CHAPTER 3:
THEORY OF GROUP
DEVELOPMENT
Contents

Defining and Classifying Groups

The Five-Stage Model of Group Development
“Keeping together is progress;
Working together is success.”
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Factors Affecting Group Development
Henry Ford
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Developing Organizational Trust
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The Group Decision-Making Process
Introduction
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Defining and
Classifying Groups
After reading this chapter, you should have knowledge about the
following:
1. The classification of groups and why people join them
2. The five stages of group development
3. Factors that impact effective group development
4. The importance of developing trust within a group or organization
5. Group decision making and its by-products

We will examine the basic concepts regarding groups and
demonstrate how an understanding of groups can help leaders
function more effectively
Work Group
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Interacts to share information
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Decisions help each member perform within own area
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Does not engage in collective work that requires everyone’s participation
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Performance is the sum total of each member’s contribution
Work Teams
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Individuals with complementary skills working towards a common result
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Positive synergy: group’s performance > sum of individual inputs
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Leader = project manager
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Takes full advantage of each member’s strengths
Ensures that characteristics of a successful team are present in members
1
When a Group Becomes a
Team
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Shared leadership
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Accountability shared by the team as a whole
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Responsibility shared equally among members
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Mission and goals developed by the team itself vs. outside source
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Continual work vs. at regularly scheduled times
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Effectiveness measured in team vs. individual outcomes
The Five-Stage Model
of Group Development
Forming
Forming

Storming
Group members:
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Norming
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Performing
Have just been introduced
Familiarizing themselves
“Testing the waters”
Uncertainty about the group’s
purpose, structure, and
leadership
Adjourning
Storming
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Infighting
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Quite volatile
Norming
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Development of:
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Conflict, open rebellion, power struggles
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Close relationships
Cohesiveness and cooperation
Group identity
Camaraderie
Acceptance of the existence of the group
but resistance of the constraints
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Increased organization
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Conflict over who will lead
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Development of norms
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Completion:
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+ Hierarchy of team leadership
- Some groups never completely emerge
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Acceptable standards of
behaviour, goals, or values
Completion:
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Solid group structure
Recognition of norms
2
Performing
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Significant task progress being
accomplished
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Coming together well to perform
individual functions
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Team structure completely
functional and acceptable
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Leader’s ultimate goal
Adjourning
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In temporary work teams
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Assigned task completed
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Disbandment
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Wrapping up activities replace
task performance
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Members:
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Factors Affecting
Group Development
Group Norms
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Acceptable standards of behaviour considered appropriate
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Vary from group to group
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Leader:
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Strives to understand norms
Ensures that group exerts pressure on members
to comply with norms
Deviation from norms:
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Group Size
Happy the job has been
completed OR
Sense of loss of the team
camaraderie OR
Reforming – begin different
project
Leader interprets and makes recommendations
for positive change
Other members punish or correct
Leadership Dimensions
Effect of size varies depending on the purpose and goals
Low Relationship/
Low Task
Smaller groups:
Larger groups:
High Relationship/
Low Task
+Make decisions quickly
-Less discussion
+Bring forth more opinions
-Take longer to arrive decision
Low Relationship/
High Task
High Relationship/
High Task
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High Relationship/Low Task
High Relationship/High Task
EXAMPLE:
A group meets to plan a corporate picnic. The group members spend some time at
their first meeting getting to know each other by introducing themselves and
discussing why they volunteered to sit on the picnic committee. Therefore, at this
point the relationship of the group is more important than the task at hand, hence
high relationship/low task.
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Works best in forming stage when faced with strict deadline
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Leader ensures that group is:
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Working on the task and
Moving quickly through the forming, storming, and norming stages
EXAMPLE:
The leader or chairperson of the corporate picnic committee works on building group
relationships but at the same time sets timelines for tasks to be completed for the
picnic. To be ready for the event day, the group members must get to work, but they
also must get along and work cooperatively to get these jobs done on time.
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Almost through the storming stage
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Leader is working with the group on the task as well as building
relationships within the group
Relationships important to ensure cohesion and complete task on time
Low Relationship/High Task
EXAMPLE:
The picnic committee now knows each other’s strengths and weaknesses and
chooses tasks to match individual strengths. The group members work within their
assigned roles.
Low Relationship/Low Task
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In the performing stage
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Leader now offers advice when needed
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Moving out of the storming stage
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Group essentially functions on its own
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Leader works diligently on the task while the group works through
the norming stage of development
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Group members work well together and understand the
implications of the task deadline
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The task has a timeline that must be met
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May need leader to step in temporarily to bring
the group back on track
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Relationship at a point where members have established their roles
and can focus on the tasks

Leaders must be prepared to adapt, adjust,
and mediate conflict
Leader’s Behaviours
1.
2.
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Task behaviours
Relationship behaviours
Not only exhibited by the leader, but also by group members
when leader is relinquishing control
Task behaviours
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Help keep the group on track and moving towards completing the
task at hand
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Include the following roles:
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Initiator – generates new ideas and suggests solutions
Elaborator/Clarifier – expands on existing ideas and may restate ideas
Summarizer – pulls ideas together and ensures consensus
Recorder – records details for current and future progress
Time keeper – makes sure the group observes time limits and deadlines
4
Group Cohesiveness
Relationship behaviours
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Keep individuals within the group feeling wanted and valuable
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Following roles and behaviours:
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+
+
+
+
Encourager – makes everyone feel important
Gate keeper/Involver – ensures everyone’s opportunity to contribute
Mediator – helps keep harmony by suggesting compromises
Custodian – checks to ensure that the group doesn’t violate values
-
Blocker – opposes others’ ideas and gets off topic
Joker – is centre of attention and makes fun of others’ ideas
Dominator – imposes his own ideas at the expense of others
Hidden agenda – fulfills her own personal gains
Dependent – depends on others for ideas and opinions
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The degree to which individual members are attracted to a group
and each other
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Varies between groups
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Linked to the group’s overall productivity
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Recommendations for developing cohesiveness:
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Group Composition
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Preselected Groups
Heterogeneous groups:
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Smaller size
More time spent together
“Buying into” the group’s goals
Physical isolation
Highlight valued status
Reward the group members equally
Encourage competition with other work groups
EXAMPLE:
Composed of dissimilar individuals
Promotes group conflict
More likely to have diverse information and abilities
Improved decision making and task completion
Within the corporate picnic committee, the Blue’s organize the decorations and
entertainment, the Green’s schedule the events and prepare the menu, the Gold’s
take meeting minutes and organize the registration, and the Orange’s prepare the
games and contests.
For team building each personality colour should be represented

Depending on the reason for the group’s existence more or less
members of a particular colour can be included
Organized
Like structure & rules
Very dependable.
Curious
Innovative
Problem solvers
Active
Fun loving
Adventuresome
Developing
Organizational Trust
Warm & empathetic
Strong communication
Strive for harmony
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Group existing prior to the appointment of a leader
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Leader must make this group work
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Determine which group members possess which strengths and then
promote these
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Assign tasks to suit each person
Organizational Trust
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Mutual trust among members
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Present in high-performance
teams
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Fragile
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Takes a long time to develop
Can be easily destroyed
Hard to regain once it has been
lost
Five key dimensions 
5
Integrity
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Honesty and truthfulness
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Most important when
someone assesses
another’s trustworthiness
Consistency
Competence

Technical and human
relations skills
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Followers respect the
competent leader and trust
that person’s ability to carry
out his responsibilities
Loyalty
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Predictability, reliability, and good judgment in handling situations

Willingness to protect and save face for another person
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Followers notice if a leader does not practice what he/she preaches

One can depend on a person that does not act in his own best
interest behind your back
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Act consistently across situations and treat people equally
Openness
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Overall willingness of a leader to share ideas, information, and
feelings freely
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Suggestions:
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The Group DecisionMaking Process
Tell the absolute truth
Be fair with team members
Keep your promises
Be confident in your role as leader
Be consistent in your actions
Maintain confidence
Practice openness
Speak your true feelings
6
Individual Decision Making
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Advantages:
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Fast
Clearer accountability
More consistent decisions
Group Decision Making
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Almost always superior over
individual decisions
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Advantages:
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When the decision is relatively
unimportant and doesn’t require
members’ input for success
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When all the information required is
available
Group consensus is the
optimum
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Groupthink
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Desire for consensus overrides the best possible viewpoint for
solving the problem
Symptoms include:
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Rationalizing resistance
Pressuring of hesitant members
Those who question the group opinion remain silent
Silence interpreted as “yes”
Leads to poor decision making
More complete information and
knowledge
Higher-quality decisions
Less efficient because they use
up more time and resources to
come to an ultimate decision
Brainstorming

Overcoming pressures to conformity and
generating ideas or alternatives
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Members “freewheel” as many suggestions and
alternatives as possible
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No criticism is allowed

Every alternative is recorded
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Each individual in the group silently and
independently ranks different ideas presented
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The final group decision = solution with the
highest aggregate rating
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