The Forgotten Group Member

Case Study - The Forgotten Group Member

Part I: Group Developments

Group development begins with the forming stage where members ask questions, get to know each other and discover acceptable behaviors. The storming stage, or second step, is the period where there may be emotional outbreaks and tension within the group. This progresses to the third or norming stage where team members start to work together as a unit, the performing stage where the team is well integrated and functioning as a team. And lastly the adjourning stage when the team is ending as a group and group accomplishments are celebrated.

Darlene thinks Christine's team is now in the norming stage. Christine's team first meeting was a forming stage meeting. This is supported by the fact that during this meeting Diane when asked volunteered information, Steve was businesslike and kept the team focused on the agenda, Janet was reliable and contributed more than was expected, and Christine was meticulous and organized. Mike has been the forgotten team member, he does not attend meeting. It is week five and Christine's team in is the norming stage they have all worked together to accomplish a task and all of the team members has submitted their assignments.

Had Christine understand the stages of group development Christine would have been able to analyze what stage the team was in and prepare for possible problems. If Christine recognized when the team was in the storming stage she could have addressed Mike issues of not being available for meeting. Christina could have spoken to Mike and or Sandra, her teacher, to possibly understand why Mike, who obviously needed to finish and pass the class, did not make time for this important project. Secondly, Sandra could have assisted her with some guidance about what to do about Mike's behavior.

Part II: Problem Identification

Social loafing is the primary problem in Christine's group. Mike is not attending meetings so he is not working as hard as other team members and allowing the rest of the team to carry the workload. Mike also handed in some hand written notes for the assignment instead of completed typed notes.

The secondary problem is that the assignment is due next week and not complete. Social loafing is the cause of the secondary problem. Christine said Mike has a creative idea that would help in the project but it was not typed and completed like the other assignments. There is more work to be done on the assignment if they want to integrate Mike's creative ideas into it.

If Christine learned that the criteria of an effective team was to hold team members accountable for their performance and realized that it was important that the members believe that their participation and experiences are positive and meet important personal needs. Christine could have built in a feedback process where she lead the team and supported their participation in the group. Christine did not identify Mike contributions early in the stages of the team, since he did not attend meeting. Christine also did not assist Mike in holding himself accountable for his role in the team's performance.

Had Christine identified that individual membership was important to build group processes Christine could have built tools and processes during the first meeting. Christine could have addressed and clarified team goals, team rules and expectation early on in the storming stage of