals even when there are personality or workplace differences. They are the key players in both planning courses of action and implementing them in the field.”

What Type of Follower are You?• Sheep followers. These are the most negative type of

followers because they are completely passive and dependent, always wandering around while waiting for further direction and only accomplishing the necessary simple tasks on which they are trained.

• Yes followers. These followers are more involved and enthusiastic than sheep followers, but they are still very dependent on leaders for direction. They demonstrate limited critical thinking skills, only completing tasks as the leader requests. They can be problematic because they do only what they are told—and nothing more—and tell leaders what they want to hear, not what they need to know.

What Type of Follower are You?• Alienated followers. These followers are critical thinkers and very

independent, but passive in carrying out their roles. They have a personal dislike for leaders and may have started out as exemplary followers but got “turned off.” They may be cynical or skeptical, channeling energies to fight against rather than work toward a goal.

• Pragmatic followers. These followers are capable workers who navigate bureaucracy and political systems by carrying out directives to the letter and constantly monitoring group dynamics. They often operate with the motto, “Better safe than sorry.”

• Exemplary followers. These followers take on projects with minimal preparation and supervisors trust them to get the job done well. They are independent, responsible, and believe they are as valuable to the organization as the leader. They are proactive, control their own ego, gather the facts, play by the rules, and seek wise counsel.

Rules For Being an Effective FollowerSometimes, as leaders, it is important to let others lead and to

fill the role of effective follower. Here are a few helpful tips:

• In small group discussions: YOU should not be the main attraction. Listen to others and allow them to lead.

• In conflict resolution: Show people how to resolve their own conflicts, rather than do it for them.

• In group interactivity: From icebreakers to role-plays, you are there to show them the way, not hover over them or do the work for them.

• Facilitate greater understanding: Your role involves easing connections between people and increasing their awareness.

Working With an Under-Performing Team Member

• As frustrating as it may get at times when you have a group member who isn’t acting “up to par,” remember that there is almost always more going on than what meets the eye. Remember to be open, honest and understanding with group members. Keeping lines of communication open is very important, as it provides motivation. Remember that you can always talk to your advisor about this issue. More than likely they have dealt with it in the past. Leading a group is all about teamwork, and everyone brings different strengths and limitations to the table. If you focus on the positive when you can, you’ll find that your outlook is more positive as a result.

Working With an Under-Performing Team Member

• Ask yourself: Are these group members actually not fulfilling their responsibilities? Or--do they just have a different way of getting things done. It’s an important distinction. If the latter is the case, there isn’t much you can do but try to learn from them by observation, and offer them constructive feedback when appropriate.

• However, if they’re truly not fulfilling their responsibilities, that’s a whole other story. Here are some suggestions on how to work with unmotivated fellow group members:

Working With an Under-Performing Team Member

• Try talking it out. You never know what’s going on with someone until you ask them. Schedule some quiet, private time to sit down with them to have an honest conversation. They may share information with you that explains what’s going on.

• Offer assistance. Not everyone is comfortable asking for help. Ask them if there is an aspect of the task on hand that you or another group member could help with. If you are concerned about the task not being completed, ask if they feel like they will be able to accomplish it and talk about a timeline or deadline for the task.

Working With an Under-Performing Team Member

• Help organize the member(s). Not everyone knows how to execute tasks. If a member has taken on a new task, they may need some guidance, but may be shy about asking for help.

• Assign a veteran group member to work with new members. It is always nice to have someone show you the ropes. This can be helpful for new members who are not quite sure how things have been done in the past and what the expectations are of the group.

• Recognize the work that has been accomplished. Even though the entire task may not be complete, recognizing the work that has been accomplished may help motivate group members to keep working.

Working With an Under-Performing Team Member

• Be the cheerleader. Motivation comes in many forms. Find out what you are comfortable with and what will work with your group members. Enthusiasm is contagious! If you are not excited about the project and progress, that makes it harder for them to be excited.

• Draw on their strengths. Rather than trying to correct the behavior of your peers, attempt to discover their strengths. Take a good, long look at the struggling member, and see if you can draw on those strengths to help you accomplish different tasks.

Question & Answer