Center for Teaching Innovation

Resource library.

  • Examples of Collaborative Learning or Group Work Activities

Getting Started with Designing Group Work Assignments

  • Getting Started with Evaluating Group Work
  • Team-Based Learning Collaborative

First, think about the course learning outcomes  and how group work might address them. Then consider how groups will be organized, how student learning and group processes will be supported, and how students will be evaluated, if at all.    Short in-class activities may take less planning, but it is still important to consider how the process will play out in a classroom situation.    How will you introduce the activity? How much time is required? How will you debrief as a group? For in-class collaborative activities, focus on  asking effective questions  that engage students in the types of learning you are trying to encourage.    For more involved projects that take place over a longer period of time and for which students will be graded, plan each stage of the group work. 

How Will Groups be Formed?

Allowing students to form their own groups will likely result in uneven groupings. If possible, arrange groups by skills and/or backgrounds. For example, ask students to rate their comfort/ability-level on a number of skills (research, background knowledge of course topics, work experience, etc.) and try to arrange groups that include “experts” in different areas. Another possibility is to do a preliminary assessment and then based on the results, purposefully create groups that blend abilities. 

How Will you Ensure that Students are Productive?

Set aside time early in the semester to allow for icebreakers and team-building activities. Consider using class time for group work to eliminate students having to coordinate meeting times outside of class. Much of the group work can be done collaboratively online, again, lessening the difficulty of coordination. See more on how to manage groups in the next question. 

What Technology Might Assist the Group Work?

If technology use is required, you will need to incorporate learning activities around the use of the technology. At the beginning, do a low stakes activity that helps students become familiar with the technology. If other types of technology can facilitate the group work processes, guide students in its use. 

What can the Students do?

Choose assignment topics or tasks that are related to the real-world and can be connected to students’ lives. For example, have students try to analyze and solve a current local or international problem. Or have students complete tasks that involve using and developing skills that they will likely use in their future professional lives, such as writing a proposal or collaborating online. Here are some other considerations for creating effective group work activities: 

  • Break a larger assignment into smaller pieces and set multiple deadlines to ensure that students work toward reaching milestones throughout the process rather than pulling it all together at the last minute.
  • Incorporate  peer assessments  at each milestone to encourage self-awareness and to ensure ongoing feedback.
  • Tie in-class activities and lectures to the group assignment. For example, during class sessions, provide clues that will assist students in their group projects.
  • Be sure to explain how students will be evaluated and  use a rubric  to communicate these expectations. See more on how to evaluate group work in Getting Started with Evaluating Group Work .

The Stages of Group Formation for Team Development

Heather Harper

Written by Heather Harper

Jul 4, 2018  - Last updated: Feb 1, 2023

The forming stages in teams can be a daunting team development process for both you, and your employees. It is unpredictable, unreliable and a big risk for any company to take. You will ask yourself many questions, will the team succeed? Will the people ‘click’? Do I have the right people to do the task well? Will they make it?, or _will the fall at the first hurdle?

In 1965, Psychologist Bruce Tuckman proposed five stages of team development: Forming, Storming, Norming, Performing and Adjourning. Tuckman's stages describe five stages that every team goes through during its development. By understanding Tuckman's model, it can help take away the unpredictability of forming teams and allow you, and your team, a better chance at team success.

Let's look at the 5 stages that can help you build a high-performing team.

1

Stage 1. Forming

This is the first stage of a team coming together; a group of people have come together to accomplish a shared purpose and the results can be unpredictable. At the beginning, anxiety is high, people are uncertain and they are overly polite and pleasant.

This stage can last a while as people get to know each other and the team's success. That's because this stage depends on their familiarity with each other's work styles, their experience with prior teams and clarity of assigned tasks. In this earlier stage, take time to establish or re-establish ground rules and roles in the team. Realign on the team's purpose to so everyone knows how to maximize their strengths and trust in other's strengths in times where they need help.

As the team leader, you should:

Play a dominant role at this stage to help your employees recognise whos the leader

Establish the team's goals and objectives clearly for the whole team and individual members

Allow for open communication so that your team members can get to know each other

Stage 2. Storming

This is the hardest stage in the development of any team, and undoubtedly your team will be at its least effective here. This stage is marked by conflict and competition as personalities and working styles begin to evolve and the group members of your team are unfamiliar on how to communicate with each other. Teams may also disagree on the common goal and subgroups or cliques may form. Many teams often fail at this stage so it is important to reduce and address this conflict so that problems do not occur later on.

As the leader, you should:

Be specific and clarify goals

Remain positive

Ensure that you don’t overload the members with work

Ensure that you support your team members, and ensure that they support each other; building trust is crucial at this stage.

Explain the forming, storming, norming, performing and adjourning model to your team so they know what to expect.

Use personality tests, such as the ones outlined in the article, to aid the understanding of each others personality and work styles.

2

The effectiveness of the team at each stage

Stage 3: Norming

The team will begin to resolve their interpersonal differences, appreciate others and form working relationships during the norming stage. There is a sense of cohesion and unity and this allows for the team to work functionally together towards the end goal. At this point, performance increase as the team begins to cooperate and focus on the goals.

Provide feedback, both positive and negative.

Step back and allow your team to take responsibility towards the goal; you could even begin to work on other tasks - perhaps even forming new teams!

Incorporate team building exercises to strengthen the unity and trust within the team.

Stage 4: Performing

At the performing stage, relationships are formed and there is a clear and stable structure. The team is mature, organised and has a sense of consensus and cooperation. Problems and conflict, of course, do still arise, but they are dealt with effectively. The prime focus of the team is on problem solving and meeting goals; effectiveness is at its peak.

*Delegate work evenly and fairly

*Focus on the development of individual team members

*Allow people to join, or leave, as it won’t affect group performance.

Stage 5: Adjourning

The fifth stage is called Adjourning or Mourning stage. This final stage is the point where the project comes to an end and the team separates and goes their separate ways. Some team members may find the adjourning stage hard because they liked the routine of the group, have made close friendships or if the future, after leaving this team, looks bleak and unpromising.

As a leader, you should:

*Allow for celebration

*Recognise and reward

*Allow for reflection: what went right? What went wrong?

*Give guidance and support about future plans

Another tip for group success: Belbin and Tuckman

16 years later, in 1981, Meredith Belbin introduced 9 team roles that every successful team needs: shaper, co-ordinator, plant, completer finisher, monitor evaluator, resource investigator, teamworker, implementer and specialist.

3

In the first three stages of Tuckman’s five stages of group development model, the roles you use from Belbin’s Team Role Inventory could make a massive difference to that teams success and effectiveness.

In the first stage, storming, it is good to have co-ordinators to bring the group together and create a sense of cohesiveness. If this team was comprised of too many plants in its storming stages, these people could be completing for their idea to be heard. A plants ideas and energy may decrease quickly if there are too many monitor evaluators as these people will motivate the plants by constantly pointing out the flaws in their ideas.

In the first two stages of Tuckman’s model (storming and forming), shapers are a good addition to the team because they provide a good balance and ensure that discussion are turned into results. However, shapers should be applied with caution as they may become too competitive and this could lead to them becoming aggressive and confrontational; which needs to be addressed or bad relationships will form. These bad relationships will cause problems and affect the groups performance later on.

In the second stage, there is also a need for plants to come up with new ideas and for monitor evaluators to analyse those ideas. Teamworkers are also a good addition to the team as they can help build constructive working relationships at this point

In the in the third stage, norming, co-ordinators are still needed to facilitate the groups decisions. The addition of some implementers to the team is also a good idea to make plans for progress and team development. Finally, a resource investigators is needed to go outside of team and look at competition.

After these first three phases, Belbin would argue that the team needs a balance of all nine team roles to become successful and effective!

About the author

Heather Harper is a psychology student from the University of Lincoln. She currently works as an intern for WorkStyle and is studying a Masters in Occupational Psychology at the University of Manchester.

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The 5 stages of group development

Last updated on: July 11, 2023

No team is able to hit the ground running with a project at their first meeting. Instead, they go through a complex process that involves the 5 stages of group development , including:

  • Forming, 
  • Storming, 
  • Norming, 
  • Performing, and 
  • Adjourning.

In fact, your team could consist of the best talent in the world. But, this means little if they don’t have a framework for working together — and that’s where the 5 stages of group development come into play.

In this blog post, you’ll learn everything you need to know about creating a high-performing team, including:

  • What group development stages are,
  • How this team development model increases cohesion,
  • Which illustrative examples you can use every day, and more!

Without further ado, let’s get rolling!

5 stages of group development - cover

Table of Contents

What are the 5 stages of group development?

The stages of group development in organizational behavior and management comprise the theory of team development. In other words, it’s a group-forming model that consists of 5 distinct phases.

According to these stages of group development model, each group or team is likely to go through the following interconnected 5 phases during their joint work, including:

  • The Forming Stage — characterized by team orientation,
  • The Storming Stage — characterized by a power struggle,
  • The Norming Stage — characterized by cooperation, integration, and unity,
  • The Performing Stage — characterized by overall synergy, and
  • The Adjourning Stage — characterized by a sense of closure.

5 stages of group development diagram

Now, these 5 stages are vital to help you anticipate your team effectiveness . Simply put, that’s your ability to be efficient and productive with your work, both as individuals and as a group.

The diagram shows that the effectiveness of a team or group fluctuates over time. 

In other words, the energy levels reach their ultimate low in the Storming Stage because the struggle to find the leader and build some structure creates frustration and mood fluctuations. That’s why this stage is often called The Power Struggle Stage . 

In turn, the level of effectiveness reaches its peak in the Performing Stage, when team members use well-oiled workflows and communicate feedback effectively to make the project smooth sailing. This stage is sometimes dubbed The Synergy Stage .

💡 Clockify Pro Tip

Here are 25 techniques and tips to drastically increase your productivity in a matter of days:

  • 25 ways to increase productivity

Who invented stages of group development?

The renowned Bruce W. Tuckman — a researcher at the American Psychological Association — established a 4-step model in 1965 in his landmark paper titled Developmental sequence in small groups .

In Tuckman’s words, the listed stages are obligatory for a team to:

  • Grow and progress,
  • Face challenges and problems,
  • Find solutions for challenges and problems,
  • Plan and tweak their individual and group workflows, and
  • Reach their expected project goals.

Yet, this model was initially known as the “Forming-Storming-Norming-Performing Model.” Experts often refer to this original model as the 4 stages of group development .

In fact, Tuckman only added the fifth, Adjourning Stage, together with another expert, Mary Ann C. Jensen, in 1977. The newly crafted review paper was titled Stages of Small Group Development, Revisited — and it became what we today refer to as the Tuckman model of team development.

What industries benefit from Tuckman’s model

Anyone can harness the power of the 5 stages of group development in pretty much every scenario, including:

  • Tech companies, 
  • University projects, and
  • Home refurbishment.

Interestingly, the 5 stages of group development model can even be useful in the theater. 

For example, a 2019 paper by an adjunct assistant professor at Queen’s University, Rebecca Stroud Stasel, found that some people feel a strong attachment to leadership . In fact, she argues that theater team members can “discover facets of themselves through leadership processes.”

Furthermore, Rebecca Stroud Stasel cites that people have natural, deeply seated tendencies for either leadership or following leaders.

In other words, any team setting that requires high performance can benefit from using this model.

As a result, we can conclude that the Tuckman model spans culture, politics, and any other social sphere of our lives. 

The stages of group development with examples, explained

By implementing the 5 stages of group development, teams can reap vast benefits due to the clear-cut structure and step-by-step approach.

In fact, each phase plays a critical role in the team’s progress — whether in short, medium, or long-term goals . That’s where Tuckman’s stages of group development yield immense results.

Here, I’ll provide plenty of helpful examples for each of the 5 stages of group development, including:

  • Performing, and

Let’s get going with the Forming stage.

Stage #1 — The Forming Stage

The Forming Stage basics

The Forming Stage is about team orientation. 

Everyone is just getting to know one another. Likewise, they are overly polite to each other because they are looking to be accepted among this new group of people.

For the same reasons, they may also be a bit uncertain and anxious.

They are also overly positive about the project because it’s new — and new is always exciting.

At this initial stage, a glimpse of a future project leader may emerge. For illustration, the person with the largest knowledge about the project’s subject takes unofficial charge.

Yet, the position of this unofficial leader may also be occupied by the strongest authority figure in the team.

So, here are a few signs your team has entered the Forming Stage:

  • You understand the purpose of the group,
  • You understand the project goals,
  • You’re talking about team members’ skills,
  • You’re assigning tasks, responsibilities, and individual roles,
  • You’re laying down ground rules about team management ,
  • You’re laying down some ground rules about team workflow, and
  • You’re discussing team time management and project timelines.

In fact, a 2022 article published in the International Journal of Technology and Design Education has uncovered a few interesting aspects that can help any team on their journey from the Forming Stage to the Performing Stage.

For example, the same article’s author — Pınar Kaygan from the Art Academy of Latvia — has found that positive social relations and humor can play a major role in team success during all stages of group development. 

Similarly, she has established that teams should use warm-up activities — like physical exercise and mind games — to ensure a smooth transition from the Forming Stage to the Norming Stage.

Now, let’s explore an example of a Forming Stage.

Example for Stage #1 — Forming 

To illustrate the 5 stages of team development, let’s look at the example of Daisy, Adam, Daniel, and Stella. The 4 comprise a group of marketing-savvy professionals assigned to tackle a content production project. They have to write, edit, optimize, and publish 10 long-form articles on the topics that matter to the company’s bottom line.

The deadline? 3 months! 

Daisy is an experienced SEO specialist, Adam and Daniel work as longtime writers, and Stella brings to the table her editing skills. 

The group — not yet a team — needs to work together to make their content rank high on the first page of Google. It’s part of an attempt to draw thousands of new readers to the company’s website. 

At the start, SEO specialist Daisy is unsure if she needs to ask editor Stella about the keywords she wants to suggest for the content. But Stella gives direct guidance about the direction the team needs to go — and she sticks to it.

Due to her rank as the editor, Stella takes the lead and suggests the outline for the content plan. Yet, writers Adam and Daniel think they should take a different angle. At this point, Adam and Daniel form a clique against Stella — although everyone’s excessive politeness makes it seem as though nothing’s wrong.

At the same time, SEO specialist Daisy takes the backseat as she thinks it’s unnecessary for her to get involved in this discussion.

Everybody on the team is all ears, and they exchange opinions — but do their best to avoid direct confrontation.

Overview of the Forming Stage 

To make things more tangible, here’s a brief overview of the behaviors, feelings, group needs, and leadership needs in the Forming Stage.

Stage #2 — The Storming Stage

The Storming Stage basics

The Storming Stage brings about a power struggle.

So, team orientation is over — and team members are likely to forgo the politeness they exercised in the first stage.

Instead, they adopt an open exchange of ideas and opinions and learn about what it’s like to work together. This can lead to conflict, disputes, and competition, depending on their:

  • Expectations, 
  • Workflows, 
  • Ideas, and 

Sometimes, subgroups may form around particular opinions or authority figures. In fact, all these are clear signs that team cohesion has not happened yet. Unless the team is patient and tolerant of these differences, the team and project can’t succeed.

Now, here’s where you may wonder — well, if it’s such an unpleasant affair, can the Storming Stage of group development ever be avoided?

In all honesty, some teams may skip this step altogether, hoping to avoid unpleasant conflict and the clash of ideas.

However, you won’t get far with your project by sweeping vital questions and potential problems under the rug.

So, let’s list a few signs that suggest your team has entered the Storming stage:

  • Dominant team members emerge,
  • Less dominant team members find their way to the background,
  • Questions about leadership and authority emerge,
  • Concerns about rules, policies, and norms emerge, and
  • Questions about evaluation and review emerge.

With that in mind, this is probably one of the most unstable of the 5 stages of group development.

To clarify how this step could develop, let’s explore a real-life example of the Storming Stage.

Example for Stage #2 — Storming

Now, this is where things get tense for Adam, Daisy, Daniel, and Stella as they set their plan into motion — and find their opinions and personalities are at odds with each other.

Writers Adam and Daniel confront the editor Stella head-on, expressing their frustration with the way she handled their ideas in the previous stage. Luckily, Stella sees she has taken unnecessary control over the process and tries to course-correct by establishing clearer expectations.

At this point, everyone agrees on the direction articles need to go to better resonate with a larger audience.

SEO specialist Daisy waits for the first drafts written by Adam and Daniel to check them against SEO rules. 

Once the first drafts arrive, problems arise once again.

Editor Stella expresses her frustration because she thinks the content is far from what the audience expects to read. The comments section of the first drafts gets lengthy, as Adam and Daniel get defensive because of some of Stella’s suggestions — they go back and forth a couple of rounds, leaving Daisy with nothing to do for a whole day.

Eventually, Adam and Daniel agree to accept most of Stella’s suggestions — and they continue writing.

Once the first articles are finished, the review process brings a couple of more disagreements. Daisy has a couple of notes on the sources and anchors used — this time, Adam agrees, but Daniel gets defensive again.

Finally, revisions are made, and Stella is happy with the first articles — she tells the writers to continue along similar lines in the future. Yet, she also asks them to try to be less witty as they are writing for a serious B2B audience.

Sure, moods ebb and flow, but everyone is slowly getting on the same page.

Overview of the Storming Stage

To make the story more concrete, here’s a brief overview of the behaviors, feelings, group needs, and leadership needs in the Storming Stage.

Stage #3 — The Norming Stage

The Norming Stage basics

The Norming Stage brings about a sense of cooperation, integration, and unity.

Of course, you can only move on to this more pleasant stage if you’ve addressed and answered all the vital questions from the previous, Storming Stage.

The team is already used to each other’s workflows, and most future disputes and conflicts generally become easier to overcome. The official (or unofficial) team leader takes a back seat much more than in the previous stages. As a result, the individual team members are given their chance to shine.

In some cases, the Norming Stage may often be intersected by the Storming Stage. It may even revert to it unless the team makes the effort to communicate problems — and then learn from these interactions.

Here are a few signs that show your team has entered the Norming stage:

  • Group interaction becomes easier,
  • The team becomes more cooperative on the whole, and
  • Team productivity and group performance increase.

To facilitate the transition from the Storming Stage to the Norming Stage, I suggest incorporating team management software into your team workflow. Here’s a list of the best tools:

  • 20+ Best Team Management Software

Example for Stage #3 — Norming

Adam, Daisy, Daniel, and Stella are now mostly satisfied with where things are headed.

The team — no longer just a group — learns about each other’s strengths and weaknesses. More importantly, they realize how to harness their strengths and work arround their weaknesses.

Writers Adam and Daniel start to feel confident about their work and align well with Stella’s and Daisy’s guidelines for writing SEO-optimized content that resonates with their audience. In turn, the whole team is more open to:

  • Feedback, 
  • Criticism, 
  • Opinions, and 
  • Ideas. 

For example, Stella allows the rest of the team to suggest topics and angles for new articles more often. 

At the same time, strict team structure diminishes.

For example, when a few typos emerge, although it’s not her job, Daisy corrects them in WordPress without accusing the writers or the editor of the mistakes. 

Similar problems arise occasionally — but the way the team handles them creates an atmosphere of trust and confidence. It’s no longer a game of cat and mouse where team members try to catch each other’s errors and criticize them.

Everyone starts acting more amicably, as they are now used to each other’s work styles and points of view. 

Their routine now includes a team lunch every day at 2 p.m. During one lunch on an especially productive day, everyone even gets an adorable nickname – for example, Adam becomes the Godly Scribe, and Daisy becomes their SEO Wizard.  

On another occasion, Daniel invents the team’s anthem — which reflects everyone’s tendency to arrive to meetings 2 minutes after the agreed time and then apologize about it too much.

Everything seems to be going well — both with how the team members interact and what they manage to accomplish.

Overview of the Norming Stage

To provide a better summary of the behaviors, feelings, group needs, and leadership needs in the Norming Stage, check out the table below.

Stage #4 — The Performing Stage

The Performing Stage basics

The Performing Stage is what your team is after. In this stage, you and your team get to enjoy synergy — a state where work flows smoothly.

If your team has reached this level, you’re on a clear path to success. You have a mature, well-organized group now fully focused on reaching the project goals established in the Forming Stage.

So, team members have grown fully accustomed to each other’s workflows. They respect and acknowledge each other’s skills, talents, and experience. In fact, they trust that everyone involved will do their share of the work.

Bear in mind that not all teams reach this stage. Some may falter at the earlier stages, due to the inability to properly address differences between team members or address problems as they emerge.

Here are some signs that show your team has entered the Performing Stage:

  • The organization in your team is now well-established,
  • The structure of roles and responsibilities is clear, and
  • The team has a tested, mature, and calm way of handling issues.

To get to the bottom of things, I sat down with Brian Townsend , a former Drug Enforcement Administration agent, who was in charge of supervising and overseeing large teams. He claims that psychological safety is the number 1 marker of a group of people who make great things happen: 

Brian Townsend - Team Development Expert

“A high-performing team is one where its members feel safe, can freely contribute, share opinions or concerns without judgment or fear of reprisal, can ask for help, report mistakes, and be themselves. Morale is higher, productivity is higher.”

With that said, let’s continue with our story.

Example for Stage #4 — Performing

With everything planned out, Daisy, Adam, Daniel, and Stella get to serious work.

At this stage, the 4-strong team makes things happen with plenty of empathy. 

Adam and Daniel edit each other’s articles, while Stella expresses her want to learn more about SEO best practices from Daisy.

In turn, Daisy helps with content ideas. Her ideas are sometimes different from Stella’s — to everyone’s delight, as this only helps when the writers reach a creative dead end.

Work starts to flow almost seamlessly. Sure, their opinions still clash from time to time, but they appreciate each other too much to let small disagreements get in the way.

Going forward, the team expands on their inside jokes, enjoys long sessions of deep work , and creates the perfect working environment.

Everyone’s pouring their heart and soul into the content production project. 

Yet, sometimes they have trouble tracking who does what — just because everybody is so involved.

At one point, Daisy, Adam, Daniel, and Stella make task tracking with an app an inseparable part of their workflow — they track the time they spend on separate tasks to see how better to organize their time on the project as they near its completion.

Finally, the team reaches the last 2 articles in the 10-piece series. 

The 3-month deadline is quickly approaching. 

The rest of the team gets feedback from SEO Wizard Daisy about the high performance of most articles, helping the company rank for the most relevant keywords. Everybody gets a bonus.

However, something’s not quite right, and everyone can sense it — unexpectedly, tension builds as the final stage looms large.

Overview of the Performing Stage

To make things more tangible, here’s a quick overview of the behaviors, feelings, group needs, and leadership needs in the Performing Stage.

Stage #5 — The Adjourning Stage

The Adjourning Stage basics

The Adjourning Stage triggers a sense of closure.

The project is completed, with most or all project goals reached.

And, it’s probably time for the team members to go their separate ways.

Now, if the team members have grown close and accustomed to working with each other, they may mourn that it’s now time to move on and work with other people.

In fact, they may even mourn the fact that the project is ending and that they need to move on to work on other projects.

The Adjourning Stage is usually associated with short-term projects, where team members are expected to disband over time. However, even “permanent” teams working on long-term projects may get gradually disbanded — as a result of a company’s organizational restructuring.

So, here are a few signs your team has entered the Adjourning stage:

  • Workload slowly diminishes,
  • Most of the project goals are completed,
  • You’re working on leftover tasks, and
  • Some team members are gradually allocated to different teams and projects.

Interestingly, a management lecturer at the University of Adelaide, Ankit Agarwal, published a 2022 paper on a phase that precedes the Forming Stage. But how does the Forming Stage relate to the Adjourning Stage?

In a nutshell, the author of the said paper argues that people often harbor negative or positive attitudes toward other group members before even a conversation has started group-wide. In fact, he asserts that the Adjourning Stage from a previous group plays an active role in the Forming Stage of a new group. 

That’s why, he says, managers or team leaders must discover sources of conflict or discomfort at the outset. 

With this interesting detail in mind, let’s continue our real-life example of the Adjourning Stage!

Example for Stage #5 — Adjourning

In this stage, the team feels a dip in productivity — because there isn’t much left to do. 

The 3-month content project is mostly done, and everyone’s focus dissolves. They recently published all 10 articles and received praise from upper management.

With little left to do, Daisy, Adam, Daniel, and Stella decide to throw a party for good times’ sake. They’re all radiantly happy — but also feel sad that their project is ending. 

They also grieve that they won’t get to see each other regularly — because they’ve grown quite close.

As luck would have it, Adam finds a senior writing job abroad, and Daisy’s manager gets her relocated to a different city. So, they both need to move on from their current office.

In the meantime, the team quickly makes a few edits that seem useful for ranking the articles even better. The project is officially completed.In the end, Stella, Adam, Daniel, and Daisy go their separate ways, capping off the project as a complete success in every way. It feels like the end of an era.

Learn more about how to analyze, estimate, and prepare for future projects with our guide on project management:

  • Project Management: 31 best techniques, practices, and tools

Overview of the Adjourning Stage

To sum up, here’s a quick overview of the behaviors, feelings, group needs, and leadership needs in the Adjourning Stage.

Why are the 5 stages of group development important?

Now, what is the importance of group development we just talked about?

Well, Tuckman’s model teaches us that teams are:

  • Ever-moving and vibrant, and 
  • Governed by unspoken norms and a natural order of events.

At first, people are led by their natural desire to be liked by others and accepted among their peers. After all, when you have to cooperate with someone for a longer period, it’s easier to do it if you get along well — and that’s what the stages of group development get right every single time.

As time goes by, sub-groups form within a team, opinions, and personalities clash somewhat. In fact, some teams may even get stuck in the Storming Stage, unwilling to talk about their problems.

Get a handle on working with people with different personalities in our in-depth blog post:

  • Productivity tips for 16 personality types based on MBTI  

But stagnation is always worse than conflict. Instead of maintaining a facade of politeness, the 5 stages of group development can help you: 

  • Identify your problems, 
  • Analyze your problems, and 
  • Talk about your problems. 

In addition to handling conflicts, thanks to group development, you’ll need to determine workflows, follow them, and constantly tweak and improve them as you go.

As a natural consequence of it all, your project is bound to progress at a steady rate. In contrast, mismatched, uncompromising teams can only produce incomplete, confusing projects — if they produce anything at all.

Speaking of ends, the Adjourning Stage is the bittersweet cherry on top of each team and project, and it will happen whether you want it or not. It’s a great opportunity to reflect on your accomplishments and think about what you learned.

Powerful tips on how to facilitate proper group development

Now that you understand the “What?” and “Why?” behind the stages of group development, here’s the “How ?”  

I assembled a list of quick tips of my own and advice from experts that will help managers, leaders, and teams ensure that each stage plays out as it should. 

Forming Stage tips

Let’s start from the beginning! 

Here are a few powerful pieces of advice on how to approach the Forming Stage:

  • Clarify the expected stages of group development right from the start. This approach helps you highlight that conflicts and problems throughout the project are normal — not a sign of failure.
  • Set clear and attainable objectives for individuals, to help direct them towards their individual goals within a project.
  • Establish clear and attainable objectives for the team, to help direct them towards their ultimate project goal.

In fact, the Chief Marketing Officer at SplitMetrics.com, Olga Noha , told me that navigating the 5 stages of group development can pose tremendous challenges. But she said that we should try to be open to whatever’s coming our way.

Olga Noha - Chief Marketing Officer at SplitMetrics.com

“Welcome the uncertain. It might be unsettling not to have a clear idea of how the team will evolve, but it’s equally a chance to try out diverse dynamics and roles.”

To learn how to best set and manage the right goals for your team, check out our previous blog posts:

  • How to set SMART goals (+ examples and templates)
  • Objectives and Key Results (OKR): everything you need to know

Storming Stage tips

As soon as you get the basics out of the way, you are entering the Storming Stage. To help you out on this bumpy road, here are some insightful tools to handle this stage:

  • Address and resolve conflicts and problems as soon as they arise.
  • Coach all team members to be assertive, and stand up for their ideas and opinions in a positive and calm way.
  • Provide extra support and guidance to help team members — who are less secure about voicing their opinions and ideas — stand their ground.
  • Build trust among team members, by encouraging honesty , transparency, and accountability.

Since the Storming Stage can be infused with power struggles, I sat down with a leadership coach, Alexis Haselberger , to dive deeper. She told me that we must do our best to name the problems and address them properly — especially at this point, where we risk getting stuck in this stage.

Time management and productivity coach Alexis Haselberger

“It can be very helpful to simply call out what’s happening. What stage are we in? What does that mean for us? This places the blame for any friction on the stage and not on individuals.”

Norming Stage tips

Next up, the Norming Stage can be a tricky phase as your team could slide into the previous, Storming Stage. So, tread carefully!

On that note, let’s look at a few tried and tested tips to ease your way into the Norming Stage:

  • Arrange at least 1 team-building activity per week or month (or whatever works best), to help people grow closer as a team.
  • Encourage off-work get-togethers to inspire group cohesion.

The former DEA agent turned team development expert, Brian Townsend, had some nuggets of wisdom to share on this point as well. He said that nothing trumps accountability:

“Everyone should be encouraged to take personal responsibility and ownership — and openly address any concerns they have. By this time, the team leader should have developed this type of safe environment. If mistakes are made, members should be encouraged to report them so solutions can be developed and everyone can benefit from lessons learned.”

Speaking of accountability in teams, read our all-encompassing guide on this topic:

  • How to create transparent and accountable teams

Performing Stage tips

The most productive of all, the Performing Stage yields immense benefits for the tasks and goals you established in the first 3 stages. 

In the Performing Stage, your team — well — performs at its optimum level, creating near-unshakable harmony and consistent teamwork.

Now, let’s explore a few tips to skyrocket your Performing Stage:

  • Delegate tasks appropriately and in line with the skills, experience, and interests of individual team members.
  • Track the time you spend on individual tasks to build daily and weekly reports of the time you spend on the project. You can then further analyze your reports to see how much time you need to finish individual project tasks and whether there is room for improvement in that time.

Surprisingly, leadership coach Alexis Haselberger told me that spending lots of time in this stage is, actually, not an issue.

”There’s no problem getting ‘stuck’ in this stage. If you’re here, that’s great!”

All stages of group development have their fair share of challenges, and the same applies to the Performing Stage. So, grab your chance to learn more about how to phrase and delegate assignments in our blog post:

  • How to give assignments to team members

Adjourning Stage tips

Last but not least, the Adjourning Stage — often called the Mourning Stage for obvious reasons — ends the whole project cycle. Depending on the leader of the group, the Adjourning Stage can either be a leeway into future endeavors or it could impact future collaboration. 

In any case, it’s the saddest of all the 5 stages of group development.

With that in mind, here are a few time-tested tips on how to make the Mourning Stage less about mourning and more about optimism toward the future:

  • Recognize and celebrate the team’s achievements to make sure your work as a team ends on a positive note. This is important considering that at least some of you may work together in the future once again.
  • Share your thoughts and feelings with all team members to make sure no underlying issues remain unresolved. It’s critical to have everyone on the same page at the very end of the project.

To help make the transition from the Adjourning Stage to the next project’s Forming Stage painless, here are a few time management exercises you can try out:

  • 40+ Best time management games & activities (2022)  

Wrapping up: Developing a thriving team requires constant feedback and effective listening 

Working in a team or group is a complex process that takes time and effort — and plenty of patience. 

To develop a thriving, effective team, follow the 5 distinct stages of group development:

  • Forming — marked by team orientation,
  • Storming — marked by power struggles,
  • Norming — marked by cooperation, integration, and unity,
  • Performing — marked by synergy or smooth sailing, and
  • Adjourning — marked by a sense of closure and dissolution.

The last stage was added only in a later review paper. Still, we can clearly see how the Forming-Storming-Norming-Performing model is deficient without the final, Adjourning Stage.

Anyhow, I recommend that you use each stage to learn and understand something new about your teammates and work on improving your workflows. Finally, use this knowledge to help you overcome problems and reach your project goals with success.

Tuckman’s stages of group development can do wonders for you personally and professionally — I promise!

✉️ What are your thoughts on the 5 stages of group development, and do you plan to implement this framework in your work or life? Drop us a line at [email protected] for a chance to be featured in this or one of our future articles. And, if you liked this blog post, share it with someone who might find it useful.

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Stefan Veljkovic is a work optimization aficionado who writes at the intersection of tech, self-help, and mindfulness. With a long-lasting career in editing, writing, and translation, he thinks of himself as a word-lover. As a productivity author and researcher, Stefan has crafted countless articles on improving habits and soft skills. A life enthusiast to his bones, he has spent many years in the quest for the perfect optimization software and time management strategies — and has found them.

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What are the stages of group development?

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Have you ever wondered why it takes some time for a new team to hit peak performance? In this article, we discuss the different stages of team development and how leaders can guide their team through those stages to increase collaboration.

As a team leader, it's your goal to support and empower your team to help get their highest-impact work done. When your team members feel comfortable with each other, it’s easier to collaborate and work together. Alternatively, if your team is having challenges meshing, it may take them longer to get work done. To guide your team as it develops, it helps to understand the stages of group development.

Psychologist Bruce Tuckman was the first to document the different phases that teams go through as they develop. In this article, we discuss the different stages of group development and how you can guide your team through them to optimize collaboration.

The stages of group development were first described by psychologist Bruce Tuckman in his 1965 essay titled, "Developmental sequence in small groups." The paper discusses how team members start as strangers and flow through five different stages before they become a high-functioning team.

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Tuckman’s 5 stages of group development

The five stages of group development, according to Bruce Tuckman's model, are forming, storming, norming, performing, and adjourning. 

Stage 1: Forming stage

The first stage of group development is the forming stage. In this stage of group development, individual members are just getting to know each other and don’t have a group process yet. As a result, they're unsure of how they'll interact together. At this stage, the group isn’t very productive, as they're still getting acclimated and figuring out the role that each person will play on the team. 

Stage 2: Storming stage

The next stage of group development is the storming stage. In this stage, team members are in the process of learning how to work together. As team members begin collaborating, conflicts may arise, whether that’s from clashing personalities or opinions on how a project should progress. Without a clear understanding of what role each individual plays on the team, relationships can get tumultuous as team members struggle to find a role that’s right for them.

Establishing group collaboration early on can help reduce the impact of—or even prevent—this stage of group development. This doesn’t necessarily mean that conflicts won’t happen. In fact, disagreement is critical to effective team collaboration. So when conflicts do arise, it’s important to resolve them with effective problem-solving as they come instead of avoiding them. Having a team with already existing collaborative skills can help resolve conflicts more easily and faster.

Stage 3: Norming stage

This is the stage when things begin to settle down as your team finds their groove. As they grow more comfortable working together, team members are more comfortable asking for help completing a task or getting constructive feedback . Your team starts to increase their productivity at this stage as they become more familiar with their teammates and their working styles .

Stage 4: Performing stage

At this stage, your team has reached cohesion with team processes and team members are working together at their highest potential.Your team follows established workflows to achieve the team’s goals and group members feel as if they have a common goal to reach together. This is the ideal stage of group development. As a team lead, it’s your goal to get your team to this stage as quickly as possible. We discuss more about how to get your team to this point below.

Stage 5: Adjourning stage

The fifth stage of group development, also known as the mourning stage, is the final stage a team will go through. After a project is over or if a team is disbanded, team members who worked together will go into a small mourning period. Group members may have a hard time working with other groups as they had strong group dynamics with their previous team.

This is also the time in which teams can celebrate everything they have achieved together. Take the time to reflect on your achievements and remind your team why they’re doing what they do. This is also a great opportunity to recognize and praise the talents of specific team members.

How to help your team through the stages of group development

As you build a new team, keep the stages of team development in mind so you can help individual team members reach their full potential and collaborate together effectively. While there’s no one right way to support your team, try these four strategies to boost your team's cohesiveness. 

Establish your team's mission early

Whether you’re building a new team or working on a specific project with cross-functional partners , it’s important to establish your team’s mission early on. Setting a goal , even before you start working together, establishes some ground rules to focus on and ensures that everyone is on the same page and moving towards the same goal.

Depending on your team, set:

A general mission statement. For example, a content team’s mission statement might be, “To create content that engages and educates our target market.” 

A project goal. For smaller, cross-functional teams, use your main project objective for your team’s mission statement. For example, a cross-functional team between web development and marketing may have a project goal of decreasing page load time to 1.5 seconds. 

Team roles. For example, if you’re working cross-functionally , the individuals from one team are assigned the role of reporting back to their team what they’re working on. Another individual may be responsible for managing status updates. 

In addition to establishing your team’s mission or goal, it’s also important to set roles for individual team members. As you add people to the team, pay attention to what qualities and skills you’ll need to complete the project. As roles solidify, it’s important to make those responsibilities clear and distinct so that everyone knows who is doing what by when. If you haven’t already, consider creating a RACI chart to let each team member know who’s responsible, accountable, contributing, and informed for a specific initiative.

Clearly set expectations for communication

In the earlier stages of your team’s formation, establish a clear communication plan . A communication plan is an outline of how your team is going to communicate important information to key stakeholders. Clarity on the various avenues of communication allows team members to effectively get work done, understand their roles, and know where to find the information they need about work. Establishing a communication plan can help you do all of these things in a way that’s easy for your team to follow. 

Should a conflict ever arise, your team will also know what steps to take to get this conflict resolved. Strong communication skills are the backbone of conflict resolution. With a clear communication plan in place, your team will know how to discuss their issues with the rest of the team in a constructive manner. 

Play to your team members' strengths

The individual roles your team members play are incredibly important to team performance. These roles could be the official title they were hired to do, or the role they fit into naturally within the group dynamic.

As the team leader, delegate responsibilities and assign roles and responsibilities based on each team member’s strengths.Some people are natural leaders, while others may take a backseat on leadership but have strong ideas when it comes to strategy and project management. The individual strengths each member brings establishes a sense of teamwork, as everybody plays a part. If you notice a few team members not participating, the easiest thing to do is to prompt them for their thoughts and ideas. 

Confront conflict in a healthy manner

It can be tempting to avoid conflict, but doing so doesn't help team building. A team that works together to resolve issues will trust each other more. They can rely on each other to do the hard work they were hired to do, despite any differences that arise. 

Conflict resolution is a way to establish an honest and judgment-free workplace. As a leader, it’s your responsibility to set the standards for how your team will work together to resolve conflicts. An easy way to do this is to regularly give candid feedback in a 1:1 setting and offer suggestions on how team members can improve. If you need to address larger conflicts, make sure that the issue stays between as few people as possible to prevent gossip from spreading amongst the rest of the team.

Help your team reach their goals with strong leadership

A strong team leader is the backbone of every high-performing team. Without strong leadership, teams may struggle reaching the performing stage. By developing your own leadership skills, you can model collaboration best practices and help your team reach their fullest potential. 

Read more about how you can become a strong leader with Asana's leadership resources .

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Ideas for Great Group Work

Many students, particularly if they are new to college, don’t like group assignments and projects. They might say they “work better by themselves” and be wary of irresponsible members of their group dragging down their grade. Or they may feel group projects take too much time and slow down the progression of the class. This blog post by a student— 5 Reasons I Hate Group Projects —might sound familiar to many faculty assigning in-class group work and longer-term projects in their courses.

We all recognize that learning how to work effectively in groups is an essential skill that will be used by students in practically every career in the private sector or academia. But, with the hesitancy of students towards group work and how it might impact their grade, how do we make group in-class work, assignments, or long-term projects beneficial and even exciting to students?

The methods and ideas in this post have been compiled from Duke faculty who we have consulted with as part of our work in Learning Innovation or have participated in one of our programs. Also included are ideas from colleagues at other universities with whom we have talked at conferences and other venues about group work practices in their own classrooms.

Have clear goals and purpose

Students want to know why they are being assigned certain kinds of work – how it fits into the larger goals of the class and the overall assessment of their performance in the course. Make sure you explain your goals for assigning in-class group work or projects in the course. You may wish to share:

  • Information on the importance of developing skills in group work and how this benefits the students in the topics presented in the course.
  • Examples of how this type of group work will be used in the discipline outside of the classroom.
  • How the assignment or project benefits from multiple perspectives or dividing the work among more than one person.

Some faculty give students the option to come to a consensus on the specifics of how group work will count in the course, within certain parameters. This can help students feel they have some control over their own learning process and and can put less emphasis on grades and more on the importance of learning the skills of working in groups.

Choose the right assignment

Some in-class activities, short assignments or projects are not suitable for working in groups. To ensure student success, choose the right class activity or assignment for groups.

  • Would the workload of the project or activity require more than one person to finish it properly?
  • Is this something where multiple perspectives create a greater whole?
  • Does this draw on knowledge and skills that are spread out among the students?
  • Will the group process used in the activity or project give students a tangible benefit to learning in and engagement with the course?

Help students learn the skills of working in groups

Students in your course may have never been asked to work in groups before. If they have worked in groups in previous courses, they may have had bad experiences that color their reaction to group work in your course. They may have never had the resources and support to make group assignments and projects a compelling experience.

One of the most important things you can do as an instructor is to consider all of the skills that go into working in groups and to design your activities and assignments with an eye towards developing those skills.

In a group assignment, students may be asked to break down a project into steps, plan strategy, organize their time, and coordinate efforts in the context of a group of people they may have never met before.

Consider these ideas to help your students learn group work skills in your course.

  • Give a short survey to your class about their previous work in groups to gauge areas where they might need help: ask about what they liked best and least about group work, dynamics of groups they have worked in, time management, communication skills or other areas important in the assignment you are designing.
  • Allow time in class for students in groups to get to know each other. This can be a simple as brief introductions, an in-class active learning activity or the drafting of a team charter.
  • Based on the activity you are designing and the skills that would be involved in working as a group, assemble some links to web resources that students can draw on for more information, such as sites that explain how to delegate and share responsibilities, conflict resolution, or planning a project and time management. You can also address these issues in class with the students.
  • Have a plan for clarifying questions or possible problems that may emerge with an assignment or project.   Are there ways you can ask questions or get draft material to spot areas where students are having difficulty understanding the assignment or having difficulty with group dynamics that might impact the work later?

Designing the assignment or project

The actual design of the class activity or project can help the students transition into group work processes and gain confidence with the skills involved in group dynamics.   When designing your assignment, consider these ideas.

  • Break the assignment down into steps or stages to help students become familiar with the process of planning the project as a group.
  • Suggest roles for participants in each group to encourage building expertise and expertise and to illustrate ways to divide responsibility for the work.
  • Use interim drafts for longer projects to help students manage their time and goals and spot early problems with group projects.
  • Limit their resources (such as giving them material to work with or certain subsets of information) to encourage more close cooperation.
  • Encourage diversity in groups to spread experience and skill levels and to get students to work with colleagues in the course who they may not know.

Promote individual responsibility

Students always worry about how the performance of other students in a group project might impact their grade. A way to allay those fears is to build individual responsibility into both the course grade and the logistics of group work.

  • Build “slack days” into the course. Allow a prearranged number of days when individuals can step away from group work to focus on other classes or campus events. Individual students claim “slack days” in advance, informing both the members of their group and the instructor. Encourage students to work out how the group members will deal with conflicting dates if more than one student in a group wants to claim the same dates.
  • Combine a group grade with an individual grade for independent write-ups, journal entries, and reflections.
  • Have students assess their fellow group members. Teammates is an online application that can automate this process.
  • If you are having students assume roles in group class activities and projects, have them change roles in different parts of the class or project so that one student isn’t “stuck” doing one task for the group.

Gather feedback

To improve your group class activities and assignments, gather reflective feedback from students on what is and isn’t working. You can also share good feedback with future classes to help them understand the value of the activities they’re working on in groups.

  • For in-class activities, have students jot down thoughts at the end of class on a notecard for you to review.
  • At the end of a larger project, or at key points when you have them submit drafts, ask the students for an “assignment wrapper”—a short reflection on the assignment or short answers to a series of questions.

Further resources

Information for faculty

Best practices for designing group projects (Eberly Center, Carnegie Mellon)

Building Teamwork Process Skills in Students (Shannon Ciston, UC Berkeley)

Working with Student Teams   (Bart Pursel, Penn State)

Barkley, E.F., Cross, K.P., and Major, C.H. (2005). Collaborative learning techniques: A handbook for college faculty. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Johnson, D.W., Johnson, R., & Smith, K. (1998). Active learning: Cooperation in the college classroom. Edina, MN: Interaction Book Company.

Thompson, L.L. (2004). Making the team: A guide for managers. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education Inc.

Information for students

10 tips for working effectively in groups (Vancouver Island University Learning Matters)

Teamwork skills: being an effective group member (University of Waterloo Centre for Teaching Excellence)

5 ways to survive a group project in college (HBCU Lifestyle)

Group project tips for online courses (Drexel Online)

Group Writing (Writing Center at UNC-Chapel Hill)

Go to the West Chester University Home Page

Collaborative On-Line Research and Learning

Tuckman's stages of group development, thomas treadwell.

Department of Psychology West Chester University of Pennsylvania [email protected]

Department of Management West Chester University of Pennsylvania [email protected]

Donna Ascraft

Department of Psychology Clarion University Clarion, PA [email protected]

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Stages of Group Development

These stages are commonly known as: Forming, Storming, Norming, Performing, and Adjourning. Tuckman's model explains that as the team develops maturity and ability, relationships establish, and leadership style changes to more collaborative or shared leadership.

Tuckman's original work simply described the way he had observed groups evolve, whether they were conscious of it or not. In CORAL, the real value is in recognizing where a team is in the developmental stage process, and assisting the team to enter a stage consistent with the collaborative work put forth. In the real world, teams are often forming and changing, and each time that happens, they can move to a different Tuckman Stage. A group might be happily Norming or Performing, but a new member might force them back into Storming, or a team member may miss meetings causing the team to fall back into Storming. Project guides will be ready for this, and will help the team get back to Performing as quickly as possible.

The initial forming stage is the process of putting the structure of the team together. Team members feel ambiguous and conflict is avoided at all costs due to the need to be accepted into the group. Team members look to a group leader for direction and guidance, usually CORAL project guides.

Observable Behaviors

  • Tentative joining
  • Orienting with others personally
  • Avoids controversy
  • Cliques may form
  • Need for safety and approval
  • Attempts to define tasks, processes, and how it will be decided here
  • Discussion of problems not relevant to the task

Feelings and Thoughts

  • Many feel excited, optimistic, and full of anticipation
  • Others may feel suspicious, fearful, and anxious working with others
  • What is expected of me
  • Why are they here
  • Uncertainty and Apprehension
  • Team mission and vision
  • Establish specific objectives and tasks
  • Identify roles and responsibilities of team members
  • Establish team ground rules
  • Team member expectations
  • Operational guidelines for team
  • Effective in class meetings
  • Effective Chat meetings
  • 1st set of feedback from project guides

Leadership Required

  • Project Guides & Instructors
  • provide structure and task direction
  • Allow for get-acquainted time
  • Create an atmosphere of confidence and optimism
  • Active involvement
  • Team members believe an appointed leader necessary to make decisions
  • One-way communication from leader to team-members

To advance  from this stage to the next stage, each member must relinquish the comfort zone of non-threatening topics and risk the possibility of conflict.

This stage begins to occur as the process of organizing tasks and processes surface interpersonal conflicts. Leadership, power, and structural issues dominate this stage.

  • Arguing among members
  • Vying for leadership
  • Differences in points of view and personal style are evident
  • Lack of role clarity
  • Team organizing itself
  • Power struggles and clashes
  • Lack of consensus-seeking behaviors
  • Lack of progress
  • Establishes unrealistic goals
  • Concern over excessive work

Feelings & Thoughts

  • Feel Defensive
  • Confusion, loss of interest can result
  • Resistance to tasks
  • Fluctuations in attitude about the team
  • Unsure if I agree with teams mission and purpose
  • Question the wisdom of team members
  • Increase in tension and jealousy
  • Unsure about my personal influence and freedom in the team
  • We're not getting anywhere
  • Inter & intra personal relationships
  • Identify stylistic and personal differences
  • Effective listening
  • Giving and receiving feedback
  • Conflict resolution
  • Clarify and understand the team’s purpose
  • Reestablish roles and ground rules
  • How to deal with ‘some’ team members violating team codes of conduct
  • Receiving Feedback from project guide
  • Project guide & Instructors acknowledge conflict
  • Project Guides suggest that consensus among team members
  • Get members to assume more task responsibility
  • Concept of Shared Leadership emerges
  • Teach conflict resolution methods
  • Offer support and praise
  • Actively involved Team members begin consulting one another – shared leadership emerging but have difficulty with decision making

In order to progress  to the next stage, group members must move from a "testing and proving" mentality to a problem-solving mentality. The most important trait in helping teams move to the next stage is the ability of team members to listen to their team mates - what are they trying to say?

In this stage, team members are creating new ways of doing and being together. As the group develops cohesion, leadership changes from ‘one’ teammate in charge to shared leadership. Team members learn they have to trust one another for shared leadership to be effective.

  • Processes and procedures are agreed upon
  • Comfortable with relationships
  • Focus and energy on tasks
  • Effective conflict resolution skills
  • Sincere attempt to make consensual decisions
  • Balanced influence, shared problem solving
  • Develop team routines
  • Sets and achieves task milestones
  • Sense of belonging to a team
  • Confidence is high
  • Team members feel a new ability to express criticism constructively
  • Acceptance of all members in the team
  • General sense of trust
  • Assured that everything is going to work out okay
  • Freedom to express and contribute
  • Develop a decision making process
  • Be prepared to offer ideas and suggestions
  • Problem solving is shared
  • Utilizing all resources to support the team effort
  • Team members take responsibility in shared leadership skills
  • Receiving Feedback from project guides
  • Shared leadership
  • Give feedback and support from Project Guides
  • Allow for less structure
  • Promotes team interaction
  • Asks for contributions from all team members
  • Collaboration becomes clearer
  • Encouraging others in making decisions
  • Continues to build strong relationships

The major task function of stage three is the data flow between group members: They share feelings and ideas, solicit and give feedback to one another, and explore actions related to the task. Creativity is high. Collaboration emerges during this stage when team work ethic and shared leadership is understood.

The major drawback of the norming stage is that members may begin to fear the inevitable future breakup of the team; they may resist change of any sort.

True interdependence is the norm of this stage of group development. The team is flexible as individuals adapt to meet the needs of other team members. This is a highly productive stage both personally and professionally.

  • Fully functional teams
  • Roles are clearer
  • Team develops independence
  • Team able to organize itself
  • Flexible members function well individually, in subgroups or as a team
  • Better understand each other’s strengths and weaknesses and insights into group processes
  • Empathy for one another
  • High commitment
  • Begin understanding collaborative work ethic
  • Tight bonds emerge
  • Fun and excitement
  • Lots of personal development and creativity
  • General sense of satisfaction
  • Continual discovery of how to sustain feelings of momentum and enthusiasm
  • Project guides assure team is moving in collaborative direction
  • Maintain team flexibility
  • Measure knowledge performance – post test
  • Provide information
  • Giving and Receiving
  • Feedback and Dialogue with project guides
  • Shared Leadership being practiced
  • Observing, Inquiring, Fulfilling, team needs
  • Collaborative efforts among team members
  • Project guides provides little direction
  • Team members offer positive reinforcement and support
  • Share new information

The Performing stage is not reached by all groups. If group members are able to evolve to stage four, their capacity, range, and depth of personal relations expand to true interdependence. In this stage, people can work independently, in subgroups, or as a total unit with equal competencies.

In this stage typically team members are ready to leave (course termination) causing significant change to the team structure, membership, or purpose and the team during the last week of class. They experience change and transition. While the group continues to perform productively they also need time to manage their feelings of termination and transition.

  • Visible signs of grief
  • Momentum slows down
  • Restless Behavior
  • Bursts of extreme energy usually followed by lack of energy
  • Humor (that to outsiders could appear cruel)
  • Glad it is over – relief
  • Evaluate the efforts of the team
  • Tie up loose ends and tasks
  • Recognize and reward team efforts
  • Project guides help team develop options for termination
  • Good listening
  • Reflection and carry forth collaborative learning to next opportunity

The final stage, adjourning, involves the termination of task behaviors and disengagement from relationships. A planned conclusion usually includes recognition for participation and achievement and an opportunity for members to say personal goodbyes. Concluding a group can create some apprehension – in effect, a minor crisis. The termination of the group is a regressive movement from giving up control to giving up inclusion in the group.

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Designing Peer and Group Assignments for Online Courses

graphic of student smiling at her computer screen where several of her peers are visible

Audrey Wick is an English professor at Blinn College in central Texas

Writing skills are important for college students at any stage. Whether they are in a writing-intensive course or simply using their skills to navigate a traditional course, strength in written communication will help students be successful, lifelong learners.

For instructors, one step toward that success is designing peer and/or group assignments to help students develop these important skills. But when instructors themselves face uncertainty of student population and modality, how can they effectively plan for these types of assignments?

Redefine What Constitutes “Group” Assignments

In terms of traditional pedagogical thinking, “group” assignments generally mean three or more students working in collaboration toward a singular goal. But collaboration can occur in pairs as well. Often, working with one other individual can still help students practice important skills of planning, drafting and revision. When courses are small or retention becomes an issue, pairing students who are active and engaged in the class can help ensure that no one goes missing-in-action for the duration of an assignment.

Also, by keeping groups small, whether through pairs or not, assignments can often be accomplished in a much shorter amount of time. For instance, in the English environment, peer editing is streamlined through the use of pairing rather than trying to accomplish this in small groups. For those instructors who want more students to contribute to the assignment, pairing can happen more than once.

When peer editing , I frequently pair students—and then pair them again. That way, they get more than one perspective in feedback but are only focused on providing that in one-on-one settings. This keeps the assignment manageable for them to complete as well as for me, as the instructor, to track.

Avoid the Pitfall of Expecting a Face-to-Face Result When Online

When assignments are adapted to the online learning environment , instructors should not try to—necessarily—translate a face-to-face project into a digital application. That’s because organic parts of the process like brainstorming may not work synergistically online.

Nonetheless, if an instructor gives the group a starting point and direct guidance for the end goals (think: due date, submission format, required length, research requirements, etc.), this will take the guesswork out of the initial group work and help the students work more effectively.

Let Existing Technology Be Assistive

There is no need to reinvent writing process stages or try to build digital assignments from the ground up. Instead, tap into existing platforms at your institution or through your textbook publisher in order to create effective group assignments that work.

Many textbooks have digital components, companion websites, assistive project arms and more. For instance, writing instructors have several options for programs students can use for electronic portfolios, document sharing and peer editing. The technology here can connect students in digital pairs and groups, giving them the flexibility of space and time to complete the assignments collaboratively in a fully online environment.

Don’t Overlook Institutional Resources

Does your college have a library, learning lab, tutoring center or campus computer technicians that are student-facing? Likely your institution already has tools that you can use in creating and managing peer and group assignments.

For starters, speak with librarians at your institution, or research existing digital tools available through the library page. Many have how-to videos, style guides, plagiarism tutorials and more. Link these through your digital classroom or import them to your Learning Management System. Viola! Tailored content at their fingertips!

You’re Ready!

Incorporating collaboration opportunities is one way instructors can help students feel more connected in their college classes, no matter what their digital landscape looks like.

Do you assign group work? If so, don’t miss the recording from our Empowered Educator webinar offering expert tips on making it equitable, meaningful and effective.

Related articles.

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Eberly Center

Teaching excellence & educational innovation, how can i assess group work.

All of the principles of assessment that apply to individual work apply to group work as well. Assessing group work has added challenges, however. 

First, depending on the objectives of the assignment, the instructor might want to assess the team’s final product (e.g., design, report, presentation), their group processes (e.g., ability to meet deadlines, contribute fairly, communicate effectively), or both. Second, group performance must be translated into individual grades – which raises issues of fairness and equity. Complicating both these issues is the fact that neither group processes nor individual contribution are necessarily apparent in the final product.

Thus, in addition to evaluating the group’s output, instructors may need to find ways to determine how groups functioned and the extent to which individuals contributed to the effort. This isn’t always easy, but these general principles can guide you, and the Eberly Center for Teaching Excellence can help you find and implement the right approach for your goals and context.

Assess individual, as well as group, learning and performance.

Assess process as well as product..

  • Make your assessment criteria and grading scheme clear .

Find samples of group project assessment tools here...

Diligent students can be profoundly demotivated by group projects if they feel that their own success is dependent on team members who don’t do their share. One way to counteract the motivational hazards of group projects is to assess individual students’ learning and performance in addition to the group’s output. This strategy gives diligent students a greater sense of fairness and control and discourages free ridership. 

Individual learning and performance can be assessed in any number of ways. Some instructors add an individual component to group projects (e.g., a short essay, journal entries); some combine a group project with an individual test or quiz. Both group and individual performance are then reflected in the total project grade (e.g., some faculty members make the group grade worth 50% and the individual grade worth 50%; others split it 80%/20%. There’s no perfect breakdown, but the grading scheme should (a) reflect your goals for student learning and (b) seek to motivate the kind of work you want to see.)

Professor Solomon asks student groups to research a famous anthropological controversy, and give an oral presentation analyzing the issues, positions, and people involved. She assigns a group grade for the presentation, but also requires all the team members to write a short, individual paper summarizing what they learned from the assignment and what they contributed to the team. If the individual piece demonstrates a poor understanding of the material or a low level of participation in the group, she reserves the right to lower the individual’s grade by a full letter grade. If it is particularly informed, thorough, or demonstrates an exceptionally high contribution to the team, she raises the individual’s grade by a full letter grade.

If developing teamwork skills is one of your learning objectives for the course, it’s important to assess students’ progress toward that goal. In other words, you should assess process (how students work) as well as product (the work they produce).

Process can be assessed according to a number of dimensions, such as the ability to generate a range of ideas, listen respectfully to disparate perspectives, distribute work fairly, resolve differences, and communicate effectively. Since instructors don’t always have a direct window into the dynamics of student groups, they often rely on teams to self-report via:

  • team evaluations: each member of the team evaluates the dynamics of the team as a whole.
  • peer evaluations: each team member evaluates the contributions of his/her teammates. 
  • self-evaluations: each team member documents and evaluates his own contributions to the team.
  • Find samples of evaluations here...

These assessments can be quantitative or qualitative. They can be done as reflective writing assignments or as questionnaires targeting specific dimensions of teamwork. Think about which tools suit your purpose and context. Also give some thought to when you’ll use them (in the middle of the semester? at the end? both?), who should see them (just you? other team members?), and whether or not they should be anonymous. The Eberly Center can help you find, adapt, or create the right tool and determine how to use it to best effect.

Remember, too, that process assessments are subjective and students are not always straightforward when evaluating one another or themselves. However, in combination with product assessments and individual assessments, they can offer valuable glimpses into how teams function and alert you to major problems (e.g., particularly problematic team members or serious conflict), which can help to inform your feedback and grading.

Professor Montoya assigns a multi-stage information systems project where students work together in teams over much of the semester. Over the course of the semester, he periodically asks students to evaluate both the dynamics of the team as a whole and their own contributions, and to reflect on ways to improve both as the project continues. At the end of the project, he asks students to complete a peer evaluation for every member of their team, indicating each member’s contribution to the group. Professor Montoya’s total grade for the project combines a group grade (75%) and an individual grade (25%). The individual grade is based, in equal parts, on how each student’s teammates evaluated his contribution to the group and on the quality of the feedback he provided to them.

Make your assessment criteria and grading scheme clear.

It’s always important to articulate your performance criteria so students understand your expectations and standards. This is especially true if you are emphasizing skills that are not usually assessed, such as the ability to resolve conflict, delegate tasks, etc. Criteria for evaluating both product and process can be communicated by giving students a group work rubric ( pdf ) before they begin their work and then using it to provide meaningful feedback during and at the end of the project. 

It’s also important to think about how you will weigh the various components of group projects in your grading scheme. Some questions to consider include:

  • What percentage of the student’s total project grade will be based on the group’s performance vs. individual components? 
  • What percentage will be based on assessments of product vs. assessments of process? 
  • How much weight will you give to peer evaluations or self-evaluations? 
  • Will feedback from external clients also be incorporated into your assessment of the group’s work? If so, what sorts of feedback will you solicit: feedback on product (e.g., Does it work? Is it a good solution/design?), feedback on process (e.g., Did the group communicate effectively with the client? Did it meet deadlines?), or both?

A number of dimensions of group work can factor, either formally or informally, into a student’s grade. What’s important is to think about what dimensions of student performance matter to you and how your grading criteria and the weighting of assessment components can help motivate the behaviors you want to see. Finally, it’s critical to clearly communicate your grading scheme to students.

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  • CBE Life Sci Educ
  • v.17(1); Spring 2018

Kristy J. Wilson

† Biology Department, College of Arts and Sciences, Marian University, Indianapolis, IN 46222

Peggy Brickman

‡ Department of Plant Biology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602

Cynthia J. Brame

§ Center for Teaching and Department of Biological Sciences, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37203

This essay introduces an evidence-based teaching guide presenting research and resources related to group work. The guide provides links to key articles accompanied by summaries organized by teaching challenge and an instructor checklist. In addition to describing the guide, the article identifies areas for further research.

Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics faculty are increasingly incorporating both formal and informal group work in their courses. Implementing group work can be improved by an understanding of the extensive body of educational research studies on this topic. This essay describes an online, evidence-based teaching guide published by CBE—Life Sciences Education ( LSE ). The guide provides a tour of research studies and resources related to group work (including many articles from LSE ). Instructors who are new to group work, as well as instructors who have experienced difficulties in implementing group work, may value the condensed summaries of key research findings. These summaries are organized by teaching challenges, and actionable advice is provided in a checklist for instructors. Education researchers may value the inclusion of empirical studies, key reviews, and meta-analyses of group-work studies. In addition to describing key features of the guide, this essay also identifies areas in which further empirical studies are warranted.

INTRODUCTION

Group work is one of the most widely used and deeply researched teaching approaches in the college classroom. Group work that promotes students’ collaboration to achieve shared learning goals has been shown to increase student achievement, persistence, and attitudes toward science (e.g., Springer et al ., 1999 ; Tanner et al ., 2003 ; Johnson and Johnson, 2009 ; Johnson et al ., 2014 ). It can provide opportunities for students to explain their reasoning to one another and to themselves, thereby promoting the cognitive restructuring that leads to learning (e.g., Kagan, 2014 ). It offers opportunities for formative assessment and feedback with peers to shape that learning (e.g., Johnson and Johnson, 2009 ). It also provides students with an avenue to incorporate diverse viewpoints and to develop communication and teamwork skills that are especially important in scientific collaboration and professional fields (e.g., Lamm et al. , 2012 ).

However, anyone who has worked in a group or used group work in courses has experienced challenges. These challenges, if left unchecked, can prevent effective learning and result in poor-quality products, unequal distribution of workload, and escalating conflict among team members (e.g., Feichtner and Davis, 1984 ). In this article, we describe an evidence-based teaching guide that we have created to condense, summarize, and provide actionable advice from research findings (including many articles from CBE—Life Sciences Education [ LSE ]). The guide can be found on the American Society for Cell Biology website ( https://lse.ascb.org/evidence -based-teaching-guides/group-work ), and a link will be listed on the LSE home page to direct users to a complete list of guides as this feature grows. We have included several useful features in the guide: a landing page that indicates starting points for instructors ( Figure 1 ), syntheses of observations from the literature ( Figure 2 ), summaries of and links to selected papers ( Figure 3 ), and an instructor checklist that details recommendations and points to consider. The guide is meant to aid instructors who are new to group work as well as instructors who have tried group work and experienced difficulties or want to improve their students’ experiences and outcomes. Researchers interested in exploring this area will also appreciate our efforts to identify empirical studies, informative reviews, and unanswered questions for which additional research is warranted. Some of the questions that we have considered in developing the guide are highlighted in the following sections.

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Screenshot representing the landing page of the guide, which provides readers with an overview of choice points.

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Screenshot showing an example description of overall conclusions that can be drawn about an element of group work, based on a synthesis of the literature.

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Screenshots representing (A) summaries and links to important papers and (B) other resources.

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF FORMING PERMANENT VERSUS TEMPORARY GROUPS?

The guide begins by separating findings, recommendations, and resources for formal, permanent groups from informal, temporary groups. During formal group work, students work in persistent groups for an extended period on a collaborative project, while in informal group work, ad hoc groups work together on an in-class problem or question for periods ranging from a few minutes to a full class session ( Johnson et al ., 2014 ). Formal group work requires more planning and coordination, but the benefits are that it can help students work together to reach important course objectives. Informal group work, on the other hand, is easy to incorporate into classes of any size and in any space. Informal group work can be an effective supplement to lecture, allowing learners to process information, and is often an essential part of, or used in conjunction with, classic active-learning techniques (e.g., Tanner et al. , 2003 ).

Three elements that are particularly important to consider in structuring formal group work are task interdependence, individual accountability, and reward interdependence ( Johnson and Johnson, 2009 ). Task interdependence refers to the degree to which group members must work together to complete the assigned task. For optimal group benefit and motivation, tasks should not be able to be completed by just one or two group members, but rather should require contributions from all group members (e.g., Gillies, 2013 ). Individual accountability, or the understanding that group members will be responsible for the work they specifically contribute, reduces social free-riding in group settings and encourages members to contribute. Reward interdependence can be accomplished through several mechanisms, including shared grades, for which individual students earn a final grade that relies on scores earned by their team members on a test or assignment, or certificates of recognition that students can earn if their average team scores on quizzes or other individual assignments exceed a pre-established criterion ( Serrano and Pons, 2007 ).

Notably, the very distinction between the types of group work points to an unanswered research question:

Are there specific types of outcomes that are better met with informal group work rather than formal group work, or vice versa?

SHOULD INSTRUCTORS FORM GROUPS OR LET STUDENTS SELF-SELECT THEIR OWN GROUPS?

When planning formal group work, the literature suggests that instructors should form small groups (typically three to five students), considering student characteristics that can contribute to effective group processes and performance (e.g., Treen et al. , 2016 ; and other references within the Group Size section of the guide). Generally, groups that are gender balanced, are ethnically diverse, and have members with different problem-solving approaches have been shown to exhibit enhanced collaboration (see references within the Group Composition section of the guide). Within these generic observations, however, there are a number of unanswered questions for which further research is needed:

  • What are the different impacts for ethnic majority and minority students in ethnically diverse groups? If so, what are they, and why do they occur?
  • Does context determine effective gender composition for groups? If so, is it a generalizable context (e.g., physics groups work best with one composition, while biology groups work best with another composition)? Alternatively, does the effectiveness of different group gender compositions depend on the measure being used (e.g., creativity of final product, effectiveness of group communication)? Are there task features or group structures that can mitigate disadvantages of particular gender mixes?
  • The data on academic performance as a diversity factor also do not point to a single conclusion. What features of group work lead to benefits for high-, mid-, or low-performing students? Will these features be combined to benefit mixed-ability groups? Do homogeneous or heterogeneous groups provide a greater advantage?
  • What are effective steps to take to support students with different disabilities while they participate in group work?

WHAT CAN INSTRUCTORS DO TO PROMOTE QUALITY GROUP EXPERIENCES?

There are a number of common problems that students and instructors experience when involved in group work. The most commonly reported problem is uneven workload (free-riding or overbearing students). However, groups also experience other types of social conflict and lack of cohesion that can result in production of “Frankenstein products” that are a conglomeration of individual student efforts without integration and synthesis of ideas. There are several practices and resources that can help ensure that groups function more effectively. Students report greater satisfaction with group work if the instructor has implemented methods to monitor and manage groups ( Chapman and Van Auken, 2001 ; and other references within Setting Group Norms ). Suggested methods include providing an opportunity for students to discuss their expectations for group work and setting group norms. For group work that spans multiple days or weeks, providing opportunities for identifying individual effort and allowing students to evaluate their peers can allow for ongoing adjustments to group dynamics. Assigning specific roles to students within groups can emphasize interdependence, and prompting students to provide elaborated explanations during discussions can help promote learning gains ( Gillies, 2013 ). Even with these recommendations, there are many unanswered questions.

  • Findings from research studies on peer evaluation have clearly identified several methods to identify dysfunctional groups. What are the potential solutions to address dysfunctional groups and under what conditions are these solutions effective? When is it more effective to disband a dysfunctional group rather than enforce mediation?
  • What is the best method to deal with persistent free-riders?

WHAT TASKS ARE IDEAL FOR PROMOTING EFFECTIVE GROUP WORK?

We describe a number of formalized group-work pedagogies with defined criteria and tasks that instructors can consider. These include problem-based learning, team-based learning, process-oriented guided inquiry learning, case-based learning, and peer-led team learning, all of which have descriptions and biology-relevant papers linked within the Formalized Pedagogies section of the guide. Instructors considering these approaches should consider forming a team of instructors, administrators, and/or staff to address the attendant time and resource needs. For any group task, it is important to consider why group work is being used in a particular situation and how it meets the instructor’s learning goals for students. To help promote student buy-in and student learning, these goals should be shared with students, along with an explanation of how the group work aligns with these goals.

Effective group tasks should challenge groups to solve highly complex or ill-structured problems that require the collaboration of the group to solve (e.g., Scager et al. , 2016 ; and other references within the Task Features section). In addition, tasks that engage student interest, such as by using contemporary issues relevant to students’ lives and generating products for an audience outside the classroom, can increase students’ motivation (e.g., Schmidt et al. , 2011 ). With this general recommendation in mind, however, there are a number of unanswered questions:

  • Typically, a task’s relevance to students’ lives increases task value and thus student motivation. What are the best ways to structure relevant tasks in the biology classroom? Do these features differ by major or level of student?
  • Does a students-as-producers approach, wherein students generate new knowledge for an external audience, impact motivation for all students or only some? Does the relative size of the product/student contribution matter (e.g., one figure on a poster vs. entire infographic for congressional representative)?
  • How do different group tasks or task instructions affect cognitive development of knowledge structures and their use? What tasks support development of declarative knowledge (what), procedural knowledge (how), and conceptual knowledge (when/why)?
  • Students lie at various places along the novice–expert continuum. How do we match scaffolding to student needs?

WHEN NOT TO USE GROUP WORK

We finish this summary to our guide by cautioning that group work is not a panacea for learning. A great deal of research has defined the type of tasks for which group work is more effective than individual learning. Groups of students show greater gains than individual students for tasks that are complex and ill-­defined with multiple possible correct answers ( Kirschner et al. , 2011 ), but for simpler tasks that require recall, definitions, or looking up information, students exhibit greater gains when they work on their own. Thus, maximizing the benefits of group work requires that instructors attend to the learning goals they want their students to attain and, if applicable, the group-work structures that they put in place to help the students reach those goals.

Acknowledgments

We thank William Pierce and Thea Clarke for their efforts in producing the Evidence-Based Teaching Guides website and the American Society for Cell Biology for hosting the site.

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  • Gillies R. M. (2013). Structuring cooperative group work in classrooms . International Journal of Educational Research , , 35–49. [ Google Scholar ]
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  • Kagan S. (2014). Kagan structures, processing, and excellence in college teaching . Journal on Excellence in College Teaching , ( 3–4 ), 119–138. [ Google Scholar ]
  • Kirschner F., Paas F., Kirschner P. A. (2011). Task complexity as a driver for collaborative learning efficiency: The collective working-memory effect . Applied Cognitive Psychology , ( 4 ), 615–624. [ Google Scholar ]
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LX / Design a group assignment

Design a group assignment

This resource offers suggestions for designing group assignments which students will finding motivating. We’ll explore how to make the assignment meaningful, easily allocated into sub-tasks, relevant to learning outcomes and achievable.

One of the most crucial aspects of group work is the task set for the group. If students engage in their task, they will be more likely to be motivated to be an active participant in group work and develop new skills. Unfortunately, many students find their tasks to be inappropriate or too difficult for group work and thus lack motivation to work collectively on the assignment. In fact, many students view their assignments as little more than an individual assessment task applied to a group of students to reduce marking.

Develop a motivating group assignment

To develop a motivating group assignment, first you need to understand what students look for in a collaborative assessment task. Understanding students’ expectations is important because it allows you to see where your task can be aligned with their expectations. It also allows you to identify where alignment may not be possible. These differences can then be discussed with the students so they understand your reasons. Students will always work better when they understand why they are being assessed in a particular way.

There are four important factors which students look for in a group assignment.

1. A meaningful assignment

Students are not only motivated by the mark they will receive for their assignment. They are also motivated by the work they will produce.

Students often report that their most motivating group assignments are those which are “client-based”. These are assignments where the groups enact the role of consultant and work on an issue which has been identified by the client (in most instances, an organisation). Groups usually produce some form of written report (or in some disciplines a product) which is assessed by the lecturer. Occasionally, the client is also invited to assess the group’s output. Students are particularly motivated when they know that the client will be viewing and assessing the work.

Designing “client-based” group assignments are becoming increasingly popular in university settings. Many organisations are interested in participating in such projects because of the insights and perspectives generated by the project groups. Non-profit organisations, with their limited resources, are often keen to become clients and students are particularly motivated to help such organisations.

Some lecturers are even beginning to view the university as a client and are designing group assignments which address particular concerns faced by students and staff.

2. Easily allocated into sub-tasks

Student groups almost always divide up their task and allocate different sections to each member. Even if you do not want the assignment to be broken up, they probably will (or at least attempt to do so).

Students argue that this is the only strategy to use when they are members of 3 or 4 other groups. Unfortunately, most groups struggle when they attempt to divide up the task because it has not been designed to be broken up. It has been designed to be completed collectively. The rationale behind this strategy is that students learn group skills by closely working together on every aspect of the task.

While this strategy can be effective, it usually takes much longer than one semester for it to work. Furthermore, it usually requires that members work together full-time on the one task. With students working part-time, on more than one task, in more than one group, it is in many ways an unrealistic strategy. There is just not enough time for students to work together on every issue.

Knowing that students divide up their group task, many lecturers are beginning to devise group assignments with this in mind. In these assignments, each group member is required to do a piece of work. These individual pieces are then combined together to form a completed group product (there is usually an introduction and conclusion which the group write together to bring the individual sections together).

Students are motivated by these types of assignments because:

  • they are less dependent on each other
  • they don’t have to make joint decisions on each and every issue,
  • there are fewer disagreements
  • they have the opportunity to ‘shine’ as well as contribute to the group

Lecturers also benefit greatly from the task design due to:

  • fewer complaints about free-riding (because each member’s work is identifiable)
  • greater enthusiasm for group work
  • less conflict in groups
  • greater peer support

As with any innovation, there are of course critics to the approach. The main criticism is that students are not working in ‘fully fledged’ groups and, as such, fail to develop a broad range of skills. While this may be true, proponents argue that it is far better to learn some skills well than many at only a shallow level. This approach works on the rationale that students should not be expected to learn too many skills in a semester, but rather focus on a number of key skills (eg. coordination, peer support, accountability).

Proponents also argue that the notion of the fully fledged group rarely exists in industry and that their approach more accurately mirrors the “real world”. In many organisations, team members often work independently on individual pieces and bring them together to form the product (or the collection of group products). The aim of their approach is to reflect this style of team work and to teach students how to operate under such a system.

It is understandable that many group assignments must be collaborative and result in a single product. For these assignments, it is important to remember that students will try to split the task up. If the task can be logically divided, it may be advisable to help them do so – this will save the group valuable time. If the task cannot be broken apart, this should be clearly explained to students before they try to do so.

3. Relevant to learning outcomes

As mentioned earlier, many students are sceptical about collaborative assessment tasks and often view them merely as a way of reducing marking. For students to be motivated to participate in group assignments, they often need to see the tangible benefits of doing so. This is best achieved by designing group assignments which are closely aligned to the learning objectives of the subject.

When designing collaborative assignments, it is important to consider what knowledge, skills and abilities you want your students to learn through group work. While there will be a generic set applicable to most group assignments (eg. learning to communicate and cooperate with peers), there will also be a specific set which need to be geared to the assignment. For example, what type of interpersonal communication skills do you want your students to learn? Do you want them to learn to communicate face-to-face or also to learn computer mediated communication? If the latter is important, then establishing an “on-line” group task (eg. an on-line debate or discussion group) would be appropriate.

All too often, lectures design group assignments with little reference to the learning objectives and this can create confusion for students. For example, students often fail to see how requirements such as communicating “on-line” or making a group presentation are relevant to their learning outcomes. Whilst the objective may be clear to the lecturer, students often have little idea. It is therefore important that the objectives of the group assignment are  explicitly  made known to students. This is best achieved through a well structured subject outline that breaks down the group assignment into its sub-components and links each component to a key learning objective.

4. An achievable assignment

When designing an appropriate group assignment, it is also important to set a task which can realistically be achieved by students within the specified time frame. Whilst the task may be meaningful and challenging, it can become too time consuming and overwhelming for students. This is particularly the case when students are doing equally challenging group assignments in their other subjects. Students often complain that many of their difficulties arise from the multiple group assignments they are forced to do each semester and how many lecturers are either insensitive or oblivious to this fact. T

he unfortunate result is that students become disillusioned with their group assignments and tend to apply themselves less. This usually results in a decrease in learning, motivation and output quality and an increase in group related problems such as conflict and the withdrawal of effort. To help design a realistically achievable task, it may therefore be worth ‘standing back’ and viewing the group assignment from the student’s perspective.

Things to consider

  • Invite the client to a class or classes throughout the semester
  • Restrict students from contacting the clients whenever they choose
  • Provide samples of work completed by groups in previous years.
  • Discuss how groups, particularly those who have done well in previous years, have gone about completing their assignment
  • If you are having difficulties finding a real client, design your group assignment around a mock client (eg. a hypothetical client or a client from a previous year)

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Small Group Techniques: Selecting and Developing Activities Based on Stages of Group Development

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Harris, S. A., & Watson, K. J. (1997). Small group techniques: Selecting and developing activities based on stages of group development. In D. DeZure (Ed.), To lmprove the acadamy, Vol.16 (pp. 399-412). Stillwater, OK: New Forums Press and the Professional and Organizational Development Network in Higher Education. Key Words: Active Learning, Cooperative Learning.

Research shows that active and cooperative learning activities can be effective teaching methods; however, developing and carrying out these practices is often challenging, perhaps even confusing and frustrating, to educators who have not been trained in group processes. This article reviews basic principles for using group techniques in college classrooms, describes the developmental stages of groups, and provides examples of activities and assignments as well as processes for reflection and evaluation.

Uncertainty about the potential benefits and costs of using group activities in college classes is common. In this article, we identify goals and objectives for group activities, describe appropriate exercises for different purposes, and examine the necessity for reflection and processing that lead to meaningful learning from group experiences. We delineate the stages that often characterize group development and suggest tasks appropriate for each stage. Our ideas are applicable in small and large classes in all disciplines for those who want to design effective small group learning activities and assignments; enhance existing group activities and interactive strategies; understand why certain group strategies have worked and others have not; and build community within the classroom so that open, in-depth learning exchanges occur among students.

Background and Rationale

In the 1960’s William Perry applied the pioneering work of Piaget to the college setting, documenting in his classic study of intellectual development that learning—even at the college level—was enhanced by doing (Perry, 1968). More recently, educators have begun to study collaborative and cooperative learning, noting its positive impact on students (Bruffee, 1993; Cohen, 1986; Goodsell, Maher, & Tinto, 1992; Johnson & Johnson, 1989). Increasingly, faculty across the disciplines have begun to discover the benefits of incorporating small group activities in the classroom (Kadel & Keehner, 1994; Michaelson, Fink, & Black, 1996). Perhaps even more important, college alumni have begun to inform us that the most crucial skill (and the one most often neglected in their undergraduate programs) is how to function as a member of a problem-solving group (Light, 1990, 1991).

Proponents of active learning suggest that using small group techniques in the classroom consistently enhances learning (Angelo & Cross, 1993; Bonwell & Eison, 1991). Students who collaborate with each other in defining, exploring, and solving problems as members of cooperative groups develop social and communication skills and refine their skills of analysis and judgment. Through their active engagement in concretely applying content material, they become more interested and involved in learning and more confident about their own strengths and abilities (Astin, 1987; Richlin & Cox, 1994). The positive outcomes of such active learning can extend beyond the classroom; in fact, “. . . involvement in learning, involvement with other students, and involvement with faculty are factors that make an overwhelming difference in student retention and success in college” (Goodsell, Maher, & Tinto, 1992, p. 11).

Review of Basic Principles of Grouping

When college faculty begin to set up group activities, they quickly realize that designing effective group work is challenging. Successful implementation requires meticulous preparation; it does not just happen spontaneously. Group work, to be valued and valuable, cannot be “busy work.” Students need to have a sense of accomplishment as a result of their participation in group work. Professors who include group work in their courses must make changes that alter the struct me, form and content of their classes. The roles and responsibilities of teachers and students change. Learning, usually viewed as private and idiosyncratic, becomes public, open to question and discussion. No longer is it only the teacher who is on stage. When everyone participates, students share (and sometimes even control) the limelight.

Small group work can enhance learning in many ways (Cottell & Millis, 1994), but it is important to establish why small group work is desirable for each particular course. Group activities should grow out of a learning-based rationale. Primary goals for small group activities are to create a trusting, cooperative atmosphere for later class discussions; develop effective groups for class projects; develop effective, complex, cooperative learning or problem-solving groups; prepare for out-of-class study groups; reach people with different learning styles; and illustrate course content.

Group activities should not merely be viewed as “fun’’ or as filler to break up the monotony of a syllabus or as something for the class to do when the professor has to be out of town. Those who want to incorporate group strategies in their teaching should think comprehensively about the components of each course: content, goals and objectives, relationship to general education courses and placement in the sequence of courses in the discipline. What elements should be emphasized? What skills should be taught? What is the appropriate balance between lectures and group work? What types of examinations should be administered? How can group work be made relevant to this course? To be effective, group work must require learning, not merely completing tasks. Proponents of group activities note that uneven performance and “slacking off” are most likely to occur when a group is given only a single task (one worksheet, one report, one project) rather than an assignment that requires that each individual in the group fulfill a unique and integral role (Cottell & Millis, 1994; Goodsell, et al., 1992).

The composition of a group a1so has a decisive impact on the success or failure of the group. The objectives for a particular class session and its timing in the semester should determine the focus, size and composition of each group. Early in a course, when students are just becoming acquainted with each other, random and varied group assignments are appropriate. Students are more likely to have positive experiences in groups when the professor forms the groups. Successful groups require a critical mass of serious, task-oriented students. For example, an introductory group activity on the first day of class might involve everyone in randomly formed dyads or triads as they learn each other’s names; for a later problem-solving activity in the same class, the professor might divide students into heterogeneous groups with only 3-5 members. Creating diversity by thoughtfully assigning individuals to each group is often advantageous (mixing a sophomore, junior, and a senior in each group; mixing majors within a group; or maintaining gender, age, or ethnic ratios across groups). Students develop greater cohesiveness and value the group experience more if they are assigned to “permanent” groups during the semester, rather than changing groups with each activity (Goodsell, et al., 1992).

Timing is crucial. Professors must carefully sequence activities throughout the semester so that students move from the getting acquainted stage through the transitional stages of working together. At every stage, clarity of purpose and explicit instructions are prerequisites for successful group work. Professors intuitively know what extensive research has shown about group development: Groups, like individuals, evolve over time and develop distinct personalities (Corey & Corey, 1987; Forsyth, 1990).

Successful group work demands the professor’s attention. Assigning students to groups to complete a task while the professor leaves the room is not good practice. It does not elicit top performance from groups. Well-planned group work requires that professors are involved in the process from beginning to end. Faculty must know their students, individually and collectively, to set up groups wisely. They must give clear, explicit instructions and be available for questions and support while the groups begin their work. Faculty should be a visible presence in the room, unobtrusively moving from group to group as students work together. And, faculty must close the class session, leaving time for reflection and assessment when they conclude the activities.

Setting aside a time for reflection, evaluation, and discussion of the process is a critical part of the group experience. Neglecting this processing phase can add to the students’ misperception that group activities are merely “fun things” that take up class time. This misperception can lead students to dismiss the learning that has taken place, viewing it as serendipitous. Even students with sophisticated linguistic or analytical skills are often unaware of the sequence of actions and outcomes within an active group. They typically respond that “things just happened” and they need the professor to guide them through an objective observation of individual behaviors (both active and passive) and their collective outcomes. Optimal learning can occur during the processing and reflection time because students identify key concepts for themselves, make connections, and organize material so that it is personally meaningful— and, therefore, memorable (Angelo & Cross, 1993).

Reflection should be immediate and can include multiple methods. The professor can facilitate this process by building in adequate time for detailed, open discussion, thereby teaching students the reflective process through modeling; additional reflection can be encouraged through written assignments, such as reaction papers or journals (Cronin, 1992; Edwards, 1993; Thomas, 1992). Many excellent models of student- and peer-assessment are available in the sources cited at the end of this article. As students become more knowledgeable, they can assume responsibility for process observations. One method for doing this is to assign an “observer” to take notes and share a summary of their observations with the group. Another is to videotape group activities and involve the members in a critique of the process. Always, the goal is to build a comfortable and supportive, yet intellectually-challenging, effective group.

Developmental Stages of Groups

The ability of a class to function effectively in groups evolves and develops over the semester. The class as a group, and carefully structured small groups within the class, evolve and develop over the semester (Corey & Corey, 1987; Fotsyth, 1990). Collectively, each class has a personality that reflects the combined personalities and attitudes of the individual members of the class, creating a distinctive group character. As students become more comfortable with each other, they can bring out the best in others, learn by helping, and discover new ways to approach and complete a task. Conversely, the possibility of student dissatisfaction exists, often leading to less than optimal results. Matching group activities to the group’s developmental stage helps to enhance group experiences, creating an environment that leads to more successful outcomes for everyone.

Group development goes through four stages: initiat transition, working, and ending (Corey & Corey, 1987). The initial stage, when individuals come together to form the group, is a time of orientation and getting to know each other. Students encounter anxiety as they wonder where they will fit in the group, what the professor expects, whether they will like the group, and how others will view them. The transition stage has also been called the time of “storming and norming” (Forsyth, 1990) as students actively experience the conflict of working out their places in the group and their differences with others. Success in resolving these issues determines the level at which the group can perform tasks in the third stage—the working stage. The ending stage is the time of termination and closure. It is particularly important for consolidating and generalizing learning in the classroom, and also for giving students a feeling of accomplishment at the end of the semester. Table 1 (below) summarizes the stages a fully functioning group goes through once it is formed and includes a brief description of the characteristics of each stage. In the next section, we describe activities and assignments appropriate for each of the four postulated stages of group development.

Activities for Stages

In the fields of psychology and education, many group activities have been passed along from one “generation” to the next so that we each have a particular collection based on our experiences and often without knowledge of an original source. Some authors have focused on detailing specific activities; many of these can be followed in the references cited at the end of this article. Educators interested in group activities are always alert to new ideas and modifications of existing or so-called individual activities that can be effective for groups.

Initial Stage Activities

Because the initial stage is a time for group members to get to know each other and to get past the initial anxiety that accompanies working with people for the first time, “icebreakers” or “warm-ups” are useful. These activities can range from sedate (dyadic introductions) to boisterous (the ball game). The following generic examples illustrate activities appropriate for this stage.

Dyadic Introductions. Dyads spend five minutes getting to know each other; then each person introduces the other person to the class.

Circle Introductions. Students form a small inner circle with their backs to each other and an outer circle facing the inner circle. Using sentence stems prepared by the professor (e.g., “I am taking this class because. . .”; “I learn best when. . .”; “When I am frustrated, I. . .”), students in the outer circle ask the first question and talkabout it briefly with their “partners.” The professor calls time and students in the outer circle then move to the left and ask the next question of the next person in the inner circle. This continues until the outer circle has returned to the starting person.

Ball Game. This exercise is particularly good for first-year students in classes where students do not know each other. The class stands and forms a large circle. Going around the circle, students introduce themselves by name. The professor then gives one student a small foam ball and instructs students to call someone by name and toss the ball to that student. The person receiving the ball must say, “‘Thank you, Megan,” to the first student then repeat the process. The ball tossing continues until students begin to show some familiarity with a few names (they will often toss the ball to the same person each time); then the professor gives a second ball to the group and continues the game. Usually a minute with a third ball creates enough chaos and fun to end the game.

Group Definition. Another variation on this theme is the Group Definition. This may be more appropriate for a large class or used as a second-level initial activity in a small class. Informally create groups of no more than five students. Ask them to pull their desks together, introduce themselves, choose a recorder, then ask about a primary but broad concept from the course (e.g., What is an accurate definition for community mental health? What does multicultural communication mean? What is Western Heritage in a global context?). Afterward, recorders write their group’s definition on the board or on a page from a flip chart that they then display. The professor facilitates a discussion of what they wrote and an analysis of similarities and differences across groups, and, depending on the course, the concepts: diversity, world perspectives, the search for truth, etc. This exercise builds relationships among students and provides a model of how a group can work together effectively. For example, the instructor might ask each small group to define a different generic concept to share with the class and ask the other groups whether they would change or add anything to the original definitions. In facilitating the discussion, the instructor will still have the opportunity to enhance or make corrections while reinforcing the students’ cooperative efforts and knowledge base. In addition, this exercise would provide a baseline measure of what the students actually know compared with what the instructor might assume they know. The time invested in this type of activity will pay off later in more effective group work.

Transition Stage Activities

The transition stage of group work establishes the foundation for how well the members can work together later. This is the time when students deal with authority, leadership, and communication issues. They must figure out how to handle the challenges of personal and educational diversity and differing viewpoints about interpreting and completing an assignment. This stage is crucial for groups that will work throughout a semester or on a continuing project; it makes the difference between groups that have constant inner battles and perform at lower levels, and groups that are dynamic and creative, achieving more than the members could individually. The professor acts as role model, guide, facilitator, advisor, coach, and cheerleader during this time. Activities in this stage illustrate the value of group participation, highlight diverse student strengths, and build trust among members with differing viewpoints. Exercises that build trust include:

Sentence Completion Circle Games. The instructor uses sentence stems that require students to complete the same sentence from a personal perspective. For example, stems for a Western Heritage class might include: “Among all of the writers and thinkers we have studied this fall, I believe _____________ has had the most significant influence on Western thought because. . .”; or “1 believe the most profound effect of the Reformation was. . .because. . .”; or “This course has changed the way I think about. . .”

Diversity Exploration Exercises. For example, in “Alligator River,” students must rank five characters from “best” to “worst” and state the reasons for their decisions (Cohen, 1986).

Physical Activities. Trust walks, trust falls, or ropes exercises allow students to see themselves as increasingly capable and competent because of their emerging confidence in themselves and their classmates (Rohnke, 1984).

Cognitive Games. Transition stage activities that focus on understanding how groups work and how diverse participation becomes beneficial can encompass simple problem-solving or task-oriented exercises, such as Cognitive Games. For example, Wordles (Rohnke, 1984) provide a challenging and often amusing series of word puzzles that stimulate lively group discussion. To create Straw Structures, students work in small groups to attempt to build the highest standing structure—using only materials provided by the instructor—within a ten minute period.

Problem-solving exercises such “Stranded in the Desert” and “Fallout Shelter” (Johnson & Johnson, 1989) demand more complex solutions and can illustrate how important each person’s ideas are to the group outcome. In addition, transition activities can be designed or adapted to be directly connected to specific course content. For example, using and discussing learning style or personality inventories (e.g., the Myers Briggs Type Indicator or the Kolb Inventory) work well in a wide range of disciplines. Creating a study guide is applicable in any class.

Cooperative Controversy Debates (Goodsell, et al., 1992) can be used for specific major issues in a course. In any particular course, professors can challenge themselves to create simple problem-solving or task-oriented exercises to promote an understanding of group interactions.

Working-Stage Activities

During the working stage, group communication and problem-solving abilities are at their peak. The effective cooperative group can work productively and autonomously on complex tasks. Members can handle conflicts that may occur within the group and achieve self-determined goals. A successful group that is truly in the working stage is easy to spot; it has a positive, enthusiastic attitude where members both support and challenge each other.

Generic working-stage activities include problem-solving exercises, such as Intergroup Conflict (Johnson & Johnson, 1989) and Balls in the Pipe (Rohnke, 1984). The professor has been building toward this stage so that specific course-based projects and activities can be highly successful. At this point, small groups can produce outstanding class presentations or panels, creative projects, group literature review, and reach other complex, cooperative learning goals.

Nurturing or coaching small groups through the early stages will help them reach this stage of effective, autonomous group work. For example, an instructor might ask each group to complete an out-of-class project involving content research, interviews, and a synthesis of theory with application. One caution, particularly when first attempting to develop effective groups, is to remember than even an optimal environment will not necessarily cause all students to do their best work. Written evaluations of group work can provide useful information to consider when developing the next group effort. Open­ended questions about “best” and “wotst” aspects of this learning experience often highlight the learning style differences noted earlier. They can also emphasise the pressure students feel to complete all of the readings and work so that they do not let down their peers. This is in stark contrast to “getting by” with a professor who does all the talking for the class.

Ending Stage Activities

The ending stage is a time for closure and saying goodbyes. This is often an overlooked portion of the developmental process, but the more cohesive and cooperative a group has been, the more important this stage becomes. When thinking of the class objectives, such as consolidating and generalizing learning, the end-of-semester termination traditionally revolves around group project presentations and the final exam. Self and peer evaluations and sharing highlights about the semester-long learning process are also beneficial. In addition, termination is a time when people in a group recognize an end to their work together, handle it in personal ways, and separate from each other. Small cooperative classes and classes that have worked in small groups much of the semester particularly need to acknowledge their ending and formalize it together.

Traditional methods include “rounds” of feedback or farewell, small group legacy art, or a class pizza party. Activities can emphasize the content of any specific course, such as a multicultural picnic where people bring dishes representing their cultural heritage (for a crosscultural course); a campus tour where students point out the influence of western heritage on their everyday lives (for a western heritage course); or a review for finals through a group-created content game similar to Jeopardy. Small groups might naturally convene study groups for the final exam. The instructor can also use the termination stage for a “capstone” experience, such as attending a legislative session or videotaping a class version of a political talk show.

Using group activities in the college classroom not only leads to enhanced learning of course content, but also increases the confidence and competence of students as problem-solvers. Successful group activities grow out of a learning-based rationale and require careful planning and monitoring. The instructor must be sensitive to the diverse needs and expectations of the students and their varying developmental levels. Instructors who are aware of the stages through which groups evolve can match small group activities and assignments appropriately to these stages. Recognizing that most groups move through four stages (initiat transitional working and termination) can help instructors to plan activities and assignments that lead to optimal learning at each stage. Setting aside time for reflection, evaluation and discussion is vital for successful use of small group techniques in the college classroom.

  • Angelo, T. A., & Cross, K. P. (1993). Classroom assessment techniques: A handbook for college teachers (2nd. ed.). San Francisco: Jossey Bass.
  • Astin, A. (1987). Achieving educational excellence. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
  • Bonwell, C. C., & Eison, J. A. (1991). Active learning: Creating excitement in the classroom. Washington, DC: ASHE/ERIC Clearinghouse on Higher Education.
  • Bruffee, K. A. (1993). Collaborative learning: Higher education, interdependence, and the authority of knowkdge. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press.
  • Cohen, E.G. (1986). Designing groupwork: Strategies for the heterogeneous classroom. New York: Teachers College Press.
  • Corey, M. S., & Corey, G. (1992). Groups: Process and practice (4th ed.). Pacific Grove, CA: Brooks/Cole.
  • Cottell, Jr., P. G., & Millis, B. J. (1994). Complex cooperative learning structures for college and university courses. In E.Wadsworth (Ed.), To Improve the Academy, Vol. 13, (pp. 285-307). Stillwater, OK: New Forums Press and the Professional and Organizational Development Network in Higher Education.
  • Edwards, H. C. (1993). Mistakes and other classroom techniques: An application of social learning theory. Journal on Excellence in College Teaching, 3, 49-60.
  • Finkel, D. L., & Monk, G. S. (1979). The design of intellectual experience. The Journal of Experiential Education, 2, 31-38.
  • Forsyth, D. R. (1990). Group dynamics (2nd ed.). Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole.
  • Goodsell, A., Maher, M., & Tinto, V. (1992). Collaborative learning: A source book for higher education. University Park, PA: National Center on Postsecondary Teaching, Learning, & Assessment.
  • Johnson, D. W., & Johnson, R. T. (1989). Cooperation and competition: Theory and research. Edina, MN: Interaction Book.
  • Kadel, S., & Keenher, J. A. (1994). Collaborative learning: A sourcebook for higher education, 2. University Park, PA: National Center for Postsecondary Teaching, Learning & Assessment.
  • Light, R. (1990-1991). The Harvard assessment seminars: Explorations with students and faculty about teaching, learning, and student life. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
  • Michaelson, L. K., Fink, L. D., & Black. R. H. (1996). What every faculty developer needs to know about learning groups. In L. Richlin (Ed.), To Improve the Academy, Vol. 15, (pp. 31-57). Stillwater, OK: New Forums Press and the Professional and Organizational Development Network in Higher Education.
  • Perry, W. G. (1968). Forms of intellectual and ethical development in the college years. New York: Rinehart & Winston, Inc.
  • Richlin, L, & Cox, M. D. (1994). Teaching, learning and the student-teacher relationship: A message from the editors. Journal on Excellence in College Teaching, 5, 1-3.
  • Rohnke, K. (1984). Silver bullets: A guide to initiative problems, adventure games and trust activities. Dubuque, IA: Kendall/Hunt
  • Schmuck, R. A, & Schmuck, P. A. (1992). Group processes in the classroom (6th ed.). Dubuque, IA: William C. Brown.
  • Thomas, T. (1992). Connected teaching: An exploration of the classroom enterprise. Journal on Excellence In College Teaching, 3, 101-119.

Kathryn J. Watson

Associate Dean for Faculty Development

Eckerd College

4200 54th Avenue South

St. Petersburg, Florida 33711

(813) 864-8474

(813) 864-7890 FAX

[email protected]

Kathryn J. Watson was a 1993-1994 American Council on Education Fellow at Denison University. She is Associate Dean for Faculty Development and Intergenerational Learning and Professor of Education at Eckerd College. She teaches courses in group dynamics, education and human development, and environmental studies, and coordinates new faculty orientation and faculty development programs. She is the curriculum consultant for the NSF/NEH grant to develop an interdisciplinary Enviromnental Studies major at Eckerd College and serves as project coordinator for the CAPHE Grant on Faculty Roles and Rewards.

Sandra A. Harris is Associate Professor of Human Development. She teaches courses in socialization, gender, child roles and family systems, and counseling strategies. She has studied groups in Greece, Japan and Hawaii and is a member of the ASIANetwork.

Geektonight

What is Group? Definition, Types, Characteristics, Stages of Group Development

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What is Group?

We define a group has two or more individuals, interacting and interdependent, who have come together to achieve particular common objectives. A group can range in size from two members to thousands of members.

Very small collectives, such as dyads (two members) and triads (three members) are groups, but so are very large collections of people, such as mobs, crowds, and congregations.

Table of Content

  • 1 What is Group?
  • 2 Definition of Group
  • 3 Features of Group
  • 4.1 Forming
  • 4.2 Storming
  • 4.3 Norming
  • 4.4 Performing
  • 4.5 Adjourning
  • 5.1 Classic Theory
  • 5.2 Social Exchange Theory
  • 5.3 Social Identity Theory
  • 6.1 Formal Group
  • 6.2 Informal Groups
  • 7.1 Sense of we-feeling
  • 7.2 Common interest
  • 7.3 Feling of unity
  • 7.4 Related to each other
  • 7.5 Affected by group characteristics
  • 7.6 Common values
  • 7.7 Control of group
  • 7.8 Obligation
  • 7.9 Expectations
  • 8.1 Group Structure
  • 8.2 Group Size
  • 8.3 Group Roles
  • 8.4 Role Perception
  • 8.5 Role Expectation
  • 8.6 Role Conflict
  • 8.7 Group Norms
  • 8.8 Group Cohesiveness
  • 8.9 Groupthink
  • 9 Impact of Group on the Change of Individual Attitude
  • 10 Impact of Group Working on Organisational Outcomes
  • 11 Human Resources Tutorial
  • 12 Human Resource Management

In an organisational setting, groups are a common organisational component and the study of groups and group dynamics is an important area of study in organisational behaviour. Group dynamics refers to the attitudinal and behavioural characteristics of a group. Group dynamics concern how groups form, their structure and process, and how they function.

There are several theories as to why groups develop. The most common framework for examining the “how” of group formation was developed by Bruce Tuckman (1965). In essence, the steps in group formation imply that groups do not usually perform at maximum effectiveness when they are first established.

They encounter several stages of development during the course of development and then become productive and effective. Most groups experience the same developmental stages with similar conflicts and resolutions.

Definition of Group

Everyone knows what a group is in general. When two persons or more come together and interact at one place it may be called a group. The group may be defined in various ways. Given below are a few important definitions of a group and each of these definitions emphasises one or the other important features of the group.

R.M. Williams (1951) “A social group is a given aggregate of people playing inter-related roles and recognised by themselves or others as a unit of interaction.” Here it can be said the group is an aggregate of some people. The roles of the group members are interrelated. The group is considered a unit.

R.M. MacIver (1953) “By group we mean any collection of social beings who enter into distinctive social relationships with one another.” It is clear that there must be social relationships between the individual members of a group.

David (1968) “ A social psychological group is an organised system of two or more individuals who are interrelated so that the system performs some functions, has a standard set of the role relationship among its members and has a set of norms that regulate the function of the group and each of its members.”

Kretch, Crutchfield and Ballachy (1962) defined psychological group “ as two or more persons who meet the following conditions : (i) the relations among the members are independent, each member’s behaviour influences the behaviour of each of the others, (ii) the members ‘share on ideology’ – a set of beliefs, values and norms which regulate their mutual conduct.”

Paulus (1989) “ A group consists of two or more interacting persons who share common goals, have a stable relationship, are somehow interdependent and perceive that they are in fact part of a group.”

Here we can say that individuals interact with each other, either directly or indirectly. Besides this, the group members are interdependent in some manner, i.e., what happens to one must affect what happens to the others. Not only this, their relationship must be relatively stable.

The members of the group involve to attain the goals and their interaction will be in a structured form so that, each group member performs the same or more or less similar functions each time they meet. Finally, it can be said that the individuals involved in a group must recognise that they are part of a group.

Features of Group

The important features of the group are:

  • One or more individuals come together and influence each other.
  • There are social interactions and relationships amongst the individual members of a group.
  • There exists some common motives, drives, interests, emotions etc. amongst group members.
  • There is communication among group members, both verbal and or non-verbal.
  • The group members have some common object of attention and group members stimulate each other.
  • They have common loyalty and participate in similar activities.
  • There exits feeling of unity in the group. Group members treat each other with respect and regard and has a sense of comradiere that develops among them.
  • The action of the members is controlled by the group.
  • There are some customs, norms and procedures which are acceptable to everyone but if exception happens, then the particular member will be ostracised from the group.

Stages of Group Development

According to Tuckman’s theory, there are five stages of group development: forming, storming, norming, performing, and adjourning. During these stages group, members must address several issues and the way in which these issues are resolved determines whether the group will succeed in accomplishing its tasks.

The five-stage group-development model are:

The first stage, Forming stage, faces a great amount of uncertainty about the group’s purpose, structure, and leadership amongst the members of the group. Members “test the waters” to determine what types of behaviours are acceptable. This stage is complete when members have begun to think of themselves as part of a group.

The Storming stage is one of intra-group conflict. Members accept the existence of the group but resist the constraints it imposes on individuality. There is conflict over who will control the group. When this stage is complete, there will be a relatively clear hierarchy of leadership within the group.

In the third stage Norming, close relationships evolve and the group develops cohesiveness. There is now a strong sense of group identity and camaraderie. This Norming stage is complete when the group structure solidifies and the group has assimilated a common set of expectations of what defines the correct behaviour of members.

The fourth stage is Performing. The structure at this point is fully functional and accepted. Group energy has moved from getting to know and understand each other to perform the task at hand. For permanent workgroups, performing is the last stage in development.

However, for temporary committees, teams, task forces, and similar groups that have a limited task to perform, the Adjourning stage is for wrapping up activities and preparing to disband. Some group members are upbeat, basking in the group’s accomplishments.

Others may be depressed over the loss of camaraderie and friendships gained during the work group’s life.

Many interpreters of the five-stage model have assumed a group becomes more effective as it progresses through the first four stages. Although this may be generally true, what makes a group effective is actually more complex.

First, groups proceed through the stages of group development at different rates. Those with a strong sense of purpose and strategy rapidly achieve high performance and improve over time, whereas those with less sense of purpose actually see their performance worsen over time.

Similarly, groups that begin with a positive social focus appear to achieve the “performing” stage more rapidly. Nor do groups always proceed clearly from one stage to the next. Storming and performing can occur simultaneously, and groups can even regress to previous stages.

Other Theories of Group Development

Classic theory, social exchange theory, social identity theory.

The classic theory was developed by George Homans, which suggests that groups develop based on activities, interactions, and sentiments. Basically, the theory means that when individuals share common activities, they will have more interaction and will develop attitudes (positive or negative) toward each other.

The major component of this theory is the interaction of the individuals in the group.

Social exchange theory offers an alternative explanation for group development. According to this theory, individuals form relationships based on the implicit expectation of mutually beneficial exchanges based on trust and felt an obligation.

Thus, a perception that exchange relationships will be positive is essential if individuals are to be attracted to and affiliate with a group.

Social identity theory offers another explanation for group formation. This theory suggests that individuals get a sense of identity and self-esteem based upon their membership in the groups.

The nature of the group may be demographically based, culturally based, or organisationally based. Individuals are motivated to belong to and contribute to the identity of groups because of the sense of belongingness and self-worth the membership in the group gives to them.

Types of Groups

One most common way to classify a group is ‘ formal ’ or ‘ informal ’ in nature.

Formal Group

Formal workgroups are created by the organisation to achieve organisational goals. These groups are defined based on certain parameters or the boundaries in a formal way e.g. Sales Department, HR department, South region etc. Formal groups may take the form of command groups, task groups, and functional groups.

Control Group

Control Group means the group which is under the responsibility of a manager and the individuals account before the manager only. An example is a manager, responsible for the financial affairs department, and his/her staff working under his/her responsibility.

Task Group means the group which is formed in order to perform the tasks that are determined by the organization. In order to accomplish the goal, the group may have cross-control relations. If the crime is committed or there is a fault in the institution, then other units should also work in coordination with each other.

Functional group

Functional group is generally created by the organisation to accomplish specific goals within an unspecified time frame. Functional group generally exists after achievement of current goals and objects

The organisation’s structure in most of the time defines formal groups with designated work assignments establishing tasks.

In formal groups, the behaviours team members should engage in are stipulated by and directed by the organisational defined policies and working rules and are aligned toward organisational goals. The members of an airline flight crew are a formal group.

Informal Groups

In contrast, an informal group is neither formally structured nor organisationally determined or defined. Informal groups are natural formations in the work environment that appears in response to the need for social contact. Three employees from different departments who regularly have lunch or coffee together are an informal group. However, these types of interactions among individuals, though informal, deeply affect their behaviour and performance.

Informal groups can have a strong influence in organisations’ decision making that can either be positive or negative. For example, employees who form an informal group can either discuss how to improve a production process or how to create shortcuts that jeopardise quality. Informal groups can take the form of interest groups, friendship groups, or reference groups.

Command Group

Command groups are specified by the organisational chart and often consist of a supervisor and the subordinates that report to that supervisor. An example of a command group is an academic department chairman and the faculty members in that department.

Task groups are formed of people who work together to achieve a specific common task. Members are brought together to accomplish a narrow range of goals within a specified time period. Task groups are also commonly referred to as ‘task forces’. The organisation appoints members and assigns the goals and tasks to be accomplished.

Examples of assigned tasks are the development of a new product, the improvement of a production process, or the proposal of a motivational contest. Other common task groups are ad hoc committees, project groups, and standing committees.

Ad hoc committees are temporary groups created to resolve a specific complaint or develop a process. Project groups are similar to ad hoc committees and normally disband after the group completes the assigned task. Standing committees are more permanent than ad hoc committees and project groups. They maintain longer life spans by rotating members into the group.

Functional Group

A functional group is created by the organisation to accomplish specific goals within an unspecified time frame. Functional groups remain in existence after achievement of current goals and objectives. Examples of functional groups would be a marketing department, a customer service department, or an accounting department.

Interest Groups

Interest groups usually continue over time and may last longer than general informal groups. Members of interest groups may not be part of the same organisational department but they are bound together by some other common interest.

The goals and objectives of group interests are specific to each group and may not be related to organisational goals and objectives. An example of an interest group would be students who come together to form a study group for a specific class.

Friendship Groups

Friendship groups are formed by members who enjoy similar social activities, political beliefs, religious values, or other common bonds. Members enjoy each other’s company and often meet after work to participate in these activities.

For example, a group of employees who form a friendship group may have an exercise Groups Formation, Development and their impact on organisational processes group, a softball team, or a potluck lunch once a month. Recent examples may be WhatsApp groups, FB groups etc.

Reference Groups

A reference group is a type of group that people use to evaluate themselves. According to Cherrington (1994) the main purposes of reference groups are social validation and social comparison. Social validation allows individuals to justify their attitudes and values while social comparison helps individuals evaluate their own actions by comparing themselves to others. Reference groups have a strong influence on members’ behaviour.

By comparing themselves with other members, individuals are able to assess whether their behaviour is acceptable and whether their attitudes and values are right or wrong. Reference groups are different from the previously discussed groups because they may not actually meet or form voluntarily.

For example, the reference group for a new employee of an organisation may be a group of employees that work in a different department or even a different organisation. Family, friends, and religious affiliations are strong reference groups for most individuals. Some of the groups and discussion forums on Linkedin may be a virtual type of Reference Group.

Characteristics of Groups

Suppose you belong to a group where you may observe some special features which you can accept or not. It may be good or bad, healthy or unhealthy favourable or unfavourable, but there are certain significant features say the characteristics of the group.

Sense of we-feeling

There is a feeling of belongingness among the members of the group. The members of the group help each other in performing their duties. They work collectively against the harmful powers. They treat people who do not belong to the group as outsiders. They always try to make the group self-sufficient.

Common interest

Each and every member of the group has a common interest. There is similarity among the members in regard to their interest which promotes unity. The group includes those persons who are related to each other in such a way that they should be treated as one.

Feling of unity

Unity is essential for every group. Each and every member of the group treats each other as their own and there develops a sense of camaraderie amongst the members of group.

Related to each other

It is true that members of the group are inter-related. There is a reciprocal communication among the group members. Social relations are the fundamentals of group life.

Affected by group characteristics

Every group has some social characteristics which separate it from similar and dissimilar groups. These characteristics affect the members of the group. The nature may be different for different persons, but still all the members are affected by the group.

Common values

There are certain values which are common among members and are traditionally respected and communicated to the succeeding generation. They are manifested in the mutual behaviours of the members. Members of the social group are bound together in terms of theses common values.

Control of group

In each group there are some customs, norms and procedures which are acceptable to everyone. In fact, without some norms, the existence of group life is impossible. It may be stated that the reasons behind the similarity of behaviours in a group life is that the actions of the members are controlled by the group.

In a group situation, all members have complementary obligations to each other. Also the relationships between the members of a group get strengthened through their mutual obligation and common social values.

Expectations

Not only mutual obligation, the members of the group also expects love, compassion, empathy, co-operation etc., from all other members of the group. If mutual expectation is fulfilled, the group members are maintained in tact. A group can maintain its existence only if the constituent members fulfill their responsibility by satisfying the desires among themselves.

Groups are the units of social organisation. Therefore, the integration and disintegration of social organisation are dependent upon the integration or disintegration of the groups. In group, social relationship is a very important factor. The first and foremost social relationship indicates the relationship among the family members. Thus, it can further be said that family is an important social group.

Terms Related to Group

Let us first understand various terms which are evolved over the time based on various researches and continuous development of theories.

Group Structure

Group structure is a pattern of relationships amongst members that hold the group together and help it achieve assigned goals. A structure can be described in a variety of ways. Among the more common considerations are group size, group roles, group norms, and group cohesiveness.

The size of a group affects the group’s overall behaviour. Group size can vary from 2 people to a very large number of people.

Small groups of two to ten are thought to be more effective because each member has ample opportunity to participate and become actively involved in the group.

Large groups may waste time by deciding on processes and trying to decide who should participate next. Group size will affect not only participation but satisfaction as well.

Group Roles

Group Roles are a set of expected behaviour patterns attributed to someone occupying a given position in a social unit. We are all required to play a number of roles, and our behaviour varies with each. So different groups impose different role requirements on individuals.

Role Perception

Our view of how we’re supposed to act in a given situation is a role Groups Formation, Development and their impact on organisational processes perception. We get role perceptions from stimuli all around us—for example, friends, books, films, television etc.

Role Expectation

Role expectation is the way others believe you should act in a given context. In the workplace, we look at role expectations through the perspective of the psychological contract, viz. an unwritten agreement that exists between employee and employer.

Role Conflict

When compliance with one role requirement may make it difficult to comply with another, the result is role conflict. At the extreme, two or more role expectations are mutually contradictory.

Group Norms

All groups have established norms – acceptable standards of behaviour shared by their members that express what they ought and ought not to do under certain circumstances. When agreed to and accepted by the group, norms influence members’ behaviour with a minimum of external controls.

Different groups, communities, and societies have different norms, but they all have them. Norms can cover virtually any aspect of group behaviour.

Group Cohesiveness

Cohesiveness refers to the bonding of group members and their desire to remain part of the group. Many factors influence the amount of group cohesiveness. Groups also tend to become cohesive when they are in intense competition with other groups or face a serious external threat to survival. Smaller groups and those who spend considerable time together also tend to be more cohesive.

Cohesiveness in workgroups has many positive effects, including worker satisfaction, low turnover and absenteeism, and higher productivity. However, highly cohesive groups may be detrimental to organisational performance if the goals of the group are misaligned with organisational goals. Highly cohesive groups may also be more vulnerable to groupthink.

Groupthink occurs when members of a group exert pressure on each other to come to a consensus in decision making. Groupthink results in careless judgments, unrealistic appraisals of alternative courses of action, and a lack of reality testing. It can lead to a number of decision-making issues such as the following:

  • Incomplete assessments of the problem
  • Incomplete information search
  • Bias in processing information
  • Inadequate development of alternatives
  • Failure to examine the risks of the preferred choice

Evidence suggests that groups typically outperform individuals when the tasks involved require a variety of skills, experience, and decision making. Groups are often more flexible and can quickly assemble, achieve goals, and disband or move on to another set of objectives.

Many organisations have found that groups have many motivational aspects as well. Group members are more likely to participate in decision-making and problem-solving activities leading to empowerment and increased productivity.

Groups complete most of the work in an organisation; thus, the effectiveness of the organisation is limited by the effectiveness of its groups.

Impact of Group on the Change of Individual Attitude

The group may increase or decrease or prevent the change of attitude in its members, namely if this change of attitude is in the group’s norm, then the group plays an increasing role in this change, but if it conflicts with the group norm, then the group plays the preventive role in this change of attitude.

This is the result of which the agreement in the group plays the supportive role in order to protect the individual’s attitude in direction of the group norm. The group decision is taken as a result of group discussion and the members find an agreement (norm) in the group.

Impact of Group Working on Organisational Outcomes

Group working has a direct relationship with the performance in organisations. There is always interdependence in organisations on each other. The various departments depend upon the performance of other departments.

For example, Marketing Department has to depend on Production and Quality control for the satisfaction of customers. Similarly, the Purchase department can ensure smooth on-time purchase when the Finance department arranges funds and ensures payments on-time to the suppliers.

The whole ecosystem within the organisation and even with external stakeholders depend upon each other in a very complex manner. The interdependence thus becomes key.

Similarly, within the group interdependence on each other is critical for performance towards the desired results. In case of conflicts within the team, with no means to resolve conflicts, may lead to lack of performance of the team. This may not only impact the outcomes of the team, but also the entire performance of the organisation.

Therefore, effective group work is critical to the success of an organisation. Groups may enhance outcomes or retard outcomes depending on various factors linked with Group Working.

Some of these important factors are given below:

  • Shared Goals: The understanding of common shared goal is very important for the purpose of effective team working. When Groups align and understand goals and share is strongly, they are able to align their efforts in same directions.
  • Shared culture : When groups have strong common culture. They agree and share the Values, Attitude, beliefs, assumptions and norms they are able to work in an appropriate manner without wasting time on conflicts on many issues and better understanding of each other.
  • Cohesiveness : The group which are able to become a cohesive team are able to perform better. This is also true for a cricket team or a hockey team. Higher cohesiveness is builtt consciously over time and through lot of formal and informal engagement exercises. Companies devote lot of efforts and money to build right kind on teams.
  • Right Competence within the team : Even if the group has all the above but do not have right skills or competence they may not be able to deliver right performance. Thus right teams or groups must possess the required competencies. A complete team has right attributes both behavioural as well as functional. In absence of this group may frustrate and spilt.

Organisations focus on building above essential components in the group because these impact organisational outcomes.

Human Resources Tutorial

( Click on Topic to Read )

  • Human Resource Management
  • Human Resource Planning
  • What is Recruitment ?
  • What is Selection ?
  • Employee Induction
  • Types of Training
  • Importance of Training
  • Training Process
  • Human Resource Accounting
  • Methods of Human Resource Accounting
  • How to Create Training Program
  • What is Motivation ?
  • Performance Appraisal
  • Performance Appraisal Process
  • Performance Appraisal Problems
  • Management by Objectives
  • 360 Degree Performance Appraisal
  • What is Compensation ?
  • Employee Discipline
  • What is Employee Grievance ?
  • What is Collective Bargaining ?
  • What is HRIS ?
  • Competency Based Training
  • What is Human Resource Planning ?
  • Human Resource Planning Process
  • Human Resource Demand Forecasting
  • What is Human Resource Development ?
  • Challenges of Human Resource Development
  • Methods of Performance Appraisal
  • What is Job Analysis ?
  • What is Job Design ?
  • Recruitment Meaning
  • Effective Recruiting
  • Selection Process
  • What is Employee Induction ?
  • International Human Resource Management
  • Cross Cultural Theories
  • Dimensions of Culture
  • HRM Practices
  • International Selection Process
  • Expatriate Training
  • International Compensation
  • Human Resource Development
  • Methods of Human Resource Development
  • Steps for Designing HRD Intervention
  • Employee Orientation
  • Employee Socialization
  • Realistic Job Review
  • Performance Management System
  • 360 Degree Assessment

Employee Assistance Program

  • What is Coaching?
  • What is Mentoring ?
  • Leadership Development
  • Management Development
  • Organisational Development
  • What is Planned Change
  • Types of OD Interventions
  • What is Performance Management ?
  • Performance Planning
  • Competency Mapping
  • What is Performance Appraisal ?
  • Employee Performance Monitoring
  • Performance Counselling
  • Performance Management and Reward
  • Ethics in Performance Management
  • Role of HR Professionals in Performance Management
  • What is Group ?
  • Group Dynamics
  • Organisational Culture
  • Group Decision Making
  • Group Conflict
  • Diversity in the Workplace

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W gold cup 2024: group stage standings, schedule, tv channel, streaming, share this article.

The 2024 Concacaf W Gold Cup is here, with 12 teams contesting the inaugural edition of the tournament.

Eight Concacaf teams, along with the top four sides from the 2022 Copa América Femenina, will be sorted into three groups of four.

The top two teams in each group will advance to the quarterfinals, along with the two best third-place finishers from the groups.

In the United States, Paramount+ will carry all of the group stage games in English. ESPN+ will carry Spanish-language coverage.

Los Angeles’ Dignity Health Sports Park (Group A), Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego (Group B), and Houston’s Shell Energy Stadium (Group C) will host group-stage games, while the quarterfinals will all be played at BMO Stadium in LA.

The Gold Cup semifinals and final will be played at Snapdragon Stadium.

Here is how the 2024 Concacaf W Gold Cup will shape up.

Group A schedule (all times ET)

February 20: Mexico 0-0 Argentina

February 20: United States 5-0 Dominican Republic

February 23: Dominican Republic vs. Mexico — 7:30 p.m.

February 23: Argentina vs. United States — 10:15 p.m.

February 26: Argentina vs. Dominican Republic — 7:00 p.m.

February 26: United States vs. Mexico — 10:15 p.m.

Group B schedule (all times ET)

February 21: Panama vs. Colombia — 7:30 p.m.

February 21: Brazil vs. Puerto Rico — 10:15 p.m.

February 24: Puerto Rico vs. Panama — 7:30 p.m.

February 24: Colombia vs. Brazil — 10:15 p.m.

February 27: Colombia vs. Puerto Rico — 7:00 p.m.

February 27: Brazil vs. Panama — 10:15 p.m.

Group C schedule (all times ET)

February 22: Canada vs. El Salvador — 6:15 p.m.

February 22: Costa Rica vs. Paraguay — 9:00 p.m.

February 25: Paraguay vs. Canada — 5:00 p.m.

February 25: El Salvador vs. Costa Rica — 8:00 p.m.

February 28: Canada vs. Costa Rica — 6:00 p.m.

February 28: Paraguay vs. El Salvador — 9:00 p.m.

We occasionally recommend interesting products and services. If you make a purchase by clicking one of the links, we may earn an affiliate fee. Pro Soccer Wire operates independently, though, and this doesn’t influence our coverage.

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Daytona 500 highlights: All the top moments from William Byron's win in NASCAR opener

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If 2023 was a breakthrough year for William Byron , 2024 could prove to be even bigger.

Byron, who led all NASCAR Cup Series drivers with six wins last season, scored the biggest triumph of his career Monday evening, winning the 66 th annual Daytona 500 to kick off the 2024 season.

Byron took the white flag at Daytona International Speedway in his No. 24 Chevrolet seconds before a caution flag flew because of a last-lap crash. The 26-year-old edged his Hendrick Motorsports teammate Alex Bowman for the checkered flag, NASCAR officials ruled, after reviewing the sequence of events.

"Just extremely blessed and thankful for all the opportunities, now just want to keep it going," Byron said after exiting his car. "We have a lot to prove this year, and this is a good start obviously. Daytona 500, it’s freaking awesome!"

The one-two finish made a memorable day even more special for team owner Rick Hendrick and Hendrick Motorsports vice chairman, Jeff Gordon, who famously drove the No. 24 Hendrick Chevrolet to three Daytona 500 wins and four NASCAR Cup Series championships.

Monday marked the 40 th anniversary of Hendrick Motorsports' first race, and Byron’s win gave the team owner a record-tying nine Daytona 500 victories. Byron became the sixth different driver to win the Daytona 500 for Hendrick Motorsports and the first in nine years.

Monday's win marked Byron's 11th Cup Series victory since 2018. The Charlotte, North Carolina native made it to the NASCAR championship race in 2023, finishing fourth in the race and third in the final standings behind champion Ryan Blaney and Kyle Larson, who won the 2021 title as a Hendrick driver.

Now Byron will seek to join Larson and 2020 Cup Series champion Chase Elliott, and bring another season title to NASCAR's most successful owner 35 races from now.

It was a particularly rough ending for Team Penske and Ford, which had multiple Daytona 500 contenders taken out in two late crashes. The first one, with eight laps remaining, wiped out pole-sitter and 2015 winner Joey Logano and Blaney, among others, in a massive 18-car crash. The final crash took out 2022 Daytona 500 winner Austin Cindric, who was in position to win again on the penultimate lap before a wreck ended his and Penske's hopes for a victory lane celebration.

"It’s just a really unfortunate end. We had a shot to win the Daytona 500," Cindric said. "We were really in great position with the outside lane breaking up and kind of one-on-one with the 24 with the whole pack behind, so you can’t really ask for anything else other than that out of myself and the team. It just sucks a little bit.”

Cindric finished 22nd, Blaney 30th and Logano 32nd. Noah Gragson, driving the Stewart-Haas Racing No. 10, had the best finish for For in nignth. Joe Gibbs Racing's Christopher Bell came home third to lead the Toyota drivers.

“Honestly, we got really fortunate – with those two wrecks, you know," Bell said. "Being on the bottom lane, I was able to squeeze by that last wreck. We had an awesome Interstate Batteries DEWALT Camry. ... When we had track position, we were fast."

Continue below the photo gallery to read a recap and play-by-play of Monday's race.

2024 Daytona 500 final results

After reviewing the finishing order following the last-lap crash between Ross Chastain and Austin Cindric, NASCAR revealed the final results of the 2024 Daytona 500, which saw a handful of less-heralded drivers finish in the top 10:

  • William Byron, No. 24 Chevrolet
  • Alex Bowman, No. 48 Chevrolet
  • Christopher Bell, No. 20 Toyota
  • Corey LaJoie, No. 7 Chevrolet
  • Bubba Wallace, No. 23 Toyota
  • AJ Allmendinger, No. 16 Chevrolet
  • John Hunter Nemechek, No. 42 Toyota
  • Erik Jones, No. 43 Toyota
  • Noah Gragson, No. 10 Ford
  • Chase Briscoe No. 14 Ford

Click here for the full results from the 2024 Daytona 500 .

William Byron wins 2024 Daytona as race ends under caution

William Byron won the 66th annual Daytona 500 Monday at Daytona International Speedway after NASCAR's premier race was delayed one day by rain.

Byron edged Hendrick Motorsports teammate Alex Bowman as a crash broke out just as Byron took the white flag for the final lap. Officials immediately threw a caution flag, and the checkered flag followed, giving Byron his first Daytona 500 win.

After a massive crash shook up the race with eight laps remaining, the race restarted with just four laps left with Byron and Ross Chastain leading two large packs. Near the end of the penultimate lap, Chastain tried to squeeze in front of 2022 Daytona 500 winner Austin Cindric to retake the lead on the inside lane, but Chastain's No. 1 Chevrolet collided Cindric's No. 2 Ford, igniting a crash and bringing out the final caution as the final lap began.

Huge crash erupts as 2024 Daytona nears end

The "Big One" broke out at Daytona International Speedway with eight laps remaining in the 2024 Daytona 500.

Alex Bowman gave a hard shove to his Hendrick Motorsports teammate William Byron to push the middle pack forward, but Byron's No. 24 Chevrolet got loose, wiggled and then slammed into Brad Keselowski's No. 6 Ford, who was leading the inside lane. That contact near the front of the field triggered a massive crash that collected a 18 f cars including some of the favorites.

Among the cars taken out of the race in the crash: 2023 NASCAR Cup Series champion Ryan Blaney, three-time Daytona 500 winner Denny Hamlin pole-sitter Joey Logano, the 2015 Daytona champ, and 2021 Cup Series champion Kyle Larson.

"It's speedway racing. It's a lot of fun until it sucks," Logano said after being checked and released from the infield care center along with Blaney, his Team Penske teammate.

Last year's winner Ricky Stenhouse Jr. also got collected, along with Noah Gragson, Chase Briscoe, Chris Buescher, Martin Truex Jr., Daniel Hemric, Todd Gilliland, Ryan Preece, Erik Jones, Tyler Reddick, Ty Gibbs, Anthony Alfredo and Daniel Suarez

Officials threw the red flag on Lap 192, halting the race as the mangled cars were removed from the track.

Daytona 500 nears end after final pit stops

Cars came down pit road for their final fuel stops with 20 laps remaining in Monday's race. Most of the drivers pitted with other cars from the same manufacturer.

Pit stops finished with 18 laps to go with Ross Chastain and Joey Logano upfront.

Joey Logano surges to the lead in Daytona 500 final stage

Pole sitter Joey Logano assumed the lead on Lap 163 of 200 and has maintained it with final pit stops for fuel approaching. David Ragan, driving a one-off car for RFK Racing, and Brad Keselowski, co-owner of RFK, also moved to the front of the field, following Logano in the bottom lane. Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch paced the top lane with less than 30 laps remaining.

Denny Hamlin, Kyle Busch battle for the lead midway through third stage

Former teammates Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch battled for the lead midway through the third and final segment of the 2024 Daytona 500. Busch was a longtime teammate of Hamlin with Joe Gibbs Racing before moving to Richard Childress Racing last season.

Hamlin has won three Daytona 500, the most among active drivers. Busch has won two NASCAR Cup Series championships but has never taken the checkered flag at "The Great American Race."

Stage 3 goes green as Daytona 500 hits final segment

Austin Cindric and Bubba Wallace led two competing packs as Stage 3 began in the Daytona 500 with less than 70 laps to go.

The cars then went three-wide a few laps later with AJ Allmendinger, Martin Truex Jr. and Tyler Reddick taking over the lead of the three packs.

Ryan Blaney wins Stage 2 of 2024 Daytona 500

Ryan Blaney won the second stage of the Daytona 500 after a power move on the closing lap. The reigning series champion dropped down to the bottom lane below his Penske teammate Austin Cindric and surged past him to take the lead and the checkered flag for Stage 2. Cindric, who won the 2022 Daytona 500, moved up in front of Kyle Busch on the outside lane to avoid falling back and held on to finish second, with Daniel Suarez taking third and Busch fourth.

Here are the top-10 finishers of Stage (all will receive Stage points, with 10 points to the winner and one point to the 10th-place finisher:

  • Ryan Blaney, Ford
  • Austin Cindric, Ford
  • Daniel Suarez, Chevrolet
  • Kyle Busch, Cheverolet
  • Tyler Reddick, Toyota
  • William Byron, Chevrolet
  • Bubba Wallace, Toyota
  • Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Chevrolet
  • AJ Allemdinger, Chevrolet
  • Chris Buescher, Ford

Stage 2 leaderboard shakes up with green flag pit stops

Kyle Busch takes the lead from Todd Gilliland on Lap 93 of 200, bringing Bubba Wallace with him.

A few laps later, 20 cars came down pit road to take fuel to make it to the end of Stage 2. The group was led by Wallace, Ryan Preece, Joey Logao and Martin Truex Jr. Preece was nabbed for speeding entering pit road and had to serve a pass-thru penalty.

Busch led the next group down pit road and one lap later Kyle Larson led another group as the entire field took fuel.

Stage 2 begins at 2024 Daytona 500

Kyle Larson and Josh Berry led the restart as Stage 2 began on Lap 70. Denny Hamlin, Alex Bowman, William Byron, Chase Elliott and Bubba Wallace also started near the front. But Joey Logano, the 2015 Daytona 500 champion who won the pole on Wednesday, led a surge on the outside, taking the pack three-wide to take over the lead on Lap 72.

The pole sitter has not won the Daytona 500 since Dale Jarrett triumphed in 2000.

Chase Elliott wins Stage 1 of 2024 Daytona 500

Chase Elliott, NASCAR's most popular driver, won the opening stage of the 2024 Daytona, edging his Hendrick Motorsports teammate Kyle Larson at the line. Elliott got a push from Ross Chastain in Turn 4 on the final lap to push him past Larson at the line.

Chevrolet drivers were the big winners of the 60-lap, opening segment and took the top six positions. After superior green-flag pit stops, Chevy drivers were grouped together in the closing stretch and held off a group of Toyota drivers. Here are the top 10 drivers in the first segment, who will all receive stage points:

  • Chase Elliott, Chevrolet
  • Kyle Larson, Chevrolet
  • Ross Chastain, Chevrolet
  • Alex Bowman, Chevrolet
  • Kyle Busch, Chevrolet
  • Denny Hamlin, Toyota
  • Martin Truex Jr., Toyota

Cars come down pit road under green for gas to end Stage 1

A large group of nine Chevrolets hit pit road for a splash of fuel with 10 laps to go in Stage 1, led by former NASCAR Cup Series champions Kyle Busch, Chase Elliott and Kyle Larson. One lap later, on Lap 56, Bubba Wallace led the Toyota drivers down pit road, including Denny Hamlin, Martin Truex Jr. and Tyler Reddick.

Cars hit pit road under green in Stage 1

Green flag pit-stops began on Lap 40 of the opening stage, led by three cars from Team Penske. Joey Logano, Ryan Blaney and Austin Cindric led a group of cars down pit road to fuel up with enough gas to finish the stage. Brad Keselowski, Christopher Bell and Daniel Hemric also pitted with the Penske cars.

One lap later, Chris Buescher came down pit road on his own, as did Michael McDowell on Lap 47 – never a good idea at superspeedways, when staying in the pack is optimal for speed.

Daytona 500 resumes after early yellow flag

The Daytona 500 restarted on Lap 12 with Ryan Blaney and Christopher Bell pacing the field. Blaney, who had moved to the rear before the start because he was driving a backup car, elected to stay out on track when most of the field hit pit road during the early caution for fuel and/or fresh tires.

The caution flag flew because of a multi-car crash on Lap 6. Seven cars were involved, and Harrison Burton, Carson Hocevar, Kaz Grala, and Austin Dillon were forced to take their cars to the garage with excessive damage – ending their race early.

Multi-car crash on Lap 6 of Daytona 500 brings out caution flag

Just six laps into the 2024 Daytona 500, a multicar crash has already occurred. While racing three-wide in tight packs, Brad Keselowski, on the outside lane, got into the back of John Hunter Nemecheck, who swerved into the middle lane and into Harrison Burton, who then made hard contact with Carson Hocevar, sending both into the grass. As Burton and Hocevar came back onto the track, they collected Austin Dillon, Kaz Grala, Ryan Preece, and Jimmie Johnson.

Six drivers racing in backup cars

Six drivers had to drop to the rear of the field before the green flag waved because they were forced to go to backup cars after crashing in Thursday's Daytona Duel races. The drivers include reigning series champion Ryan Blaney in the No. 12 Ford and two-time Cup Series champion Kyle Busch in the No. 8 Chevrolet. Also dropping to the rear: William Byron (No. 24 Chevrolet), Noah Gragson (No. 10 Ford), Kaz Grala (No. 36 Ford) and Daniel Hemric (No. 31 Chevrolet).

Green flag flies at 2024 Daytona 500

Two former champions led the 40-driver field as the green flag waved at Daytona International Speedway for the "The Great American Race." Joey Logano, the 2015 champion, was on the pole in the No. 22 Ford, and Michael McDowell, the 2021 winner, started alongside in the the No. 34 Ford.

Who won last year’s Daytona 500?

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. edged two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Joey Logano in double overtime to win the 2023 Daytona 500. It marked Stenhouse’s third career Cup victory and his first since he won the Daytona summer race in 2017. The victory was also the first Daytona 500 win for JTG Daugherty Racing, a small team that hadn’t been to victory lane in any Cup Series race since 2014.

What is the Daytona 500 trophy?

The winner of the Daytona 500 will be presented with the Harley J. Earl Trophy, a four-foot-tall, five-foot-wide black and silver creation adorned with the winners of every Daytona 500.

The trophy is named after Harley J. Earl , an automobile designer, the father of the Corvette and the second commissioner of NASCAR.

They don't get to keep it, though. After the presentation, the big trophy, also known as the Harley J. Earl Perpetual Trophy, gets put back on display at Daytona International Speedway and the winner gets a smaller replica with a black base and a scaled-down version of the Firebird One that Earl created in 1954.

The winner's car also is put on display next to the trophy for fans to see over the next year. — C.A. Bridges, USA TODAY Network

How much money does the Daytona 500 winner get?

The total purse — all the money available to win — for the 2024 Daytona 500 is a record-breaking $28,035,991, up by more than $1 million from 2023, when the purse was $26,934,357. But as of 2016, NASCAR has not revealed how much of that the winner actually gets and how much goes to other drivers.

In 2015, it came out to about 9% of the total, so if that still holds, the winner of the 2024 Daytona 500 should get a payday of about $2.5 million. — C.A. Bridges, USA TODAY Network

What time does the 2024 Daytona 500 start?

The 2024 Daytona 500 is scheduled to start at 4 p.m. ET at Daytona International Speedway with the green flag around 4:30 p.m. ET.

What TV channel is the 2024 Daytona 500 on?

Fox is broadcasting the Daytona 500 with play-by-announcer Mike Joy and color commentators Clint Bowyer and Kevin Harvick .

Will there be a live stream of the 2024 Daytona 500?

The Daytona 500 can be live streamed on the  FoxSports website  and on the FoxSports app.

Who is the grand marshal for the 2024 Daytona 500?

Before the green flag flies, drivers must first be given a command to hit the track. That is the job of the grand marshal. For the 2024 Daytona 500, that job belongs to actor, producer, and former WWE star Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson , who will deliver the proverbial "four most important words in motorsports”: “Drivers, start your engines.”

Can the Daytona 500 be deemed official even if all laps haven’t been completed?

A race can be called early if the rain will not stop, and the forecast continues to look bleak. But a race cannot be declared official until at least 100 laps have been completed or Stage 2 ends, whichever comes first (For today's race, Stage 2 ends at lap 130). If a race is called early, the driver in the lead at that point is declared the winner.

What happens if it rains once the Daytona 500 has started?

After Sunday's postponement, it's natural for weather to be on the minds of fans. So what happens if it rains once the race goes green?

NASCAR officials will first throw a yellow caution flag and then bring the cars down pit road to their stalls. From there, officials will throw a red flag, halting the race, and teams will cover the cars after the drivers exit. But crews are not allowed to work on cars or fix any damage during a red flag.

During a stoppage, you might see your favorite drivers or teams hit social media to converse with fans, do television interviews, grab some food, or just lay low.

Once the rain has slowed down or stopped, the fleet of Air Titans hit the track to dry it out. The Air Titans are big vacuum/sweeper trucks equipped with compressed air to blow water off the track and suck it up. Once the track is deemed safe enough to drive on, the race resumes.

Who has the most Daytona 500 wins?

Richard Petty truly was the king at Daytona. Petty won the Daytona 500 seven times (1964, 1966, 1971, 1973, 1974, 1979 and 1981), three more than the next closest driver, Cale Yarborough (1968, 1977, 1983 and 1984).

Denny Hamlin has the most Daytona 500 wins among active drivers. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver, who will start eighth in the No. 11 Toyota, has won three times (2016, 2019 and 2020). Seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson (2006 and 2013) is the only other driver in the 2024 Daytona 500 field with more than one win; the co-owner of Legacy Motor Club is driving the No. 84 Toyota in the 2024 race.

Click for a full list of Daytona 500 winners by year .

Starting lineup for the 2024 Daytona 500

It will be an all-Ford front row with two former Daytona 500 winners pacing the field.  Joey Logano, the 2015 winner, won the pole  Wednesday night. The two-time Cup Series champion will start alongside 2021 Daytona 500 winner Michael McDowell.

Thursday night's Daytona Duel winners  will start on Row 2. Tyler Reddick starts third to lead the Toyota contingent, followed by fellow Toyota driver Christopher Bell.  Chase Elliott , the 2020 Cup Series champion, starts fifth, the best of the Chevrolet drivers.

Here are the top-10 starters for the 2024 Daytona 500. Click here for the full starting lineup :

  • 1. (22) Joey Logano, Ford
  • 2. (34) Michael McDowell, Ford
  • 3. (45) Tyler Reddick, Toyota
  • 4. (20) Christopher Bell, Toyota
  • 5. (9) Chase Elliott, Chevrolet
  • 6. (2) Austin Cindric, Ford
  • 7. (48) Alex Bowman, Chevrolet
  • 8. (11) Denny Hamlin, Toyota
  • 9. (77) Carson Hocevar, Chevrolet
  • 10. (42) John Hunter Nemechek, Toyota

Odds to win 2024 Daytona 500

Denny Hamlin, a three-time Daytona 500 winner, is the favorite to win today’s race, according to BetMGM , along with two-time Cup Series champions Joey Logano and Kyle Busch, and reigning series champion Ryan Blaney.

If you’re new to sports betting, don’t worry. We have tips for beginners on how to place a bet online . And USA TODAY readers can claim exclusive promos and bonus codes with these online sportsbooks and sports betting sites .

Here are drivers with the best odds to win the 2024 Daytona 500, per BetMGM as of Monday afternoon:

  • Denny Hamlin … +900
  • Joey Logano … +1200
  • Ryan Blaney … +1200
  • Kyle Busch … +1200
  • Brad Keselowski … +1300
  • Chase Elliott … +1500
  • Kyle Larson … +1600
  • Christopher Bell … +1800
  • Martin Truex Jr. … +1800
  • William Byron … +2000
  • Tyler Reddick … +2000
  • Bubba Wallace … +2000

How many laps is the Daytona 500?

Drivers will not race for 500 laps today but 500 miles. The oval at Daytona International Speedway is 2.5 miles, so to reach 500 miles, drivers need to race 200 laps around the track.

What are the Daytona 500 stages?

Nearly every NASCAR race is broken down into three stages, and drivers can collect stage points for finishing in the top 10 of a stage and a bonus point if they win a stage that would carry over to the playoffs later in the season.

Here the length of the stages for the 2024 Daytona 500: Stage 1: 65 laps; Stage 2: 65 laps; Stage 3: 70 laps.

Gannett may earn revenue from sports betting operators for audience referrals to betting services. Sports betting operators have no influence over nor are any such revenues in any way dependent on or linked to the newsrooms or news coverage. Terms apply, see operator site for Terms and Conditions. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, help is available. Call the National Council on Problem Gambling 24/7 at 1-800-GAMBLER (NJ, OH), 1-800-522-4700 (CO), 1-800-BETS-OFF (IA), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN). Must be 21 or older to gamble. Sports betting and gambling are not legal in all locations. Be sure to comply with laws applicable where you reside.

19th Edition of Global Conference on Catalysis, Chemical Engineering & Technology

  • Victor Mukhin

Victor Mukhin, Speaker at Chemical Engineering Conferences

Victor M. Mukhin was born in 1946 in the town of Orsk, Russia. In 1970 he graduated the Technological Institute in Leningrad. Victor M. Mukhin was directed to work to the scientific-industrial organization "Neorganika" (Elektrostal, Moscow region) where he is working during 47 years, at present as the head of the laboratory of carbon sorbents.     Victor M. Mukhin defended a Ph. D. thesis and a doctoral thesis at the Mendeleev University of Chemical Technology of Russia (in 1979 and 1997 accordingly). Professor of Mendeleev University of Chemical Technology of Russia. Scientific interests: production, investigation and application of active carbons, technological and ecological carbon-adsorptive processes, environmental protection, production of ecologically clean food.   

Title : Active carbons as nanoporous materials for solving of environmental problems

Quick links.

  • Conference Brochure
  • Tentative Program

Watsapp

San Diego County Fair Grandstand Stage 2024 lineup includes Jay Leno, TLC, Little Big Town, Ludacris and more

Arsenio Hall during an interview with host Jay Leno on February 21, 2013

The lineup also includes Pepe Aguilar, Hawaiian reggae group Kolohe Kai, rapper Yung Gravy and Spain’s Hombres G. The fair will run from June 12 to July 7 with the theme ‘Let’s Go Retro’

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R&B veterans TLC, country-pop band Little Big Town, rapper Ludacris, Norteno-music favorites Los Tucanes de Tijuana and late-night TV variety show alums Jay Leno, Arsenio Hall and Craig Ferguson will perform as part of the San Diego County Fair’s 2024 Toyota Summer Concert Series.

Other artists confirmed to appear on the fair’s Corona Grandstand Stage in Del Mar include vocal star Pepe Aguilar, Hawaiian reggae group Kolohe Kai, rapper Yung Gravy and the bands Whiskey Myers, Old Dominion and Spain’s Hombres G. All shows begin at 7:30 p.m.

Twelve initial shows were announced Wednesday morning, with more bookings to follow in the coming weeks and months. The lineup for the fair’s Paddock Concert Series is also pending.

This year’s 20-day fair will run June 12 to July 7 and be closed Mondays and Tuesdays. The theme is “Let’s Go Retro,” which the fair is billing as “a nostalgic voyage back in time from the ‘50s through the start of the new millennium.”

Tickets for the first dozen Grandstand Stage concerts go on sale at 10 a.m. March 8 at sdfair.com . A pre-sale will run from 10 a.m. March 6 until 11:59 p.m. March 7 with the password GROOVY2024, also at sdfair.com .

Tickets to the Toyota Summer Concert Series include same-day admission to the 20-day fair, which will be closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. All shows begin at 7:30 p.m. Tickets for the fair itself, along with parking passes, are already on sale at sdfair.com .

San Diego County Fair 2024 Toyota Summer Concert Series

Wednesday, June 12: Kolohe Kai; $55-$95

Thursday, June 13: Old Dominion; $65-$125

Friday, June 14: TLC; $45-$75

Sunday, June 16: Pepe Aguilar; $60-$125

Wednesday, June 19: Whiskey Myers; $55-$100

Friday, June 21: Kings of Late Night: Jay Leno, Craig Ferguson and Arsenio Hall; $50-$75

Thursday, June 27: Little Big Town; $55-$80

Friday, June 28: Ludacris; $40-$70

Sunday, June 30: Los Tucanes de Tijuana; $45-$80

Wednesday, July 3: Yung Gravy with Tayler Holder; $40-$70

Thursday, July 4: Fireworks Spectacular; $20-$25

Sunday, July 7: Hombres G; $50-$85

[email protected]

Get U-T Arts & Culture on Thursdays

A San Diego insider’s look at what talented artists are bringing to the stage, screen, galleries and more.

You may occasionally receive promotional content from the San Diego Union-Tribune.

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Billy Joel, backstage at Madison Square Garden in New York, on January 11, 2024.

Billy Joel said he’d retired from pop music. Here’s what brought him back.

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Local singer sharing the music of Stevie Wonder, learning ‘to be proud of yourself first’ in personal journey

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This image released by Netflix shows, from left, Huey Lewis, Quincy Jones and Michael Jackson, right, in a scene from "The Greatest Night in Pop." (Netflix via AP)

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World Energy

Rosatom Starts Production of Rare-Earth Magnets for Wind Power Generation

TVEL Fuel Company of Rosatom has started gradual localization of rare-earth magnets manufacturing for wind power plants generators. The first sets of magnets have been manufactured and shipped to the customer.

group assignment stages

In total, the contract between Elemash Magnit LLC (an enterprise of TVEL Fuel Company of Rosatom in Elektrostal, Moscow region) and Red Wind B.V. (a joint venture of NovaWind JSC and the Dutch company Lagerwey) foresees manufacturing and supply over 200 sets of magnets. One set is designed to produce one power generator.

“The project includes gradual localization of magnets manufacturing in Russia, decreasing dependence on imports. We consider production of magnets as a promising sector for TVEL’s metallurgical business development. In this regard, our company does have the relevant research and technological expertise for creation of Russia’s first large-scale full cycle production of permanent rare-earth magnets,” commented Natalia Nikipelova, President of TVEL JSC.

“NovaWind, as the nuclear industry integrator for wind power projects, not only made-up an efficient supply chain, but also contributed to the development of inter-divisional cooperation and new expertise of Rosatom enterprises. TVEL has mastered a unique technology for the production of magnets for wind turbine generators. These technologies will be undoubtedly in demand in other areas as well,” noted Alexander Korchagin, Director General of NovaWind JSC.

For reference:

TVEL Fuel Company of Rosatom incorporates enterprises for the fabrication of nuclear fuel, conversion and enrichment of uranium, production of gas centrifuges, as well as research and design organizations. It is the only supplier of nuclear fuel for Russian nuclear power plants. TVEL Fuel Company of Rosatom provides nuclear fuel for 73 power reactors in 13 countries worldwide, research reactors in eight countries, as well as transport reactors of the Russian nuclear fleet. Every sixth power reactor in the world operates on fuel manufactured by TVEL. www.tvel.ru

NovaWind JSC is a division of Rosatom; its primary objective is to consolidate the State Corporation's efforts in advanced segments and technological platforms of the electric power sector. The company was founded in 2017. NovaWind consolidates all of the Rosatom’s wind energy assets – from design and construction to power engineering and operation of wind farms.

Overall, by 2023, enterprises operating under the management of NovaWind JSC, will install 1 GW of wind farms. http://novawind.ru

Elemash Magnit LLC is a subsidiary of Kovrov Mechanical Plant (an enterprise of the TVEL Fuel Company of Rosatom) and its main supplier of magnets for production of gas centrifuges. The company also produces magnets for other industries, in particular, for the automotive

industry. The production facilities of Elemash Magnit LLC are located in the city of Elektrostal, Moscow Region, at the site of Elemash Machine-Building Plant (a nuclear fuel fabrication facility of TVEL Fuel Company).

Rosatom is a global actor on the world’s nuclear technology market. Its leading edge stems from a number of competitive strengths, one of which is assets and competences at hand in all nuclear segments. Rosatom incorporates companies from all stages of the technological chain, such as uranium mining and enrichment, nuclear fuel fabrication, equipment manufacture and engineering, operation of nuclear power plants, and management of spent nuclear fuel and nuclear waste. Nowadays, Rosatom brings together about 350 enterprises and organizations with the workforce above 250 K. https://rosatom.ru/en/

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IMAGES

  1. Mastering the Key Stages of Group Development

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  2. Get This Stages Of Group Development With Examples PPT

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  3. 🏆 Different stages of group development. The 5 stages of group

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  4. 🏆 Different stages of group development. The 5 stages of group

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  5. The 5 stages of group development explained (2022)

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  6. Tuckman's Stages of Group Development

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COMMENTS

  1. Tuckman's 5 Stages of Group Development (Plus How To Use Them)

    Tuckman's five stages of group development each represent a different process that comprises reaching the group's goals. Here are more in-depth explanations for each of the five stages: 1. Forming. In the forming stage, the group starts getting to know one another. Usually, there's a group leader present who, in the first few group meetings ...

  2. How to Recognize the 5 Stages of Group Development

    In 1965, psychologist Bruce Tuckman developed an easy-to-digest model that shows how teams in various fields go through the same stages of group development. Learning these five stages of team development will allow you to shape successful teams that perform to their best potential. New teams often experience growing pains—members of any team ...

  3. The 5 Stages of Team Development (Including Examples)

    You can help the team break through the storming stage by encouraging members to refocus on goals. Try breaking large goals down into smaller, more manageable tasks. Then, work with the team to redefine roles and help them flex or develop their task-related, group-management, and conflict-management skills. 3. Norming.

  4. Getting Started with Designing Group Work Assignments

    Here are some other considerations for creating effective group work activities: Break a larger assignment into smaller pieces and set multiple deadlines to ensure that students work toward reaching milestones throughout the process rather than pulling it all together at the last minute. Incorporate peer assessments at each milestone to ...

  5. The Stages of Group Formation for Team Development

    Let's look at the 5 stages that can help you build a high-performing team. Stage 1. Forming. This is the first stage of a team coming together; a group of people have come together to accomplish a shared purpose and the results can be unpredictable. At the beginning, anxiety is high, people are uncertain and they are overly polite and pleasant.

  6. Group Development Stages Guide

    The stages of group development with examples, explained. By implementing the 5 stages of group development, teams can reap vast benefits due to the clear-cut structure and step-by-step approach. In fact, each phase plays a critical role in the team's progress — whether in short, medium, or long-term goals. That's where Tuckman's stages ...

  7. What are the stages of group development?

    Stage 4: Performing stage. At this stage, your team has reached cohesion with team processes and team members are working together at their highest potential.Your team follows established workflows to achieve the team's goals and group members feel as if they have a common goal to reach together. This is the ideal stage of group development.

  8. Ideas for Great Group Work

    When designing your assignment, consider these ideas. Break the assignment down into steps or stages to help students become familiar with the process of planning the project as a group. Suggest roles for participants in each group to encourage building expertise and expertise and to illustrate ways to divide responsibility for the work.

  9. Tuckman's Stages of Group Development

    Stages of Group Development These stages are commonly known as: Forming, Storming, Norming, Performing, and Adjourning. Tuckman's model explains that as the team develops maturity and ability, relationships establish, and leadership style changes to more collaborative or shared leadership.

  10. Designing Group Assignments to Develop Groupwork Skills

    group assignments to develop collaborative skills, such as communication, teamwork, and leadership, can better prepare students for the workplace (Ashford-Rowe et al. 2013; Brown et al., 2019; Giuliodori et al., 2008). However, research also reports students working in groups ... technological approaches at the early stages, provision of ...

  11. Designing Peer and Group Assignments for Online Courses

    There is no need to reinvent writing process stages or try to build digital assignments from the ground up. Instead, tap into existing platforms at your institution or through your textbook publisher in order to create effective group assignments that work. Many textbooks have digital components, companion websites, assistive project arms and more.

  12. What are the challenges of group work and how can I address them?

    Allocating time: While group assignments may save instructors time in some areas (e.g., grading final projects), they may add time in other areas (e.g., time needed up front to identify appropriate project topics, contact external clients, compose student groups; time during the semester to meet with and monitor student groups; time at the end ...

  13. How can I assess group work?

    Assessing group work has added challenges, however. First, depending on the objectives of the assignment, the instructor might want to assess the team's final product (e.g., design, report, presentation), their group processes (e.g., ability to meet deadlines, contribute fairly, communicate effectively), or both.

  14. Group Work

    Group work is one of the most widely used and deeply researched teaching approaches in the college classroom. Group work that promotes students' collaboration to achieve shared learning goals has been shown to increase student achievement, persistence, and attitudes toward science (e.g., Springer et al ., 1999; Tanner et al ., 2003; Johnson ...

  15. Group Development

    Forming is the first of five stages in Bruce Tuckman's group development model. During this phase, group members are introduced to one another. Forming is met with anxiety and uncertainty as team ...

  16. How to Use the 5 Stages of Group Development

    2. Storming. After setting expectations and establishing goals, the team must test its new relationships during the storming stage. In this stage, team members are comfortable enough to start bringing up conflicts and disagreements, and they recognize where their personalities and working styles merge and clash.

  17. Design a group assignment

    Design a group assignment. This resource offers suggestions for designing group assignments which students will finding motivating. We'll explore how to make the assignment meaningful, easily allocated into sub-tasks, relevant to learning outcomes and achievable. One of the most crucial aspects of group work is the task set for the group. If ...

  18. Small Group Techniques: Selecting and Developing Activities Based on

    Stages. Group development goes through four stages: initiat transition, working, and ending (Corey & Corey, 1987). The initial stage, when individuals come together to form the group, is a time of orientation and getting to know each other. Students encounter anxiety as they wonder where they will fit in the group, what the professor expects, whether they will like the group, and how others ...

  19. What Is Group? Definition, Types, Characteristics, Stages Of Group

    According to Tuckman's theory, there are five stages of group development: forming, storming, norming, performing, and adjourning. During these stages group, members must address several issues and the way in which these issues are resolved determines whether the group will succeed in accomplishing its tasks.

  20. Fourteen Words

    Fourteen Words (also abbreviated 14 or 14/ 88) is a reference to two slogans originated by David Eden Lane, [1] [2] one of nine founding members of the defunct white supremacist terrorist organization The Order, [3] and are accompanied by Lane's "88 Precepts". The slogans have served as a rallying cry for militant white nationalists ...

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  23. Daytona 500 results, highlights: William Byron wins 2024 NASCAR race

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  24. Victor Mukhin

    Biography: Victor M. Mukhin was born in 1946 in the town of Orsk, Russia. In 1970 he graduated the Technological Institute in Leningrad. Victor M. Mukhin was directed to work to the scientific-industrial organization "Neorganika" (Elektrostal, Moscow region) where he is working during 47 years, at present as the head of the laboratory of carbon sorbents.

  25. San Diego County Fair Grandstand Stage 2024 lineup includes Jay Leno

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  26. Rosatom Starts Production of Rare-Earth Magnets for Wind Power

    Rosatom incorporates companies from all stages of the technological chain, such as uranium mining and enrichment, nuclear fuel fabrication, equipment manufacture and engineering, operation of nuclear power plants, and management of spent nuclear fuel and nuclear waste. ... Adani Group to Develop 1,000 MW Wind Power Project in Sri Lanka's Mannar ...

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