DEJ 4

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In the article, 40 years of storming: a historical review of Tuckman’s model of small group development by Denise A. Bonebright we are introduced to Tuckman’s model of small group development and the five hypothesized stages that a group must endure in order to reach the stage of a well functioning group. The four stages are forming, storming, norming, performing, and adjourning. I found this article so interesting because I have experienced most of these stages of group development in my past experiences working in a group and did not realize these common occurrences are part of a developed model. The two most common stages I have faced in the real world are forming and norming. Forming is described as the process when the group becomes oriented to tasks, creates ground rules, and tests the boundaries for interpersonal and task behaviors. Nomring is described as the stage where the group forms cohesion. I have always found forming to be the most awkward stage for me. Meeting a new group of people you typically do not know and then trying to quickly figure out how each group member acts and participates in the group is always a challenge. Especially when you have to keep up with deadlines for a project while testing the waters with your group. Norming is by far my favorite part of the process during this process you and your group members fall into a grove and begin to click and perform at the highest level possible. This process makes group work all worth it because you get to see the final product of a group working well together.