Group Work and Team building

Group-work and Team Building

Evaluating the effectiveness of a group

The group that I will be examining is my yoga class. We meet once a week for two and a half hours. The class is reasonably small with twelve members, aged between twenty-one to fifty-four and all from my local community. I will be concentrating on the process of deciding and agreeing on a posture for the term and then how we work towards achieving our goal.

In my yoga class we use many different postures and to do these we must firstly prepare our body for the task and strengthen the muscles, which we will mainly be reliant upon. The task itself was as a group we had to decide which posture we would like to learn after being given some choices. We would then work towards and complete the posture; this was the aim of our group. I intend to examine my group throughout its task using Tuckman’s ‘Theory of group processes’ (1965).

The first stage of Tuckman’s theory is categorised as the forming stage. This is essentially an anxious period where members worry how they are perceived and what their role in within the group is. Members are careful to avoic conflict and to look to other members for approval or leadership. In the first term of my yoga class I personally felt a little anxious and overwhelmed. I decided to join the group for the opportunity to learn something new and to take in the benefits of yoga – including relaxation and flexibility. In the first class I found most of the members knew each other and I was very aware that I was the youngest member of the group. These feelings soon subsided when the group members, new and old, introduced themselves, like the results of the Kram and Isabella (1985) study. I became at ease within the group by my third class.

Also in my third class we chose the posture for the term, there were mixed feelings within the group at this point. I believe this to be the second stage titled by Tuckman, as the storming stage. This is where conflict begins to surface, the group will try to untie and concentrate on the task at hand. This is also the stage where leadership skills begin to emerge. This is also referred to in Burton and Dimbleby as the rebellion stage. There is little conflict in our group but this is perhaps to be expected as yoga is non-aggressive and ...

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In choosing the posture however, there were a few disagreements but the majority ruled and compromises were made to accommodate the other group members.

As we are learning something new the structure is clear in our group, with the teacher in the leadership role as would be expected due to her experience, knowledge and expertise. The mature ladies in the group also appear to have taken on a status and often encourage and support new members. This structure is very reassuring not unlike the findings of Bale (1950). Two group members left the class this term, but this was due to work and child commitments rather than a dislike of the group or class itself.

Due to our group structure, it is my opinion that the group may have reached the next stage of Tuckman’s group processes rapidly. The third stage is called the norming stage, this is where the group have found a structure, there is a resolve of conflicts and the group begin to effectively work towards achieving the task, with roles and procedures in place.

Now that the osture has been decided (the camel) the group commence in learning the supporting exercises, these are to strengthen the muscles in the thighs and upper arms and to lengthen the back. The common goal was to complete the posture safely by the end of the term. Our group is now very positive, co-operative and familiar with each other, this is what Stangor believes in the principle attitudes. Which attribute group cohesion. In Burton and Dimbleby this is explained to be where the motives to stay in the group are higher than those to leave to group.

The fourth stage of Tuckman’s theory is the performing stage, named as such due to the effectiveness of the group accomplishing their aims and objectives. In Burton and Dimbley, Tuckman calls this stage the co-operation stage for the same reasons. Burton and Dimbleby go on to quote that this stage is where “interpersonal problems are solved, the group turns to constructive solution of problems, energy is directed to the task…”

In our group we have not yet completed the task but the group is actively focusing on the end result. I personally feel a sense of achievement that the rest of the group must share as, looking with hindsight to where we were when the group was formed, to the present; I can see the feat of the group. The final stage of Tuckman’s group process theory is the retiring or adjourning stage this is where the task has been completed and the group is redundant , it is expressed in Stangor as “often stressful” due to the dependence individuals have with the group. This can lead to a further mourning or grieving period depending on the level of interaction between the group members.

I do not believe my group will reach these later stages until next month when the term ends. Also because a new term will start two months after last term I am not sure if the retiring stage will apply, to the extend that I will go my separate way after finishing the task, but many of the women will stay in contact over the break.

In conclusion I feel my group is in the performing stage of Tuckman’s theory of group processes.I believe this because our group is both constructive and functional although the end task has not yet complete which leads.

I feel my group meets the conditions for a mature group established by Kell and Corts (1980) because of the sense of growth particularly and the friendships that have developed within the group.

I also noted that the group fits the criteria of a working group which is described in Stangor as “a group consisting of between 3 and 12 individuals who are actively attempting to meet a specific goal”. We have twelve members, who all meet once a week and all are working to achieve the same objectives, with the overall goal to learn and participate in yoga.

Notes for students: Remember to include references and bibliography