MBA503 Marketing for Managers | Tuckmans Model of Group Development

Summarize the key concepts and theories behind Tuckman’s model of Group Development.

Provide a critical analysis of Tuckman’s model. The critical analysis will be graded as part of the subject matter as described in the assessment rubrics.

As youhave been working in your group, relate Tuckman’s stages of group development with your own experience in this class. Compare and contrast Tuckman’s stages with your own experience so far.

Conflict is part of group development. Examine some of the common conflicts that can arise in work group performance. Describe two types of conflicts that arise in work groups. How do the work groups resolve the two types of conflicts described? Has your work group experienced the described conflict and did your work group use the same technique to resolve the conflict?

Group decision making is one of the biggest challenges working in groups. Examine how groups make decisions and describe the pros and cons of group decision making. How will you use what you learned about group decision making to improve the performance of your own working group?

Examine how work groups can became work teams. What are the main differences between work groups and work teams specifically in the areas of leadership, decision making and conflict resolution? Based on your understanding of work groups and work teams, do you think you are in a work group or a work team and which would you prefer and why?

Answers:

Introduction

According to Bolman and Deal (2017), working together as a group can provide an advantage for employees as it can help it to gain experience about the manner in which different people and culture works. Teamwork can often lead to success in an organisation and it is essential that delegating tasks to every team member and ensuring its success is done for the benefit of an organisation. In this regard, application of various team and group models can be considered that can help in understanding the success of a group. The essay describes the manner in which Tuckman’s model can help in the development of groups and be applied in situations that require teamwork. The challenge that may occur in groups in the form of decision-making or rise of conflict is discussed and an account is provided that can promote teams into effective work groups in an organisation.

Discussion

While discussing team dynamics and its development it is necessary that Tuckman’s group model be taken into consideration. As stated by Bradley et al. (2015), Tuckman’s group dynamics provide an opportunity for the formation of a group that can collaborate with one another and work towards organisational success. It is important to consider such groups as a stepping-stone for the success of an organisation and for the achievement of its goals and objectives. Kozlowski (2018) is of the opinion that the application of Tuckman’s group dynamics can help in the development of a group using various stages so that a systematic approach towards the formation of teams can be made. The stages involve forming, storming, norming, performing and adjourning. These five stages provide an opportunity for the collaboration between team members so that the ultimate result can bring about success within the team. Hence, a critical analysis can be made that can help in understanding the theory presented by Tuckman in the development of groups.

The first stage of Tuckman’s group dynamics involves the formation of a team. As stated by Turner (2014) the initial stage is important as the foundation of a group is rated highly for the ultimate success. A team can be composed of people belonging to a diverse society or culture. Hence, this particular stage is considered as the most important aspect of a team development. On the other hand, Keyton and Heylen (2017) are of the opinion that storming is important as the strengths, weakness and abilities of people can be determined. People in a diverse group usually disagree about the needs and wants along with the type of task that need to be delegated to them. Without the existence of this particular stage, the third stage, norming cannot exist. According to Armstead et al. (2016), norming is the stage in which every conflict is solved and team members are provided with the tasks that are suitable for the skills and talents that they possess. It needs to be kept in mind that this stage sets up the foundation of performing, as the performance of a team is measured based on the application of skills and techniques presented at the norming stage. Woolley (2015) is of the opinion that the final stage provides departure of team members after the completion of a particular project.

The group that I have been working with had to undergo the dynamics that are involved in Tuckman’s development model. At the formation stage, it was necessary to recruit people with different cultural backgrounds and experience. This led to conflict among the members, as people with similar ability wanted to be involved in similar type of tasks. This led to the proper delegation of tasks based on the competence and the manner in which it can help in the development of an organisation. The performance of the project was based on the applied skills and the group was adjourned after the success of the project. In comparison to Tuckman’s group dynamics, this particular group needed to be encouraged so that the members can work together for the development of the organisation. Therefore, it can be said that the conflict within the group was identified along with the application of mitigation techniques that help in its development.

As stated by Reimer, Russell and Roland (2017) group conflicts are a common occurrence during the development of a group. The conflict usually takes place at the storming stage in which people have varied opinion about working as a team with one another. As such, two types of conflicts can be described that usually occur at the development stages of a group. These involve the interpersonal as well as intrapersonal group conflicts. Rosenthal (2014) is of the opinion that the interpersonal conflict occurs between two individuals usually based on the difference that exists between the people. This can be considered as a natural occurrence between the individuals. On the other hand, as observed by Keyton and Heylen (2017) the intrapersonal conflict exists in the minds of the people and is considered as a psychological conflict. These involve ethical decision making about contributing or participating in activities that does not involve work. In my case, the group in which I have been working have experienced such conflicts and the manner in which it was resolved involved the application of ice breaking techniques and involving the members in sports. In this manner, the trust, coordination and confidence among the group members were developed.

O’Mara (2018) is of the opinion that making decisions as a group is important as it takes into consideration the interest of every member. The advantages of making decisions as a group involve the application of the opinion of every team member. Hence, it helps in providing equal opportunities to the members to contribute towards the success of the group. On the other hand, Kozlowski (2018) argued that group decision making could be a slow process as the opinion of every individual is taken into consideration. Rejection of an opinion of a particular individual may provide him with de motivation to remain at the group. The application of the knowledge gained about group decision making can be made to improve the team by ensuring that a deadline is provided within which every individual need to submit their opinion. Failure to do so will not be taken into account for improvement of group or work process.

According to Bradley et al. (2015) in a work team, the leader works as a facilitator while in a work group, the leader dominates and controls the group. The decision-making at a work team is done by taking the opinion of every member whereas; in a work group the leaders take every decision (Turner, 2014). Thereby, the conflict negotiation in a work team is done taking the interests of both individuals and leaders. In a work group, conflict negotiation involves the involvement of a mediator. In this regard, it can be said that I belong to a work team, which is preferable as the support of the leader is necessary for its development.

Conclusion

Therefore, it can be concluded that working in a group or team require proper support from the leaders as well as the peers. The initial stage at the group development process can be problematic, as the leaders need to understand the skills and abilities of the individuals. Involvement in a work team is preferred over involvement of a work group as the support of the leaders can be obtained along with the opportunity to provide opinions about matters related to the successful development of a team.

References

Armstead, C., Bierman, D., Bradshaw, P., Martin, T., & Wright, K. (2016). Groups vs. Teams: Which One Are You Leading?. Nurse Leader, 14(3), 179-182.

Bolman, L. G., & Deal, T. E. (2017). Reframing organizations: Artistry, choice, and leadership. John Wiley & Sons.

Bradley, B. H., Anderson, H. J., Baur, J. E., & Klotz, A. C. (2015). When conflict helps: Integrating evidence for beneficial conflict in groups and teams under three perspectives. Group Dynamics: Theory, Research, and Practice, 19(4), 243.

Keyton, J., & Heylen, D. K. (2017). Pushing Interdisciplinary in the Study of Groups and Teams. Small Group Research, 48(5), 621-630.

Kozlowski, S. W. (2018). Enhancing the effectiveness of work groups and teams: A reflection. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 13(2), 205-212.

O’Mara, S. (2018). Working in Groups and Teams: Group Deliberations. In A Brain for Business–A Brain for Life (pp. 93-105). Palgrave Macmillan, Cham.

Reimer, T., Russell, T., & Roland, C. (2017). Groups and teams in organizations. The International Encyclopedia of Organizational Communication, 1-23.

Rosenthal, C. (2014). The Differences between Groups and Teams. A Comparative Conceptual Analysis and Practical Implications. Pearson

Turner, M. E. (Ed.). (2014). Groups at work: Theory and research. Psychology Press.

Woolley, F. (2015). The Rocket Model: Practical Advice for Building High Performing Teams. Military Review, 95(3), 97.