On group development - Case Study Example

If Christine had known that during the Storming stage it is normal for group members to feel uncomfortable, she may have better understood the behaviors of people in the group. Mike never really got past this stage, while the other group members moved out of this stage. Mike dealt with the uncomfortable situation by trying to be funny. As the group leader, if Christine had been aware of the unique facets that make up this stage, she could have planned for how to ensure each group member had a role within the group and that no one dominated and no one was excluded from conversations.

She would have to draw out those who were quiet and tone down those who were overly assertive. She could have set the stage to focus the group on solving problems which is key to moving to Norming, the next level of group development. With the exception of Mike, this group is focusing at the Norming stage. The group members feel like they belong to the group and they can share ideas without fear. Part 2: Problem Identification There are two problems that this group is experiencing. The first is that Mike is not turning in his share of the work.

He turned in rough notes, but not a final product. He also missed group meetings and was not a productive member of the group. This is a huge problem for Christine, as she has high expectations for earning good grades. One solution would be to meet with the group to discuss the peer evaluation that was to take place. She could lead the discussion around how each person should be evaluated. As a group, they could decide how to evaluate Mike so that each of their grades was not affected. Another solution would be for the group, minus Mike, to have a conversation with their instructor, Sandra.

They could share their concern about Mike and let the instructor know that the rest of the group members were able to develop a cohesive unit where all contributed equally. A secondary issue is that Mike is feeling like he does not belong to the group. He avoided the group during class time and then got upset when he felt the group was purposefully meeting without him. Christine needed to be more proactive at ensuring everyone was included. During group meetings, she needed to seek out Mike’s thoughts on specific tasks.

She believes that he is creative and she should have built upon that. She also could have made more effort to seek him out. When he slipped into class, Christine should have acknowledged him and made an effort to draw him into the conversation. Individuals in groups need to feel approval in order to progress through the stages of group development. Christine needed to minimize any risk during the forming stage. During this stage, Christine needed to ensure that the group established norms for responding to each other’s ideas.

An atmosphere of respect is of the utmost importance. Part 3: Retrospective Evaluation/Reflection Christine was an effective leader in that the group functioned well, with the exception of one group member. She was also effective because she recognized that Mike had issues outside of the academics required for the project. In addition, she had developed some sort of relationship with Mike because he called her and shared his personal issues that were affecting his contribution to the group. However, if Christine would have better understood how individuals function with a group dynamic she could have had a fully functional group to work with as she would have bette