THE JOYS AND CHALLENGES

OF GROUP DYNAMICS
Posted on December 1, 2012 by Christina Merkley

Back in the day when I studied Organizational Development, we

learned a model of development for teams called The Tuckman
Model. And its something Ive come back to again and again in the
decades since in my facilitation and coaching work its a model
that has really stood the test of time, not only in my practice but for
process consultants across the globe.

In a nutshell, its a model that explains and normalizes the natural

stages that a coach-and-client, group, team, organization, community
or other entity goes through in terms of getting to high performance.
There is a polite, forming stage, a challenging storming stage, a
stabilizing norming stage (where things pop into a higher level of
order) and the juicy performing stage where advancement leaps
occur where the rewards of the early stages are reaped.
I am of the firm belief that this model also works for individuals and
for communities. So Im choosing to share it here in the e-Zine for the
benefit of my private coaching clients and those I work with in our
SHIFT-IT Online Group and our THRIVE programs (this article is
modified from a THRIVE forum post of last week).

Forming:

When any group or team is formed (including a coach-and-client

partnership and online coaching groups), members can expect to go
through some predictable and normal stages in acclimatizing to each
other and their shared tasks. This first stage is a polite, beginning
phase where the parties meet and get acquainted and get a sense of
the articulated (or unarticulated) ground rules of how they will
operate. Formalities are preserved and in short, everyone is on good
behavior, keeping apprehensions, reservations or concerns (if there
are any) to her or himself.

For new coaching clients or participants in coaching groups this

first stage is where they may not be sure about how things will go
with the coach or the coaching group or what the experience will be.
They are willing to jump in and go for it but its an unknown stage
where clients take a leap of faith and hope for the best. During this
stage its normal to be confused about how things fully work, how to
use various technologies or communication routes, to be more shy or
quiet than usual, and to be unsure or not totally confident about the
other players involved. Its all brand new and untested.

Storming:

After the forming stage its natural to morph into the storming phase.
And while uncomfortable (especially with all this amped up energy we
are being bathed in during this latter part of 2012) this stage is also
perfectly normal and to be expected from a process point of view.

This is where we find ourselves agitated, triggered or activated about

things going on in the coaching alliance or coaching group. The
niceties of the first stage have fallen away and individualistic feelings
are now felt and expressed (either passively or directly). Members
are still primarily functioning as separate individuals the unity or
synergy of later stages has yet to appear. In fact, the individuals
involved must successfully navigate the important storming phase in
order to graduate to greater coherence. This storming phase can be
quick (a matter of minutes) or long (days, weeks, months or years
if the members have to stay in the group for employment or other
reasons resulting in toxic environments that process professionals
are often brought into to help resolve if possible).

There is such an opportunity inherent in the storming stage if

members can communicate their feelings and work through them
that leads to greater understanding and empathy and operating at a
higher level move into we rather than just a set of separate Is.

Norming:
Once (if) partners and groups make it through the storming stage
then stability starts to happen in the more peaceful Norming stage.
Things start to make sense, ahhas, breakthroughs and paradigm
shifts occur. The feelings that are up for each individual come into
visibility and the sharper edges get polished down through
communication and aligned actions. With less activation and more
general optimism and team spirit the tone of interactions take on a
pleasant and enjoyable feel of one for all and all for one. Norms and
successful systems and ways of operating are established and
members work successfully together.

High Performance:
With continued focus on our higher intentions and continuing to work
out the bugs as they emerge, we reach the holy grail High
Performance or in THEO lingo Emotional Mastery. When we
stick with the coach, group, team, organization or community long
enough to work it out naturally on our own (or through the aid of a
skilled process worker) the norming stage gets institutionalized and
then the Flow or Synchronicity that author Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
speaks of kicks in.

High Performance is a joy to be in. Its that powerful alliance between

a coach and client that is so beneficial and enjoyable for both or in
the case of a coaching group, team or organization a thrill for all
involved. Its those communities or companies that stand the test of
time where members stay for long stretches of time not because
they have to but because they want to. Or, if they do leave (adjourn,
because its time and things have come to a natural conclusion) its
done with a happy heart and with good feelings with fond
memories being created and cherished. A touchstone or
measurement for future alliances.Adjourning:
Most partnerships, coaching groups, teams, groups, organizations
and communities come to a natural end at some point (either through
changes in conditions or changes in the needs of individuals). As
such, there is a wonderful opportunity to close things out in a
conscious and honoring way. To be thankful and appreciative of the
experience and to wish all members well on their next steps and
diverging paths.

It always a sadly sweet experience for me to bid farewell to a high

performing client or group. SHIFT-IT and Interactive-Visuals work is
powerful stuff (as is the collaborative work that I do with The THEO
Group) and its an honor to be a stepping stone on peoples paths and
do good work together. A good coach or teacher knows that endings
are part of the deal successful process professionals want to
empower their clients as quickly as possible not breed dependency.
Client will move onto new experiences (either with you or with
somewhere else) and Tuckmans cycle plays out again, to whatever
level it needs to, in the new container. ;

Not So Neat and Orderly:A final thing to emphasize before I

conclude is that these stages dont happen in a neat and orderly
fashion the map is not the territory. And there is no guarantee that
High Performance will indeed be reached (however the good news is,
with consistently applied emotional mastery and aligned actions, the
odds get highly stacked in our favour!).

Where the first graphic is handy for explaining the overall model and
its stages. The graphic below shows how the stages actually happen
in a much more organic and haphazard way.

Our process with coaches, groups, teams, organizations and

communities will most likely not process in a neat orderly fashion. In
fact, Tuckmans model actually shows us that it is nave to think
otherwise. At times, we may feel like we have moved backwards or
are going in the wrong direction. Our stages will jump all over the
place and there is the real risk of being taken out by storming or
reaching a plateau with norming and going no further. That is just the
nature of development work and what makes it so DARN exciting
too!

I wish you all the best on your journey of unfoldment in whatever

alliances you are a part of and thank you for letting me share my
ponderings (and making the link between coaching and spirituality
work with a well worn process model from the consulting world). I
hope it will give you support in understanding your own unique
journey with the people and groups you are in connection with.