Stages In Group Development

1. Stages in group development: An understanding of the characteristics of groups and how it plays out in the different group development stages
1.1 Introduction: Group development and characteristics
Susan Wheelan (2005a, p. 13) proposed a "unified" and "integrated" model of group development, built on Tuckman 's model of group development. This model comprises of the following five stages: Dependency and Inclusion, Counterdependency and Fight, Trust and Structure, Work, and Termination (Snyman, 2015, p. 33). Snyman (2015, pp. 28 – 32) described seven major characteristics of a group, for the purpose of this discussion the emphasis falls on leadership and group roles as characteristics of a group, and how it plays out in the different group

30) roles within the group context have been defined by various theorists, consequently she summarized these definitions in order to create the following holistic definition of a role:
“A role consists of a set of expectations shared by members about the behaviour of an individual who occupies a given position in the group (Wheelan, 2005a, p. 51).”
From the above definition it is evident that a role is imposed on an individual by the following three factors: the context, the person and others. Role assignment is necessary for the group in order to function and to achieve group goals. Since roles are defined not only the individual but also, often primarily, by the group and the organisation. Roles are often assigned based on the following irrational criteria: first impressions, external roles and member status, and on group needs at a specific time (Snyman, 2015, p. 30; Wheelan, 2005a, p. 51).
Figure 1.2: Three

These factors usually result in tension, lower satisfaction, high turnover, lower commitment, and ultimately an inability to focus on the task at hand. Role conflict usually results when an individual is assigned a role he or she deems unacceptable, while role ambiguity occurs when there is uncertainty about what is expected from an individual in a particular role. Member role assignment relates to group effectivity, as a result groups must be cautious when matching member abilities to their roles (Snyman, 2015, p. 35; Wheelan, 2005a, p. 104; Wheelan, 2009).
1.2.5 Stage 5: Termination
Most groups come to an end after task completion and goal achievement, group termination not only occurs when a group ends, but when a continues group end a project before starting a new project. The fifth and final stage of group development may be characterized by evaluation and feedback, or groups may regress to former states, for example conflict. A group’s reaction to termination depends on the nature of termination (Snyman, 2015, p. 35; Wheelan, 2005a, pp. 111-112).
According to Wheelan (2005a, p. 112) there does not exist a lot of research on the termination of groups, as a result Whelan’s research on this topic is less definite than those of the other