Using Tuckman Group Development Model in Experience of Learning and Personal Growth

Using Tuckman Group Development Model in Experience of Learning and Personal Growth
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
 TOC \o "1-3" \h \z \u  HYPERLINK \l "_Toc317262039"
INTRODUCTION  PAGEREF _Toc317262039 \h
3
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AN OVERVIEW OF THE THEORY  PAGEREF _Toc317262040 \h
3
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A PRACTICAL SCENARIO  PAGEREF _Toc317262041 \h
4
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IMPLEMENTATION  PAGEREF _Toc317262042 \h
4
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DISCUSSION  PAGEREF _Toc317262043 \h
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CONCLUSION  PAGEREF _Toc317262044 \h
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REFERENCES  PAGEREF _Toc317262045 \h
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INTRODUCTION
It is very common for the participants of a group development project to face both psychological and physical difficulties in interacting with other members of the group, leading to unsuccessful contribution in the project at personal-best level even when there is a cooperative and non-threatening environment. Several theories and methodologies regarding group development process discussed different factors and phases to accomplish the task, and among them, so far the most appreciated and organized theory was given by Bruce W. Tuckman in 1965.
When people are working together for the same purpose, at one point or another, they have to build interdependency with each other to avoid any conflict and get the possible best result. The model by Tuckman established a sequential working process, describing five phrases or stages to reach satisfaction among the group members. Many of the later conjectures on the subject were influenced by Tuckman’s theory.
AN OVERVIEW OF THE THEORY
The theory of Tuchman consist four initial stages – forming, storming, norming and performing (Tuckman, 1965) with an advance stage named adjourning which he added later (Tuckman & Jensen, 1977). The first four stages are related with the group behavior in different situations and settings as they join together and start working to accomplish a task. The participants may be able to recognize one or more of these stages and if the participants appreciate the process of overall development of the whole group, it is more likely that the functionality and effectiveness of the group will be increased a lot.
A PRACTICAL SCENARIO
As a part of class project, we had to visit the Challenge Center to climb. This was a group task and it was very important to develop interdependency among the members of each group to complete the task properly which was reflected by the three rules of the place - take care of yourself, take care of each other and take care of the place.
So to build up a group understanding, the participants were divided into three groups with ten members in each group and they played several strategic games including Simon Says, stick puzzle, toxic waste game and finally saving the city game. These games are designed for group participation and require strategic solution through discussion by the group members.
At the end of the day, we found out that the experience was better than expectation. We learnt how to work in group and finding ways and contributing in solving a difficult problem.
IMPLEMENTATION
The first stage of Tuckman’s model on group development recommends the formation of a team where individuals gather impressions and appreciate each other and create a comfort zone. The ways of finding opportunities in order to meet challenges by sharing knowledge and personal views are learnt as this stage as the team members get to know each other and make new friends. In our quest, we went through the same thing, learning about other group members by exchanging personal information and eventually make some new friends.
Once the group is formed, the participants move to the storming stage in which they share their ideas in the way of solving problems. Each of the members works independently to come up with different perspective and finally share them to come up with the best idea. We learnt about this process while p...