The Forgotten Group Member Case Study
First off the stages of team building are: forming, this is when the group is created. All the team members are new to each other and feeling each other out. At this stage, the leader is relied on heavily to maintain order and keep the group on task. Also at this stage team members may test the resolve of their leader to see what they can and cannot get away with. Next is storming at this stage each team member has an idea of how the other team members operate. The Differences between individuals are brought into the open, and groups are formed at opposing ends around these issues. Group members will start to argue quarrel amongst themselves to set a chain of command. In most occasions during this phase a members will challenge the leader in an attempt to attain their position within the team. The team will gain confidence as the leader assists the team members with the adjustment. Then there is norming in this stage the rules are established and implemented. The team members have brought their issues out into the open and their differences have been solved, mostly through compromise. The leader has a less influential role and allows the group to work together as a unit. And finally performing in this stage the group finally begins to perform at its optimal level. The members know each other and their roles also they have learned how to pick up the slack when one team member falls behind. The team has a sense of purpose and direction. The leader delegates responsibilities with the sense that He or she is giving the correct person the correct job according to his or her strengths. A sense of team is evident, and members are looking out for one another. The problem solving process is active and decisions are made often not by the leader. The team is currently at the at the forming stage the reason this is evident is because the team has not resolved the issues openly. They have not even agreed on a time to meet. One member is not complying with the leadership that is being provided and is testing the resolve of the group leader. Also there is a team member who is not speaking up and she is state has having valuable input but she will not speak unless called on. If Christine had an understanding of the stages of group development she would have had a basic understanding of how teams go through the stages with the help of their leader. She would have also known about the signs of the stages and what she would have to do in order to assist the team to the performing stage. With each stage there is a specific amount of leadership that must be provided. In the early stages of development there is a lot of leader involvement but at the team move from stage to stage the amount of leadership moves from heavy involvement to just giving guidance.
The primary problem of the group is that member are not taking the task as serious as Christine this is displayed when the group leader tried to setup meeting times for the group to discuss the tasks and progress and they all laughed when one member stated that he could not make the meeting because of his favorite television show. A secondary problem of the group is one member has personal problem which has affected his work and has confused his focus on what is important. The primary problem with Christine as a leader she never express her command philosophy. The team members do not know how she work or how she expects the work to be done. A secondary problem she has as a leader is she is unsure of herself as a leader. She is smart and has no doubt what should be done as a leader but allow one team member to tell his story and throw of the performance of her team. What Christine should have understood about individual membership in teams is that everyone needs a different type of motivation factor in order to push them toward reaching the goal she as a leader should have spell out for them. Christine should have as put in to play a team contract to keep