Case Study !

A team is defined as “a group of people brought together to use their complementary skills to achieve a common purpose for which they are collectively accountable” (Schermerhorn, 2010).

The Forgotten Group member

1. Identify the five group development stages (forming, storming, norming, performing,adjourning) in the case.

Forming     : Establishment of relationship for this newly formed group. Sense of tension is predictably high.              (except if either of the member have work with other member of the group before)
Professor Sandra Thiel had divided the class into groups of five people and had given them a major group assignment worth 30 percent of the final grade.
Christine was elected “Team Coordinator” at the first group meeting.
The other members of the group were Diane, Janet, Steve, and Mike


Storming    : characterized by individual reacting to the demand of situation.
                     (to complete OB assignment)
                     questioning authority (who will be leader?)
                     developing enough comfort to be themselves (discuss time and place available for meeting)
                      Diane: quiet and never volunteered suggestions, but
                      when directly asked, she would come up with high quality ideas.
                      Mike was the clown.
                      Steve was the business-like individual, always wanting to ensure
                      that group meetings were guided by an agenda and noting the
                      tangible results achieved or not achieved at the end of every meeting.
                      Janet was the reliable one who would always have more for the group
                      than was expected of her. Christine saw herself as meticulous and
                      organized and as a person who tried to give her best in whatever she did. It

Norming    :The unwritten behavior rules (contribute opinion to discussion)
                    ways of doing things
                    was developed over time

                  
Performing: Group members working on task
                     working on their part that was assigned respectively.


Adjourning: Bring closure to both task and interpersonal issues.

The group is in storming stage right now. Every member of the group is in tension. Unannounced meeting shows that they are forming cliques.   They could have easily   informed every member of the group to discuss the project. Christine, the leader of the group could have managed the team in a better way. Group in this stage need more communication, training, supervision, and controlling. But she did not provide any of it.

2. Identify and describe the causes of conflicts in the case.

Differing Values

When people have differing values, conflicts can result. If one of your personal values in life is that your family comes first, and if your boss’ personal value is that work comes first, conflict can be the result when they ask you to stay late at work or to give up a planned family vacation due to project deadlines.

Mike would rather watch Happy Harry television show than to leave home early for discussion before the 8:30 class. He cannot attend meeting because he was working that night as a member of the campus security force. Mike values his personal needs than the OB assignment.

Christine Spencer was a devoted, hard-working student who had been maintaining an A. She concerns about grades. She felt that grades were paramount in giving her a competitive edge when looking for a job


Making assumptions can lead to conflicts.Christine assumed that Mike will do his part even though he missed most of the meeting.

Differing expectations can lead to conflict.

Mike send in brief notes to Christine. He expected that she was supposed to discuss for him at the group meetings but he didn't know that Christine is confuse how to deal with that.

3. Suggest the approach to leadership best suitable for the case. 

Christine's leadership abilities could benefit by having knowledge of the stages of group development.   Specific to her situation, it seems that aside from the very first group meeting, Mike was not present for the forming stage of the group.   As a result, questions such as "What can the group offer me?", "Can my needs be met and still contribute to the group", and other discovery inquiries did not get answered for Mike so he has not felt part of the team so he has withdrawn from the group.   As a leader, Christine could have encouraged to Mike the importance of being present for group meetings so he can be part of the team.   For example, at the lunch room incident when Mike walked away, she could have talked with him individually and explained to him that she perceives that he does not feel welcome and has been avoiding team meetings.   Christine could address the how important it is to attend the team meetings, explain to him the "WWIFM"



The situational leadership model, developed by Paul Hersey and Kenneth Blanchard, 
suggests that the leader’s behaviour should be adjusted according to the maturity level of 
the followers. The level of maturity or the readiness of the followers were assessed to the 
extent the followers have the ability and willingness to accomplish a specific task. Four 
possible categories of followers’ maturity were identified:  
R1 : Unable and Unwilling 
R2 : Unable but Willing 
R3 : Able but Unwilling 
R4 : Able and Willing

Conclusion:

The case The Forgotten Group Member shows the reader how teams fall apart due to a lack of communication.   This case proves that knowing how to lead a team is just as important as being a part of the team.   It is important to realize that not only does a leader have responsibility to a team but the members have to be involved in order for a project to be completed accurately and affectively.