My Interpretation of The Five Stages of Group Development and Group Roles

In this Discussion Board post I will describe my interpretation and give examples of the various stages that an efficient team should experience as they are working together to achieve a goal. Second, I will briefly compare the qualities of a group versus a team. Third, I will go over the various roles that each of the members in a team may play, and I will explain which of these roles may be the easiest for me based on my character strengths and which ones may be the hardest for me based on my character weaknesses. Fourth, I will discuss why I think it is important to learn and fully understand how to work in a group. Lets begin with the various stages a group will find themselves in when becoming a team.

The Introduction Stage

In this stage the students that will be working together on a group project are meeting and greeting each other. This stage is very important, because it allows the students to get to know each other by sharing their past experiences, what they are good at, and, perhaps, what they aren’t so good at. This is a good time to set up a schedule for meetings and deadlines that every member on the team is able to maintain. This schedule should accommodate each member’s time schedule, and focus on completing the various project goals. At this stage the student who is designated team leader should give guidance to the team and help them figure out their own roles within the team based on their skills and the requirements of the project. In our discussion board we function somewhat like a team. We have all come together under the guidance of Dr. Clarke, in order to achieve our goal of completing this class. We met each other during the first week, and we have had opportunities to share our ideas and op...

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... express my thoughts. I believe that a good leader should know how to communicate; therefore I have a negative view of this role.

In summary, I believe that it is important to fully understand and execute exceptional group skills, because there will be many group projects we must work on together during our time in college. Therefore, we must be able to work with our classmates effectively in order to maintain good grades and acquire the skills we will need in the careers we have chosen. Most businesses are essentially groups of employees that work together to produce the services that their companies provide. Most of us will be required to work closely with co-workers to achieve the goals that our company sets within a certain time frame. Therefore, we must demonstrate superior group and teamwork skills in order to be productive and successful in our fields