CASE STUDY 7

An understanding of the stages of group development could indeed help Christine in several ways. First, in the forming stage, Christine could have established some group rules to specify what is considered acceptable behavior. Indeed, she should have emphasized that attendance is mandatory, stated dates and times of meetings, personal lives should not interfere with teamwork, and that everyone analysis should be clear and typed. In effect, it is at this stage that a clear objective is set , everyone's roles is defined, direction is given, team members discover their respective task and understand how they will be held accountable for their contribution. However, Christine would have understood that she probably needs to be more strict with Mike because he acts as if he was excluded when he is not. Christine exchange with him at the first meeting and she had a first good impression. Therefore, just as it is required at this stage, Christine took some time to introduce herself to him to try to know each other better. In the forming stage, Christine would have then understood that it is imperative to clarify what is expected from anyone. Mike would have then understood that his analysis should have been more thorough and professionally presented. However, Christine should explain to Mike that other teammates are not meeting without him on purpose because Mike feels left out and this is probably one of the reasons he is skipping the meetings and that he doesnt socialize with the rest of the group outside of class. Therefore, Christine should know that coalitions and cliques are very detrimental at this stage and that it is important for Mike to know that they are forming cliques to exclude him. In the norming stage, Christine would have learned that it is important for all team members to all come together to create a sense of harmony but that can not be possible if a team member is often absent from the meetings like Mike. Therefore, Christine really needs to stress that attendance is required. It is also at this stage that Mike need to know that he can not deviate from team directions. Therefore, Christine should not have accepted to take his unprofessional analysis and should have confronted him instead to let him know that was unappropriate behavior and that he wasnt following directions.
At the performing stage, Christine should ensure that the team is well organized and well functionning which is not the case since directions are not followed at the end and a team member is never present. The latter emphasizes the fact that not everyone is doing what he or she is expected to do since Mike only writes comments on a piece of paper without consideration for disrupting the team's organization. At this stage, all members should be motivated to improve relationships and performance through continued effort but Mike has not been making any effort at all from the beginning and he should have been faced with that fact.
Finally, if all previous stages had gone well, Christine would have then received everyone's analysis on time and with directions followed. Also, Mike would have attended all meetings, Christine wouldnt be worried about evalution based on everyone's contribution, and all five members would be happy to work toghether again, which is probably not the case for Mike because since he did not follow directions, he wont have good performance results.
Christine should understand that a team is made of individuals whose actions affect the whole team and that everyone should be accountable for team performance. Therefore, she should be more strict so that he can understand that his contribution will influence results of the whole team. Perhaps, Christine should have tried to use every member's unique talents while assigning tasks; this could have motivated Mike and encouraged him to better perform. She should also persuade him to cooperate more because since Mike feels left out at time, it could be an opportunity for social interaction and to realize that his teammates care about him; that could provide him a sense of security and emotional support.
Christine is not an expert in team leadership because she is just a college student and therefore, doesnt have much experience but she still is a good team leader. Indeed, even though she is concerned about her final grade in the course and she is a good contributor to the team's efforts, she is more concerned about the team's results and effectiveness. She is really worried about her team cohesiveness and she is asking herself questions on how to motivate Mike and motivating is critical in leadership. She just needs to be more confident and not just want to be liked by everyone. She needs to be more rigid and motivate everyone to follow given directions.