TEAM BUILDING: HOW TO FORM AND DISBAND A GROUP
forming a new group
A shift-age reality is the increasing need to form and disband transient teams. there is a recurring joining process appears to be an ingrained part of human nature. Effective group leaders will understand how people go about joining and leaving a group, and become skilled at facilitating the process. When an effective start up process is followed, group productivity is maximized.
My favorite definition of culture is, “a collective set of habits used by a group of people to get things done.’’ When left to their own devices, people coming together to perform a task, will ususally take the time to engage in a getting started routine that eventually will produce a set of habits (culture) unique to that group. If anybody quits or joins, or if an existing member experiences a personal transformation, the getting started process will begin again and if not executed effectively the groups habits (culture) may be negatively altered.
An old story tells of a cow looking over a meadow of long grass towards a river. Wanting a drink, the cow wandered aimlessly down the hill. The next day a farmer wanting water and not wanting to get his clothes wet in the damp grass, followed the trampled cow path. When spring rains came, the farmer threw stones in low spots and later added logs to form a corduroy trail. Gravel followed and eventually the road was paved. One hundred years later a surveyor looking at the winding road, said, “the engineer that designed this road must have been drinking.”
Typically, we don’t think about the cultures we experience at home, at work, or out in the community. Were your group’s habits carefully selected or did they just happen? Is the culture of your organization or family effective? We’ve all experienced difficulty in breaking personal habits. Changing a group’s collective habits is a much tougher assignment. The following explains the process by which group’s form and establish a culture.
- Inclusion:
The first thought people have when meeting a new group is “do I belong here? Do I feel included? Will my needs get met?” The inclusion needs of people vary. Some require a great deal of time time before they are willing to share or commit, others are ready to jump in immediately. Slow joiners are usually reluctant to leave and find it difficult to accept change.
- Control:
After the inclusion needs of the majority are met, a group will typically move on to establish boundaries such as; Is this a safe place for me? What can be said here? Do the leaders know what they’re doing? This can be an argumentative phase, where disruptive behavior might make it difficult to proceed. But if the group works through their control issues (this may require the help of a skilled facilitator) a solid foundation will be created that will assist the Group in its performance phase.
- Performance:
Once a group is in the perform mode, they should repeat a less intense version of startup every time somebody leaves or a new person joins. During a break, after an evening, or over a weekend, members could be exposed to outside influences that will impact productivity, if the group’s inclusion and control issues are not revisited. Fortunately, revisits are usually brief and uneventful—but when left unattended, a group’s performance may deteriorate.
The effectiveness of a group is dependent on the continuous updating of member inclusion and control needs—they should be addressed after every significant event.