When you first join a group, it’s natural to wonder how the group will work together. How will it decide on a plan? How will members get to know one another? How will the group handle disagreements? What will be the group identity? Although each group is unique, in general, groups go through five phases—forming, storming, norming, performing, and adjourning (Tuckman, 1965; Tuckman & Jensen, 1977). You can tell what phase a group is in by how members communicate with one another, which changes over time.

A small group starts in the forming phase—during which members be-come acquainted with one another and seek to understand the task. When a group first comes together, there is a high level of uncertainty. Group members relieve this by getting to know one another and sharing any relevant personal background—such as prior experiences or interests—related to the task. This knowledge helps the group start to focus its attention on discussing goals for the task (Bushe & Coetzer, 2007).

As the group becomes familiar with its task and with one another, it moves to the storming phase, when members express different ideas about how to approach the task and who will take on leadership roles. This is when personality differences and power struggles may surface, creating tension in the group. To prevent such clashes from stalling progress or dividing the group, members should address conflict immediately. Chapter 12 discusses the principles and skills group leaders can use to manage such conflict.

As the group resolves conflicts, it enters the norming phase, during which members agree about the plans for working toward the goal and who will do what. The group’s unity is expressed through members’ commitment to one another and the team goal. The next phase is performing, when members actually make the required contributions for completing the task. At this phase, group members’ efforts are well coordinated and directed toward achieving the goal. Finally, once the group completes its objectives, it may enter the adjourning phase, in which it disbands. Members take this time to evaluate and reflect on how well they accomplished the task and the quality of their relationships (Tuckman & Jensen, 1977).

Although these five phases are insightful for understanding group development, not every group will move in this orderly sequence. Some groups will have no conflict (storming) and will thus move immediately from forming to norming and performing. Other groups will be at the performing phase but revert to storming if a team member fails to follow through with an assignment. Occasionally, groups don’t officially adjourn but continue on to a new task or just separate with no review. Paying attention to a group’s developmental phase can help you adapt your communication to the needs of the group.