Using this model, an extension professional can help a new team come together and work effectively sooner.  Bringing a new group of people together, who do not know each well and helping them unite with a common purpose, takes time.  Psychologist Bruce Tuckman, put together a path that groups can follow to get to a high performance phase quicker.  He documented this in his paper “Developmental Sequence in Small Groups” (1965).

“Forming, storming, norming performing and adjourning (which recognises that groups often disband at some stage).” – Bruce Tuckman (1977)

A group facilitor or leader often has the role of helping people come together and perform well, as soon as practical.  The Tuckman model provides stages the facilitator can recognise and follow and they can then change their approach accordingly.  This helps them ensure they are providing the right role for the group at the right time.

Using the Tuckman Model

First you need to identify where your group is at.  If a group is just starting, that is easy, they will be at the forming stage.  In the field of extension, groups are more likely to be formed around achieving group objectives collectively.  As compared to therapy groups, whose objectives are around helping individuals deal with their individual personal problems.  Bruce Tuckman calls this classifying the group “setting”.

Stage I – Form

“It’s all about the relationships.”

At this stage everything is new.  Forming and developing effective relationships, learning to work together and identifying shared goals is paramount at this stage.  Group facilitators or leaders play a more dominate role in this stage, helping the group function, identify appropriate behaviours, shared goals, getting to know each other and in identifying their roles, responsibilities, tasks, standards and processes.

“One looks to this person persons or standards for guidance and support in this new and unstructured situation.” – Tuckman 1965

For teams with new leadership, mission, or members, this stage is a period of testing behaviour and dependence on formal or informal group leadership for guidance, in a new unstructured environment.

Group members are orientating themselves to the task, discovering what behaviours are acceptable to the group.  This stage is the transition from individual to group member status.

This stage is characterised by the following:

• An initial lack of unity.
• Dependency on the group facilitator or group leaders.
• Unknown interpersonal relationship status.
• Polarisation around initial issues or tasks.
• Attempts to identify tasks in terms of relevant parameters and to decide how the group will accomplish tasks.
• Decisions on the type of information needed and how it will be used.
• Tests of behavioural expectations and ways to handle behavioural problems.
• Hesitant participation by some group members.
• Formation of a leadership hierarchy.
• Feelings of initial attachment to the team.
• Intellectualising.
• Discussion of symptoms or problems, peripheral to the task.
• Complaints by some group members, about the organisational environment.
• Suspicion, fear, and anxiety about the new situation by some or all group members.
• Minimal work accomplishment.

Group Facilitation Activities for this Stage

Direct the group in their establishment, do ice breakers, conduct needs analysis, help develop clear objectives, get people to introduce themselves and help all members contribute.  Be prepared to present to the group as effectively as possible.

Stage II – Storm

During this stage, group members typically have emotionally responses to the task demands they start to recognise.  They may become hostile or overzealous, as a way to express individuality and resist processes or the structure around group formation.  Group members may also react emotionally to the extent of the task demands and to the perceived requirements for self-change and self-denial.

“Reactions are likely to be most evident, when the tasks has as it’s goal self understanding and self change.” – Tuckman 1965

Characteristics of this stage include:

• Infighting, defensiveness, and competition.
• Establishment of unachievable goals.
• Disunity, increased tension and jealousy.
• Disruption and fragmentation.
• Resistance to the task demands, because they are perceived to interfere with personal needs.
• Polarisation of group members.
• Sharp fluctuations of relationships and reversals of feelings.
• Concern over excessive work.
• Establishment of pecking orders.
• Minimal work accomplished.
• Some groups may be able to jump this stage straight to stage 3.

Group Facilitation Activities for this Stage

Help them set a group structure and establish processes, resolve any conflicts and deal with challenges quickly, remain positive and help them negotiate agreed outcomes.

As a facilitator, do some stakeholder analysis to be best prepared for facilitating them.  Explain the “forming, storming, norming and performing” stages, so group members can see how addressing challenges is normal and how a successful future may evolve.

Use tools that will help them understand themselves and each other better and that each group member will have different learning styles.