Bruce Tuckman's Model Of Team Cohesion

In any facet of life, whether it is in a relationship, at work, or in school; teamwork plays a critical role in conflict resolution and inevitably success. William James once said, “A chain is no stronger than its weakest link, and life is after all a chain”, regardless of the fact that this notion may hold true for many circumstances in life, it especially holds true with respect to a sports team. From football, to basketball and even soccer, the might of a team working together determines the outcome of any given circumstance. In most cases, there will always be difficult team members, and for the sake of argument, such members are deemed the “weakest” link of a team. Carron, Bray, and Eys (2002) have studied the power that adequate cohesion

In 1965, Bruce Tuckman proposed the “forming–storming–norming–performing” model of group development, of which encompasses the chronological phases necessary and inevitable for a team to grow, problem solve, and perform to its highest capacity (Tuckman, 1965). The first phase, forming, is the initial step in a team’s development that inevitably determines whether or not the team will experience success or failure in their future endeavors. The forming phase, much like its name suggests, encompasses the first instances of a teams meeting where plans regarding their task are discussed and agreed upon. In the “Remember the Titans” video, this stage is depicted by all of the members of the football team coming together for the first time, and eventually meeting their coach. Storming is the second phase in effective team building, and it is also a point in which many disputes between team members can arise. In the “Remember the Titans” video clip, tension among team members was quite evident and primarily racially driven. Tuckman (1965) suggests that this is one of the most important phases in the cycle, simply based on the notion that many team members are unable to resolve interpersonal conflicts they may have between team members. If such conflicts persist, it seems logical to assume that a

Moreover, the performing phase taken at face value goes much further than to imply that a team is simply just playing the game. Any individual on a team can perform, but the success of a team is determined by its ability to perform efficiently as a group. This idea seemed to form the basic message that the “Building a Cohesive Team” video was attempted to construe. Further, the author of that video also stressed the importance of competent leadership and the role it serves in forming an effective and cohesive team. With respect to a sports team, leadership roles are quite diverse, albeit the head coach remains at the top of the chain. The head coach’s primary objective is to set the boundaries of conduct he deems acceptable, as well as to set the standard of performance he expects all team members to perform. With reference to all of the “Remember the Titans” video clips, Denzel Washington is a powerful leader that directs his team in a very efficient and highly effective manner. While his coaching practices may seem a little unorthodox, and even seemingly infringe on the line of being unethical, he encompasses all of the qualities that a powerful leader must display to ensure team cohesion and the inevitable success of the