Text 3. Stages of team growth

Bruce Tuckman

http://www.ndt-ed.org/TeachingResources/ClassroomTips/Teamwork.htm

forbes.com

PRE-READING

Activity 1. Have you ever worked in a team? Was the experience successful? Why/not?

 

It is important for a teacher and students (the team members) to know that teams don't just form and immediately start working together to accomplish great things. There are actually stages of team growth and teams must be given time to work through the stages and become effective. Team growth can be separated into four stages.

Stage 1: Forming. When a team is forming, members cautiously explore the boundaries of acceptable group behavior. They search for their position within the group and test the leader's guidance. It is normal for little team progress to occur during this stage.

Stage 2: Storming. Storming is probably the most difficult stage for the group. Members often become impatient about the lack of progress, but are still inexperienced with working as a team. Members may argue about the actions they should take because they face ideas that are unfamiliar to them and put them outside their comfort zones. Much of their energy is focused on each other instead of achieving the goal.

Stage 3. Norming. During this stage team members accept the team and begin to reconcile differences. Emotional conflict is reduced as relationships become more cooperative. The team is able to concentrate more on their work and start to make significant progress.

Stage 4. Performing. By this stage the team members have discovered and accepted each other's strengths and weaknesses, and learned what their roles are. Members are open and trusting and many good ideas are produced because they are not afraid to offer ideas and suggestions. They are comfortable using decision making tools to evaluate the ideas, prioritize tasks and solve problems. Much is accomplished and team satisfaction and loyalty is high.

VOCABULARY FOCUS

Activity 2. Form antonyms of the same root:

1) patent 2) experienced 3) comfortable 4) effective 5) acceptable 6) familiar

Activity 3. Mark the odd word:

1) achieve, attain, accomplish, accept;

2) offer, suggest, give, propose;

3) storming, norming, forming, sorting;

4) explore, research, investigate, incorporate;

5) cause, occur, happen, take place.

Activity 4. Insert “accomplish“, “achieve” or “attain”:

1) He's _____ a high level of knowledge.

2) I've _____ a lot of work today.

3) I was in the military and _____ the rank of captain.

4) He _____ his objective.

5) His initiative _____ national recognition.

6) It takes a lot of time to _____ such a goal.

 

GRAMMAR FOCUS

Activity 5. Make up sentences using the given words:

1) important/the team members/get on well with each other;

2) normal/the team/make little progress during this stage;

3) natural/the team members/focus on each other instead of achieving the goal;

4) normal/the team members/be outside their comfort zones at this stage;

5) important/the team members/not to be afraid to offer ideas and suggestions;

6) natural/the team members/accept each other's strengths and weaknesses;

7) important/the team members/to accomplish their goals.

 

Activity 6. Paraphrase using the modal verbs should, have to, ought to, may:

1) It is important for the team members to get on well with each other.

2) It is normal for the team to make little progress during this stage.

3) It is natural for the team members to focus on each other instead of on achieving the goal.

4) It is normal for the team members to feel outside their comfort zones at first.

5) It is important for the team members to offer ideas and suggestions.

6) It is natural for the team members to accept each other's strengths and weaknesses.

7) It is important for the team members to accomplish their goals.

WHILE-READING

 

Activity 7. Match the stages with their descriptions:

	Forming	A	A time in which roles are accepted, team feeling develops, and information is freely shared.
	Storming	B	A time of stressful negotiation of the terms under which the team will work together; a trial by fire.
	Norming	C	When a group is just learning to deal with one another; a time when minimal work gets accomplished.
	Performing	D	When optimal levels are finally realized - in productivity, quality, decision making, allocation of resources, and interpersonal interdependence.

 

Activity 8. Which team building stage do the following statements characterize?

1) ____ Members cautiously explore the boundaries of acceptable group behavior.

2) ____ Emotional conflict is reduced as relationships become more cooperative.

3) ____ They feel outside their comfort zones.

4) ____ During this stage team members accept the team and begin to reconcile differences.

5) _____ It is normal for little team progress to occur during this stage.

6) _____ They accept each other's strengths and weaknesses.

7) _____ They search for their position within the group and test the leader's guidance.

8) _____ It is probably the most difficult stage for the group.

9) _____ Members are open and trusting and they are not afraid to offer ideas and suggestions.

10) _____ The team is able to concentrate more on their work and start to make significant progress.

11) _____ Members often become impatient about the lack of progress.

12) _____ They are focused on each other instead of on achieving the goal.

13) _____ Much is accomplished and team satisfaction and loyalty is high.

Activity 9. Characterize each stage using the above statements:

Forming
Storming
Norming
Performing

POST-READING

Activity 10. Which stage is the most a) difficult b) productive c) unproductive d) crucial? Why?

 

Activity 11. Analyze your project team performance in terms of its stages. Comment on your teamwork successfulness. Account for your teamwork accomplishments/failures.

MODULE 3. BEST PRACTICES

TARGET VOCABULARY

Term	Definition	Collocations, derivatives, etc
Acquire (v)	obtain something by buying it or being given it: to gain knowledge or learn a skill	~ knowledge; acquisition (n)
Alternate (v)	take turns; happen one after the other in a repeated pattern	~ sth with sth; alternate (adj); alternative (n): a viable/the only ~ to sth; have no ~ but to do sth; be open to sb (about alternatives)
Benefit (n)	an advantage that sth gives	beneficial (adj); beneficiary (n)
Conscientious (adj)	careful about doing things well and thoroughly	~ worker/student/attitude; conscientiously (adv); conscientiousness (n)
Consistent (adj)	(of sb, sb’s behaviour, views, etc.) following the same pattern or style	~ with sth; consistency (n)
Drill (n)	thorough training in sth, esp. by means of repeated exercises	repetitive ~
Exaggerate (v)	make sth seem larger, better, worse etc. than it really is	~ the importance/ significance of sth; exaggeration (n); exaggerated (adj); ant. belittle
Expel (v)	force sb to leave a place (a country, school or club)	get ~led from school; expulsion (n)
Expertise (n)	expert knowledge or skill esp. in a particular field in sth/doing sth	professional/technical/scientific/considerable ~; ~ on sth
Get ahead in life	make a career, succeed in life
Get away with	do sth wrong and not be punished for it	~ cheating
Imperceptible (adj)	unnoticeable because of being small, slight or gradual	~ changes/shifts
Interleave (v)	insert sth, eg. thin layers or paper, between things	~d with amusing quotes; syn. alternate
Let someone off	punish sb slightly or not punish them at all	~ lightly/easy; be let off with a fine/reprimand
Master (v)	gain complete knowledge of or skill in sth; gain control of sth	~ skills/techniques/temper/ feelings
Per (adv)	for each unit of time, length, etc.	~ person/annum/capita/cent/ minute
Perceive (v)	become aware, notice, observe sth	im/perceptible (adj); perception (n)
Recall (v)	bring sth back into mind, remember sth	can/try to ~; total ~; ~ clearly/distinctly/vividly/ dimly/vaguely/easily/ suddenly
Reinforce (v)	make stronger; increase in intensity	~ sb’s opinion/argument/ conviction/stereotype; reinforcement (n)
Renown (n)	fame	win ~; an artist of great ~; renowned (adj)
Retrieve (v)	get sth back; find or extract stored information	~ data/address from a disc; retrieval (n); retrievable (adj)
Spontaneous (adj)	done because of a sudden impulse from within, not planned or caused or suggested by sb/sth outside	~ manner/style/offer/ applause/ speech; spontaneously (adj); spontaneity (n)
Suspend (v)	prevent sth from being in effect for some time	be ~ed from studies; suspension (n)
Symbiosis (n)	interdependent coexistence	symbiotic (adj)

 

TARGET VOCABULARY QUIZ

Choose the correct answer:

1. All of these can be conscientious EXCEPT for:

a) worker b) student c) relation d) attitude

2. _____ means to make sth stronger.

a) Exaggerate b) Reinforce c) Retrieve d) Recall

3. _____ means to make sth seem larger.

a) Exaggerate b) Reinforce c) Retrieve d) Recall

4. One should follow one’s principles _____.

a) conscientiously b) consistently c) alternatively d) spontaneously

5. Mark the odd word: a) acquire b) get c) obtain d) acquaint

6. We hope that you enjoy some benefit ____ your NCT membership.

a) of b) from c) at d) by

7. He is renowned for his professional _____.

a) expert b) expertise c) experience d) expulsion

8. A few _____ outbursts of public protest occurred in the east of the country.

a) consistent b) spontaneous c) renowned d) conscientious

9. By using computer simulations, researchers can rapidly _____ a body of knowledge not previously available to them through traditional laboratory methods. a) retrieve b) suspend c) acquire d) recall

10. There are special _____ for the unemployed and the disabled.

a) benefits b) beneficiaries c) beneficial d) benefitting

11. A _____manager who cares for his or her staff will rightly be concerned about not overloading subordinates. a) conscious b) conscience c) conscientious d) consistent

12.The proposition is not _____ with the rest of his theory.

a) constant b) consistent c) conscious d) considerate

13. There is no _____ to this approach.

a) option b) choice c) alternative d) dilemma

14. An ____ form of fundraising or obtaining support for the school is through sponsorship. a) alternate b) altering c) alternative d) alteration

15. He often misses classes and _____.

a) gets away with it b) lets it off easy c) gets ahead in life d) gets down to it

16. Teachers usually let _____latecoming students easy. a) in b) off c) up d) down

17. Most people realize how much financial _____ is needed in doing business.

a) spontaneity b) expertise c) symbiosis d) consistency

18. He was suspended _____ studies for truancy. a) for b) in c) from d) by

19. Ecological morality seeks for a _____ of humanity and nature.

a) harmony b) closeness c) unification d) symbiosis

20. An informal organization tends to be more loosely structured, flexible and _____. a) consistent b) spontaneous c) renowned d) conscientious