There are several theories on why groups develop. The classic theory, developed by George Homans, advocates that group development is based on activities, interactions, and feelings. What it means is when individuals share common activities; they will have more interaction and will develop attitudes which could be positive or negative toward each other. The major element in this theory is what kinds of interaction are shared by the individuals involved in the group.

Social exchange theory offers an alternative explanation for group development. According to this theory, individuals form relationships based on the implied expectation of mutually beneficial exchanges based on trust and felt obligation towards each other. Thus, an insight that in relationships exchange of thoughts and ideas is positive and essential if individuals are to be attracted to and affiliate with a group.

Social identity theory suggests that individuals get a sense of identity and self-esteem based upon their membership in outstanding groups. The nature of the group may be demographically based, culturally suitable, or organizationally based. Individuals are motivated to belong to and contribute to identical as their character groups because of the sense of belongingness and self-worth membership in the group imparts.

Do you know that the study of group dynamics is dated back to 1960s by Bruce Tuckman. He said that groups do not usually perform at maximum effectiveness when they are first established. They come across several stages of development as they struggle to become productive and effectual. Often, groups experience similar developmental stages while they encounter conflicts and resolutions. According to Tuckman’s theory, there are five stages of group development: forming, storming, norming, performing, and adjourning. During these stages group members go through lot of pains as they need to address several issues and the way in which these issues are resolved decides whether the group will succeed in accomplishing its tasks or the group will break up.

Forming: This is the first stage. In this stage lot groups form temporarily; this stage is characterized by some puzzlement and lot of uncertainty. The group is not sure about their major goals. Leadership matters here a lot. Thus, forming is a direction period when members get to know one another and share expectations about the group. Members learn the purpose of the group as well as the rules to be followed. If the forming stage is rushed trust and openness cannot be developed. Individuals are often confused during this stage because roles are not clear and leadership matters to bring in a feeling of settlement. If the group is formed on basis of weak leadership, the group is far from being formed.

Storming: This stage is called storming because in this stage, the group is likely to see the highest level of incongruity and conflicts. Members in the group challenge group goals and struggle for power. Individuals often compete for the leadership position during this stage of development. This can be a positive experience for all groups if members can get organized through resolution. Members often voice concern and criticism in this stage. If members are not able to determine the conflict, then the group will often split up or continue in existence but will remain unproductive and never advance to the further stages.

Norming: This stage is categorized by the identification of individual differences and shared expectations. If in this stage the group members begin to develop a feeling of group unity and identity the group’s existence strengthens. They experience cooperative efforts which begin to yield results. In this stage usually responsibilities are divided among members and the group decides on evaluating progress. Roles and responsibilities are passed on to members in the group in norming stage.

Performance: Performance of group occurs when the group matures and attains a feeling of cohesiveness. During this stage of development, individuals accept one another and conflicts are resolved through group discussions. Members of the group make decisions through a sensible process that is focused on relevant goals rather than emotional issues.

Adjourning: This stage is not is not experienced by all groups, because it is characterized by the performance discharged by the group. Some groups stay relatively permanent. There are reasons why groups disband; they differ from group to group. Some common reasons are the achievement of the tasks or individuals deciding to go their own ways. Members of the group often experience feelings of conclusion and sorrow as they prepare to leave the group. The reasons could be rational or irrational.

We human beings don’t always make the right decisions because our rational judgment is influenced not only by our infatuations and emotions but we all have built-in biases and some other feelings as conceit, egos and illogical dogmas. We don’t understand sometimes why we behave in a fashion or why we take wrong decisions. One big factor affecting the quality of decisions is whether a decision involves a group.

Group dynamics can lead otherwise sensible individuals to agree or disagree decisions they might not come to on their own. At times the effects are positive, as when some group members help others overcome discrimination. But the dynamics of a group often have negative consequences. Since most organizations   rely on collective decision making in some contexts, managers must to be on the lookout for group biases and their undesirable results. There are again some common manifestations of the group effectiveness. Such as conformity – many people go along with the group regardless of what they themselves might think as individuals. Then comes group polarization – it’s a phenomenon which shows that deliberation can intensify people’s attitudes, leading to more extreme decisions. A study in US federal courts showed that judges working alone took a relatively extreme course of action only 30% of the time. When they were working in groups of three, this figure more than doubled, to 65%.

It has been observed that it is an elating feeling when like minded people come together in a group. It is an exhilarating to see when a team of dedicated people meet to discuss and decide a course of action which benefits each member in the group. If a group is given freedom to choose whom and whom not it can have in its team, positive performance can be observed. It is always gratifying to have likeminded people to form groups. They work together, though each of them coming from different backgrounds and levels of experience, but each with the same intellectual capacity to problem-solving and eventually come up with well executed outcomes. People with similar points of view can supplement and substantiate the perspectives which help in achieving organizations goals and objectives.

I like Margaret Mead’s quote “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world; indeed it’s the only thing that ever has” this sums what group dynamics is all about beautifully.

When it comes to team building, a must watch movie is The Mighty Ducks. The protagonist Gordon Bombay is a hotshot lawyer. He cannot get over his childhood memories, when, as the star player in his champion hockey team, he lost the winning goal in a shootout, thereby losing the game, and the disappointment of his coach. Once, as a lawyer, when he gets charged for drunk driving, the court orders him to coach a young children’s hockey team which is the worst in the league. Initially, Gordon is very reluctant. He works on the team building and eventually gains the reverence of the kids and teaches them how to win, gaining a sponsor on the way and giving the team the name of The Ducks. In the finals, they face Gordon’s old team, coached by Gordon’s old coach, giving Gordon a chance to experience his childhood memories.

In all relationships in our life, we assume things about others which are all relative. We preordain perceptions of different people which we hold so close to our heart. It all depends on the way we are brought up, the genes we inherited, the environments we were exposed because all of this determines how we regard the people that cross our path. Based on contingencies we face in our life, we start making personal evaluation of others.

Team building is a collective term for various types of activities used to enhance social relations and define roles within teams, this often involves collaborative tasks. It is distinct from team training, which is designed by business managers. Team building is the crux of organizational development (OD). Tteam development exercises are conducted to improve effectiveness, sometimes even to improve interpersonal relations. Team working begins with an aim of supporting goals, building effective working relationships, reducing vagueness and finding solutions to team problems. Team building is one of the broadly used group-development activities in organizations.

Psychologist Bruce Wayne Tuckman (November 24, 1938 – March 13, 2016) is famous for his research on group dynamics. In 1965 he published one of his theories called “Tuckman’s Stages of Group Development which defined four stages: Forming, Storming, Norming and Performing”. In 1977, he added a fifth stage named Adjourning.

Forming: The forming is testing time for the leader. In this stage, most team members assume and presume other members in the team, it is a time to get familiar with team members. Members try to get on well with each other. A team initially is collection of strangers which tries to get united on the foundation of common goals. In this stage, most team members are positive and graceful. While, some members are also anxious, because there is some amount of uncertainty of what needs to be achieved. And, some members are excited about the task ahead. The leader plays a dominant role at this stage, because team member’s roles and responsibilities need to be defined. This stage requires adjustments among the newly formed team.

Storming: This is a stage where many teams fail. Conflicts begin among the team members, they try to push boundaries. Some team members demand change of role, they start accusing one other, create misunderstanding therefore it is called storming stage.  Members get a reality bite and get bogged down by responsibilities. They run into each other’s areas of tasks because of irritation. The initial enthusiasm in forming stage now starts fading away. Storming happens because each member’s natural working style is different, people may work in different ways for all sorts of reasons but, differing working styles cause unforeseen problems and only cause frustrations.

Norming: Steadily, the team moves into the norming stage. Each member tries to resolve differences; they start looking at the strengths in others. Also, they see the team leader’s genuine concerns. They start agreeing to the team leader’s authority. In this stage the team members start mingling together. They provide constructive feedback to others. In short, members develop a stronger commitment to the team goal; it is a progressive stage in team building. Normally, a prolonged overlapping takes place between storming and norming phase, because, as new tasks come up, the team may lapse back into behaviour from the storming stage.

Performing: Since the group’s norms and team member roles are well established, at this stage, the focus is on achieving the goals. Due to clarity of who is supposed to do what, members perform their duties and tasks. Members are motivated and well-informed therefore, competent to handle problems. The decision making process improves and much supervision is not required. Little disputes are expected and allowed as long as it is channelled through members acceptable to the team. Supervisors of the team during this phase are almost always participating. Occasionally high performance is seen during this phase.

Adjourning: Often it is seen that after completion of projects teams are adjourned. Teams are formed for a certain period. Sometimes, even permanent teams get disbanded because of organization restructuring. It is a painful process for some workers because they get accustomed to routine style of working and develop a sense of belonging to few team members. Working relationships change, reporting relationships change and groups get scattered. Adjournment is a natural process of life.

Beyond Tuckman: The quality of leadership in organizations matters. Employees, who don’t want to work hard, depend on mean politics to secure their positions; some play politics to get in the limelight and gain undue attention and appreciation from the seniors. Negativity must be eradicated at all stages. Frequent reviews and clarity of work is a continuous process. Troublemaker must be dealt with firmness.