– Case Study 7 – March 23, 2013

Case Study #7 – The Forgotten Group Member
March 23, 2013

Part I: Group Development
The team’s current stage of development is the performing stage. According to the text, this is where the team members begin to deal with complex tasks and handle disagreements creatively. The group appears to be stable, motivated by team goals, and generally satisfied. (Schermerhorn, Hunt, & Osborn, 2012). This is where most of the group appears to be right now, with the exception of Mike. Mike seems to be the only one of the group not meeting expectations.
An understanding of the team development stages could have assisted Christine in her leadership role, with this team, in several ways. First, if she would have focused more attention during the storming stage of group development, she might have been able to encourage Mike to be more of a team player. During the storming stage there is high tension and a lot of emotion. Cliques often form as individuals compete to impose their preference, and this can lead to some feeling left out. (Schermerhorn, Hunt, & Osborn, 2012) If Christine would have addressed the storming stage it would have put the group in a better place for the norming stage. In the norming stage team members start to come together around rules of behavior and what needs to be accomplished; it is a time of growing cooperation. (Schermerhorn, Hunt, & Osborn, 2012).
Part II: Problem Identification
The primary problem in this case is that Christine did not create a complete team. She has one team member that does not want to do his part of the work, communicate well with the team or participate in team meetings. According to the text, real teamwork occurs when team members accept and live up to their collective accountability by actively working together so that all their respective skills are best