Group Agreement - Page 2 of 2

Carrying on the series covering Tuckman’s theory of group development, we are now to the Storming Stage of group development as identified by Tuckman and Jensen (1977).

I would call this the stage where young people attempt to poke the bear. They question leadership and authority, look for clear direction and identified team roles and share opinions that may be conflicting.

Peter Barnes (2002:43) says some of the following things should be expected during the Storming stage of group development:

Opinions may become sharply divided
Leadership’s authority is questioned and/or challenged
Arguments become the primary method for communication
Several leaders will attempt to control the group

If you tried some of our suggestions during the Forming stage, you may find that your youth’s time in the Storming stage of youth group development isn’t as challenging as it might have been.

Each group is different though and the best plans don’t always happen the way you’d like in youth work. Here are a few suggestions to try during the Storming stage of group development that may help your youth move through to the next stage:

Take the time to encourage and explore differing opinions within the group. Use the group agreement you created earlier to provide the necessary boundaries for the discussion.
Be prepared to hand over some, most, or all of the leadership roles depending on the age, maturity and responsibilities of your youth by teaching them about the ladder of participation.
Encourage dialogue between group members and allow time and space when discussions get heated. Don’t force youth who are getting progressively more angry or aggressive to remain in the same room. Find activities for them to do in other areas, give a break time or allow a youth to step out of the room to get some air.
Identify the group’s strengths and weaknesses and assign team roles. Take the time to identify everyone’s strengths and have the group take part in the decision process when choosing a leader. If you have a youth who has leadership qualities but also has some serious areas of weakness like aggression management issues, find ways to encourage them to take another role within the team. This will ensure that the leader chosen is the best choice for the group, not just the most liked, most decisive or the most feared.

We will be talking more about team roles, group agreements and finding out about the learning styles and intelligences of your youth group in the coming weeks, so check back for more information on these topics.

The Storming Stage of group development in youth work can be a challenging period, but if you take the time to put the supportive measures in place during the Forming Stage, you’ll find it runs more smoothly than if you just ‘let nature take its course.’

Provide boundaries and a safe space for the disagreements that are likely to happen. Don’t be surprised or disappointed. Disagreements will happen. Remember that they are necessary for creating a more trusting, cohesive group that begins to work well together in the Norming Stage of Group Development, which we will discuss in detail next week.

Question: What stories do you have from the Storming Stage of your work with youth? Please share them in the comments below.

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We’re currently exploring the five stages of group development as identified by Tuckman and Jensen (1977). Today, we’re looking at the Forming Stage – a time when the group gets to know one another, tests the boundaries (both within the rules and with the leadership) and becomes more dependent on one another.

Peter Barnes (2002:43) gives examples of what can be expected during the forming stage:

Considerable anxiety
Questions about the appropriateness of behavior
Polite communication
Minimal productivity

Here are some ways you can provide the support necessary to help your youth group move from the forming stage of group development towards more productive phases:

Give clear expectations – By going through your youth group’s hopes and fears, as well as clearly laying out the basics of what the group can expect from you and the youth work program, you will be able to help quell a lot of potential anxiety in the forming stage of group development
Identify ground rules through a group agreement – Take time and have the group identify what are some acceptable and unacceptable behaviors for their group
Provide a safe place for opposing opinions – This is also identified in the expectations and group agreement, but youth will feel more safe to move beyond ‘polite’ to ‘real’ when they know the boundaries for their views. By allowing youth to express their views in the forming stage of group development – even if they aren’t positive or mainstream – this will allow you to contradict incorrect information that young people may have internalized
Provide tasks that build confidence, understanding of team dynamics, roles and abilities – Take the time for team building activities and teach the group about team roles. You can also help them identify their learning styles and their individual intelligences. These activities will provide time for your team to bond during the forming stage and will develop relational capital that they can draw on when they begin to feel tension in the next stage

Doing all of these basic steps early on in the forming stage of group development will help lay the ground work for the next stage which we will explore next week: the Storming stage.

Question: What stories do you have from the forming stage of your youth group? Let us know in the comments below.

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