Group Dynamics: Why Some Groups Just Suck

               Ever wonder why your last group didn’t work? Ever wonder why the first group you were ever a part of succeeded and worked so well together? Ever wonder why some bands were never going to last and how everyone knew it? Group dynamics is the answer to all of those. Tuckman’s theory of group dynamics includes four stages: forming, norming, storming, and performing.  Basically, most groups will go through these four stages before they start producing quality work and working together as a cohesive group. As dynamics change, the amount of times groups go through each stage changes. Some group never go through a storming phase, (boy do I wish this was the case with my groups) but some groups never get out of this phase.

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Group dynamics depend on the type of people, how they work together, and under what conditions they formed. If a group of people who don’t like each other previous to group formation may never get through the storming stage due to prior relations. A group whose problems form after group formation may be able to work out their issues and proceed to the next steps. Or vice versa can happen.

Group dynamics are drastic and any number of things can throw them off. It’s best to be able to work well with other personalities and understand how other personalities interact with people in order to produce the best working group.

Here are some cool tips on working with new groups!