FIVE STAGES OF GROUP DEVELOPMENT By Sherryl M. McGuire, Ph.D. There are five stages of group development. However, not all groups reach all stages of development. The five stages of group development are Forming, Storming, Norming, Performing, and Adjourning. The stage which many groups do not necessarily reach is the Performing stage. It is possible that a group never develops past Storming, but this will often be either a dysfunctional group or a group in extreme chaos and stress. During the Forming stage, members of the group are generally trying to get to know one another and feel accepted into the group. At this point, no one in the group makes big waves, everyone just tries to get along and find their …show more content…
A group has to work out the direction it will go and the way it will function…herein lays the potential leadership conflicts. On occasion, groups who reach the next two stages may revert back to the Storming stage as they are faced with a variant of stressors and last minute emergencies. This is the circular nature of group dynamics, under some conditions. During the Norming stage, cohesion of individuals in the team is present and each section or individual understands the importance of a contribution made by other members of the team to the accomplishment of the shared goal. It is also characterized by the group deciding upon the operational directions or approaches and processes they will use. Depending on the business or operation, the Norming stage can typically begin from two to twelve months after a major change or start up; however it is possible that it takes longer to accomplish. When most staff learn to share information by answering the ever-present question of “who else needs to know?” then it is a strong indicator that the group is moving forward in the Norming process. This can be an unspoken test of whether or not communications is being adequately managed with other sections. In many business circumstances, it can be critical that information is shared at all levels so that operations are run efficiently with the intent to avoid being blindsided. An operations manager