second stage of group and team development – storming

Which of the five stages was the most challenging for the group to work through, and why?

Having worked with various groups, I have come to conclude that the second stage of group and team development – storming, is the most challenging of the five. The storming stage is filled with conflicts within the group as everyone tries to adjust and fit in (Orlowski, Bufquin & Nalley, 2021). This group is also marred with competition as many of the members try to outshine each other to have their opinions considered as well as their solutions. However, no one wanted to back down, and this competition often resulted in conflict among the group. With the group members competing for recognition, the performance of the team tends to decline, and this is why the storming stage is often considered to be most critical. The storming stage can be equated to a real-life situation when you move in with a friend you have never lived with before, and slowly you begin to notice the little things about them that get into your nerves. As a result, you might end up in conflict as you didn’t expect such behavior from the friend. You can only learn the character of a person if you are close, and this is the exact situation in the storming stage.

How might you have helped the group work through that stage differently based on what you know now about the five stages of group and team development?

One thing that I have learned from my past experience is the power of working together as a team to realize the set goals. A group in constant conflict cannot progress as they will always disagree with each other. I would advise such a group to put their differences aside and work together, playing to each other’s strengths to overcome obstacles and stay on pace (Edmondson, 2018). Also, take the time to address and overcome conflicts early on so that they don’t remain an issue throughout the other phases of group development.

References

Edmondson, A. C. (2018). The fearless organization: Creating psychological safety in the workplace for learning, innovation, and growth. John Wiley & Sons.

Orlowski, M., Bufquin, D., & Nalley, M. E. (2021). The influence of social perceptions on restaurant employee work engagement and extra-role customer service behavior: A moderated mediation model. Cornell Hospitality Quarterly, 62(2), 261-275.

Response

Hello Jeannette!

I also have a similar issue as I have been working with several groups, and in each one, I found the storming stage to be the most challenging. The biggest challenge can be attributed to competition and conflicts that may arise as individuals fail to solve their differences with respect to the achievement of the goal. I also noticed that the productivity of the group in this stage tends to decline, as the team members do not focus on getting the team forward but on trying to sell themselves as the best choice to lead the group, among other irrelevant activities. In helping solve the problem, building trust among the team members can be a great initiative, but it is of great concern that you address the differences by giving a platform for all to agree through a consensus.