Group Dynamics

As a wise person (cartoonist Charles M. Schultz, through his character, Linus) once said, "I love mankind; it's people I can't stand!!"

Enter the study of group dynamics. Broadly defined, group dynamics looks at the way in which individuals interact when placed in a group setting. Social scientists, psychologists, politicians, and salesmen have all studied group dynamics as they relate to their various professions, and it's increasingly being studied by employers who are interested in understanding how formal and informal groups function in the workplace.

Bruce Tuckman's Model of Group Development

In the 1960s and 1970s, educational psychologist Bruce W. Tuckman developed a model that identified five stages of group development: forming, storming, norming, performing, and adjourning.

Forming: This stage is characterized by orientation, testing, and dependence. Group members depend on the leader for guidance as they try to figure out the basics, such as group purpose, individual roles and responsibilities, schedules, and timelines. During this period, group members try to avoid conflict, because they are trying to establish and evaluate the new environment.

Storming: This stage is characterized by conflict and polarization, and can see power struggles, and the formation of factions and cliques. Certain individuals want to address issues to get the group moving, while others prefer to stay in the (generally) conflict-free forming stage. To get past the conflict, group members develop rules and clarify the structures that they had begun to develop in the forming stage.

Norming: This stage is characterized by the development of cohesiveness. Roles have been clarified, and group members now understand each other. People begin to feel part of a group, and are willing to work together.

Performing: At this stage, group members share a vision. Members are task-oriented, flexible, autonomous, and comfortable. Dysfunctional groups may never reach this stage.

Adjourning: The group breaks up. The task has been completed, and the group moves on to new tasks, and perhaps to new groups. The negative side, as reflected in the other name for this stage – "deforming and mourning" – is that some people feel a sense of loss at the break up of a group that works well together.

Of course, even when a group project is successfully completed, not every member may have been an equal participant or passed through the same stages. For example, my coworker tells how she was once a member of a group of six individuals responsible for creating a presentation within a timeframe of a few days. After a brief forming, they stormed, and in the storm, it was clear to four members of the group that the other two were a liability, rather than an asset. As a result, the four moved on to norming and performing – leaving the two in the forming stage, content to do nothing and to look to the leader for guidance (which, in this case, meant permission to do nothing) – then all adjourned. The presentation was a success – and everyone got the same credit.

Informal Groups

Managers and supervisors are interested in how informal groups develop in the workplace. These groups, which aren't related to official duties or roles, typically (but not exclusively) form in opposition to management. For example, a supervisor may ask all staff members to work longer hours or change the work that they do. One employee could resist this request, and enlist other employees in her/his cause. The informal group that forms will have its own set of values and influence the workplace behavior of its individual members and affect – even poison – the work atmosphere for everyone. In such situations, knowledge of group dynamics is helpful, because it allows the manager to see what is happening, and know when and how to intervene.

Why Bother With Group Dynamics?

For most people, work is about more than just a paycheck or the particular job. The familiar faces and surroundings provide us with a sense of identity, belonging, and self-esteem. But sometimes at work, conflicts, factions, and cliques develop, which lead to isolation of some members.

Knowing what group stage your coworkers are in can go a long way towards helping you to figure out how and why conflicts arise, how to adapt, and why clashes aren't always just about conflicting personalities.

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