Part 1: Group Development The genesis and growth of a group always goes through five stages: forming, storming, norming, performing and adjourning. Forming is always the first stage, where the group members meet for the first time and roles as well as structure and purpose are not firmly established. This stage closes when the individuals label themselves as a group. Appropriately named, the storming stage is defined by intragroup conflict in the areas of limited autonomy and leadership, and is a critical in group development. The resolution of this stage comes with a visible leader along with rankings of group members. After the dust has settled, the norming stage begins with development of cohesiveness, close relationships, and ends
Diversity within the team members can be of value with a variety of opinions and creativity. But diversity can also cause a rift between members if the storming part of group formation becomes unmanageable. The group should have cohesiveness which can be helped along by forming a small group, encourage agreement with group goals, and increase time spent together.
A solution to the diversity problem as well as the conflict of interest problem would be to select appropriate individuals to make up the coalition. Team members that would be most effective in the coalition are Candace Sharpe representing NCPIE, Meredith Watson from the Woodson Foundation, and Victoria Adams the superintendent of schools in Washington, D.C. Each of these ladies showed a concern for the children involved, but also are realistic in what can be achieved by their own organization, and by the other two organizations. Candace wants the parents to “step it up… lead the way” when discussing involvement with child development in schools, but is new to the area. Meredith can use her previous teaching experience to help with modifying existing unnecessary jobs or convoluted processes, but thinks there should be more focus on the families. Victoria wants to have the support of all three organizations and wants to give the parents a voice in the matter of their children, but wants the schools to have more power. While none of the mentioned individuals are perfect, they are more level-headed than the