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This conceptual article examines the role of team-building in outdoor learning, reviews group development theory in relation to teamwork, and outlines the Behaviour Analysis model as a tool to facilitate team-building. Working with this foundation, the theory and model are combined with discussion about team, leader, and facilitator behaviours at each stage of group development. The applications are valid for all clientele in all outdoor settings. Several strong recommendations for practitioner behaviours and future research are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

School improvement depends, fundamentally, upon collective agency—a group capability to work productively together and solve problems. Unfortunately, many schools operate in contexts of adversity that can pose considerable challenges with developing collective agency. Schools serving high-poverty communities of color often face chronic resource shortages, difficulties to reach their students, and negative reputations. Research has shown how such experiences of adversity can invite destructive tendencies that interfere with collective agency—including defensiveness, learned helplessness, and fragmenting conflict. However, prevailing approaches to researching school improvement have obscured insight into how collective agency may develop in adverse contexts. To study this, this paper draws on over 70 hours of participant observation and more than 50 reflective conversations conducted over 1 year with a Californian middle school facing adversity. Drawing on literature about group development and work teams, the article traces interaction patterns in three work groups, including one I led. The study finds clear efforts to develop collective agency at times, but it is a fragile emergence. Across all groups, collective agency becomes enabled when initiative to address a problem combines with manageable tasks, simple solutions, and group affirmation. However, these processes do not enable groups to fully address the complex problems they face, leaving groups vulnerable to recurrent experiences of inefficacy and overwhelm that quash collective agency. The findings offer a new understanding of school improvement amid adversity as a struggle to improve at "the next level of work," calling for reforms designed to sustain a foundation of collective agency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Group norms in engineering education groupwork are usually negotiated in an implicit and often unequal manner. Although it is regularly suggested that student groups can function better if norm negotiations are, instead, made explicit, the social dynamics of group norm exercises have remained underexplored. Purpose: We investigate how students negotiate group norms in group norm exercises, including the different understandings of groupwork that they construct and draw from to facilitate their negotiations. Method: We recorded and analyzed a sequence of three group norm exercises focused on developing a team charter, with seven participating student groups. Drawing on framing theory, we study negotiation sequences in terms of framing practices, and understandings of groupwork in terms of activity frames. Results: Our findings suggest that group norm exercises can help students to coordinate their expectations and transform previously established norms. However, they may also be approached in such a way that students are discouraged from questioning established group norms, instead resolving disagreement by simply rejecting alternative perspectives. We introduce the term "group development norms" to explain these dynamics, showing that the question of how to develop group norms is in itself a subject for negotiation. Conclusions: Providing a forum and process is neither enough to ensure reflective and equitable negotiations nor transparent and inclusive group norms. To avoid that group norm exercises simply reaffirm dominant norms, students should be provided with explicit negotiation strategies and, ideally, direct facilitation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nowadays, especially in the Eastern region of Hungary, small businesses face an increasing challenge in attracting and retaining a well-qualified workforce that is able to accept and commit to the goals of SMEs. This is due to the promising career prospects offered by foreign-owned large companies locating here. However, if SME employees possess the virtues of organisational citizenship behaviour (OCB), they will develop a stronger commitment to the organisation. The aim of our research was to explore the extent to which the five OCB virtues; sportsmanship, conscientiousness, altruism, politeness and civic virtue are present in a small construction company in Hajdú-Bihar county. Our survey was carried out using a questionnaire method, which was analysed as a function of length of service, education and age. The main findings are that there is a strong correlation between the presence of OCB characteristics and age and length of time spent with the firm.

Within the first couple of years after release from prison in the United States, recidivism rates are highest. Lack of or limited education levels, access to mental health services or substance abuse treatment, and the environment post release are well-documented reasons for recidivism. A grant-funded community-based multidisciplinary post-incarceration pilot program in Southwest Michigan began to assist the returning ex-offenders overcome reintegration barriers to ensure a successful transition to community living. The program design provided wrap around services that included access to counseling, social work navigator services, mentoring, tutoring, and occupational therapy life skills training to selected ex-offenders who chose to enroll. The program provided services for one year. The conclusion of the program occurred at the end of the grant funded period, when at the same time, the COVID-19 pandemic occurred in March 2020, and coincidentally, at the same time the team adjourned due to internal consequences. There are lessons learned in this experience that worked to reduce recidivism and re-incarceration in prison for a one-year period to effectively zero. Programmatically and organizationally, there are also important lessons to share for practice that are universal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on a qualitative study of 19 new career and technical education (CTE) teachers' induction during COVID, we asked: how did the new teachers work collaboratively and develop as a group with other teachers during the pandemic? Although teachers encountered challenges relatively consistent with prior studies (e.g., frustrated with decisions and policies, placed on the fringes of the school's operations), our findings reveal that induction challenges and effects became more pronounced as perceived non-core teachers, requests to remedy matters became more urgent, engagement with external networks became more distant and unprioritized, and the role of induction became even more significant than prior academic years. At the same time, CTE teachers recognized the equalizing effect between CTE and non-CTE teachers with online instruction and uncertainties caused by the pandemic. Implications for research and practice are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Groups play a pivotal role in human lives and may be even more important at this current moment when the human species faces myriad intractable issues. It could be argued that groups that are able to form tight connections may be needed now more than ever. While many empirical studies of groups focus on group performance, productivity, and effectiveness, or group “doingness,” this paper introduces a recent study that explored group “beingness” and the experience of manifesting deep union and oneness, an intersubjective phenomenon called coherence. Coherence has been written about from a theoretical and conceptual perspective, as well as from a practice perspective, but it has rarely been investigated empirically. An interpretive phenomenological investigation of coherence inquired into the phenomenon through the facilitation of two group coherence sessions immediately followed by group interviews. The study’s design aimed to explore coherence from the intersubjective perspective, allowing participants to make meaning of their coherence experiences in community. This paper introduces the study and its findings and posits the importance of this type of group phenomenon in our current human reality.

Group Development (GD) is an important variable when researching and evaluating what makes teams successful. We analyzed the psychometric properties of the originally Spanish GD questionnaire with German participants. 501 team members and 104 team leaders, 18 to 65 years old, from a German research organization answered an online survey composed of the GD questionnaire and items related to other group processes of democracy, mutual trust, team spirit, and interest in the team's tasks. Results confirmed the unidimensional factor structure of the translated Spanish version for the German GD construct. Internal consistency, convergent and discriminant validity were good. The German GD correlated as expected to other constructs, and it showed concurrent validity with respect to the team members' motivation and interest in team tasks (r =.79, p <.01). We recommend using the GD in German samples to measure team processes that are highly relevant for team effectiveness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Participant attrition is detrimental for exercise intervention studies, particularly if dropout is not random. Community engagement has helped facilitate participant adherence, which is particularly applicable for group exercise programs. Developing a sense of community (SOC) helps participants feel that they belong and provides ongoing social support. This paper reports on strategies used during an 11-week high intensity functional training (HIFT) intervention with exceptionally high adherence (96.7%) that involved 30 participants (57% women, age 36.7 ± 4.5 years). Participants recorded their heart rate variability using a smartphone app daily throughout the study, completed three different weeks of fitness assessments, and attended six weeks of five days/week HIFT group exercise sessions led by a certified coach. Coaches used strategies to facilitate group interactions and individual feedback and engagement. Participants completed a follow-up survey that included 14 items from the SOC in sport scale (SCS), eight questions about group dynamics, and three open-ended study feedback questions that were coded using the SOC categories. All SCS items were highly rated (mean range = 4.51-4.93/5) as were the group dynamics items (mean range = 4.30-4.85/5). Common interests were the most mentioned SOC category in open-ended responses, and while the participants reported really enjoying the study, they provided constructive feedback for improving future studies. Using specific strategies to facilitate a SOC in exercise intervention research (e.g., group exercise, social media connections, and facilitating participant interactions) are recommended for both researchers and practitioners to avoid attrition and encourage adherence, particularly for programs with high daily participant burden.

Students taking a research elective with project-based course components have shown aversion to group activities. We aimed to minimize group participation hesitancy and give students autonomy in choice of team formation approach in order to examine the effects of team formation approaches on successful team dynamics. Learners chose either a student self-selected (SS) or an instructor randomized (IR) team formation approach for two activities (a brief intervention role-play and a review of reviews research symposia presentation). Group development for the different team approaches was studied using the Tuckman model. Using this model, team dynamics was evaluated over five stages of group development: forming, norming, storming, performing, and adjourning. Student reports for each of the phases were evaluated using a project evaluation rubric. For the adjourning phase we used an open-ended survey embedded in the course learning management system. Free text answers from open-ended questions were analyzed for themes related to team dynamics concepts. Students rated their satisfaction with team performance higher for SS than for IR teams. In terms of individual learning and satisfaction with individual's roles and tasks, they indicated greater satisfaction with the IR approach. Team formation methods impacted group dynamics and individual attitudes with favorable team dynamics leading to better individual task and overall team performance. Higher team performance corresponds to higher grades for group projects and for courses with group projects, favorable team dynamics could impact students' evaluation of the course. • Student self-selected or an instructor randomized approach was used for two projects to observe impact of team formation. • Self-selected teams reported greater satisfaction with team performance, although negative team dynamics was greater. • Team formation methods impacted group dynamics and individual attitudes for better individual task and final team performance. • Favorable team dynamics can impact students' evaluation of courses with group projects [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Followers' trust can build the leader's influence and the followers' trust in the leader's mission. Cognitive (based on perceptions of ability and predictability) and affective (based on perceptions of benevolence and integrity) trust between Christ and His twelve disciples enabled movement to group performance and acceptance of Him as Savior and His Great Commission. The disciples began with knowledge-driven cognitive trust and transitioned to experience-driven affective trust. Tuckman's model may be used to assess group development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dr Susan Wheelan, scientist, author, teacher and practitioner in the field of group research and development, passed away in November of 2019. This article was written to commemorate her life and work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research suggests a conceptual process of how to create high- performing innovation teams to meet the market’s need of faster ways of conducting innovation work. The CIT -process (Creating high-performing Innovation Teams) is a five-step-process systematically developed to meet organizational-, team-, and individual perspectives. On a holistic level, this research contributes to prior research by bringing research on innovation teams and high-performing teams together to become a pre-stage to established group dynamic processes and innovation processes. Practical implications and future research are suggested.

Drawing on his experience as an organizational consultant, the author presents a new model of team analysis and development for working with organizations. He describes the field of tension within which many organizations operate (e.g., product and service development must be done at high speed, the viability and life span of products and services is short, etc.) and some key theoretical developments from the science and study of organizations and the organizational field in transactional analysis. Drawing from authors such as Tuckman, Bion, and Belbin as well as several TA concepts, he describes the stages of human development as articulated by Levin and how these can be adapted as a useful tool focusing on the task of the group, the individual team member, and the requirement for leadership in the organizational setting. He provides a new TA model—the cycle of team development—which offers clear, concrete guidelines for organizations that are searching for new ways to increase team effectiveness. Brief case studies demonstrate the use of interventions at each stage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigate whether group emotional awareness can prevent the escalation of controversy into conflict in project teams. We propose that group emotional awareness mitigates the impact of initial task conflicts on the development of group emotion regulation. This, in turn, prevents the escalation of task into relationship conflicts. We test our proposed model through a longitudinal design on project teams over the duration of a 3-month project, from the onset of their work together till the completion of the project. Group emotional awareness mitigates the impact of high levels of initial task conflict on the development of emotion regulation: the latter lacks conditions to develop when group emotional awareness is low and groups experience task conflict and can only develop under high emotional awareness conditions. Once in place, group emotional regulation reduces the likelihood of task conflicts escalating to relationship conflicts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Our thoughts and feelings towards groupwork and outdoor learning impact our subsequent engagement in, and learning from, such activities. This study explores the impact of a pre-course video when used in preparation for an outdoor groupwork skills course. The video was designed according to the theory of planned behaviour (TPB) to enhance intentions to develop groupwork skills in an international cohort of university students. At the induction session of the 3–5 day residential course (N = 173), participants were assigned to either video-only, video with goal-setting worksheet, or control conditions. Their thoughts and feelings towards the course were measured pre- and post-induction and their groupwork skills were measured pre- and post-course. In line with the TPB, participants' attitudes and self-efficacy towards the course were significant and meaningful predictors of their learning intention and subsequent behaviour change. These pre-course beliefs towards groupwork and outdoor learning were significantly improved by the video, despite learners already holding favourable beliefs at baseline. However, these high baseline scores meant that improvements in attitudes resulting from the video were small, and not enough to enhance the subsequent learning outcomes. The potential mechanisms of the pre-course video are discussed along with practical implications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Group development is an initial step and an important influence on learning collaborative problem solving (CPS) based on the digital learning environment (DLE). Group development based on the Myers-Briggs types indicators (MBTI) rule proved successful for the educational and industrial environment. The MBTI ideal group rules are reached when a group leader has the highest level of leadership and compatibility between group members. The level of leadership and suitability of group members is determined based on the MBTI learning style (LS). Problems arise when the population of MBTI LS with the highest level of leadership is over. This will lead to dual leadership problems and have an impact on group disharmony. This study proposes an intelligent agent software for the development of the ideal group of MBTI, using the Fuzzy algorithm. The intelligent agent was developed on the SKACI platform. SKACI is a DLE for CPS learning. Fuzzy algorithm for solving dual leadership problems in a group. Fuzzy algorithm is used to increase the population of MBTI LS to 3 levels, namely low, medium and high. Increasing the population of MBTI LS can increase the probability of forming an ideal group of MBTI. Intelligent agents are tested based on a quantitative analysis between experimental classes (applying intelligent agents), and control classes (without intelligent agents). Experiment results show an increase in performance and productivity is better in the experimental class than in the control class. It was concluded that the development of intelligent agents had a positive impact on group development based on the MBTI LS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Online communities are changing the way people enjoy leisure activities through computer-mediated interactions, yet little is known about how these groups form, function, and network. The current study draws on two years of involvement with a Meetup group, using participant observation and ethnographic interviews of the group's live interactions and content analysis of the group's online communication. Throughout this article, the author analyzed the life cycle of online communities and discovered that technology acts as a catalyst for group formation and that the fast and exponential growth of groups centered on common leisure interests. Computer-mediated communications also accelerated the pace of conflict among groups and the formation of alternate communities to satisfy the same need. Patterns of group formation, consolidation, conflict, splintering, and re-grouping repeated themselves throughout the observation period. Finally, the present research discusses how this new form of social interaction facilitates leisure pursuits and encourages creativity in the creation of diverse activities which foster continued participation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Group formation is an essential process for group development lifecycle. It has been a growing concern to many researchers to be applied automatically in collaborative learning contexts. Forming a group is an atomic process that is affected by various factors. These factors differ depending on the group members characteristics, the context of the grouping process and the techniques used to form the group(s). This paper surveys the recently published work in group formation process providing a systematic literature review in which 30 relevant studies were analyzed. The findings of this review propose two taxonomies. The first one is for the attributes of group formation while the second is for the grouping techniques. Furthermore, we present the main findings and highlight the limitations of existing approaches in computer supported collaborative learning environment. We suggest some potential directions for future research with group formation process in both theoretical and practical aspects. In addition, We emphasize other improvements that may be inter-related with other computing areas such as cloud computing and mobility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While the notion of task–media fit is inherent to most theories on communication in virtual teams, past studies have largely concentrated on single, isolated tasks—hence neglecting sequential and contextual effects of media use. Building on project management frameworks, this study abstracts from the task level to the broader and more practical level of project phases, linking these to changes in media use. In particular, the study illustrates the weekly use of communication media within 34 student teams during a 3-month project. In line with team process phase models, results showed differences in media use between project phases: While face-to-face communication decreased, the use of leaner media (i.e., telephone and chat) increased in later project phases. Moreover, the variation of media use within the project phases increased over time, emphasizing the temporal dynamics of task–media fit. Finally, implications especially for project managers and recommendations for further research are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inspired by Tuckman's stages of group development and Leeds-Hurwitz's (1993) discussion of meaningful symbols in flags, this class activity develops student's transferable skills in design software and teamwork to build team cohesion and produce quality presentational aids and deliverables for group-based assignments. These transferable skills benefit students beyond the classroom, which addresses a growing need among university students to develop skills marketable to internship and potential employers though coursework. The activity is applicable to a variety of courses and adaptable to meet different instructional needs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explored the group developmental process of Adventure Therapy (AT) conducted with 9th grade students (n = 20). Researchers measured avoidance, conflict, and cohesion and compared results from this study to the development of traditional counseling groups. Results suggested that AT groups follow a similar developmental process as traditional group counseling as evidenced by a statistically significant increase in cohesion, an increase then decrease in conflict, and a decrease in avoidance. This study is a response to a previous call for research related to AT group development. Implications for counselors, AT training programs, and future research are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research question: This study investigates the impact of initiation rituals on group development. Through the application of chaos theory, we examine how the trajectory of team development is inherently unpredictable due to the complex nature and uncertainty of initiation rituals. Research methods: The paper draws upon 42 interviews with student athletes from a UK university. The UK context provides a new perspective on initiation activities that are currently dominated by studies in a US setting. Results and findings: From our coding of interview data four themes emerge: Forced assimilation, Dejection, Commitment, and Performance. The results find initiation rituals force sport teams into a period of chaos where outcomes can vary from improved performance to dejection. Thus, sports teams can experience any, or all of the themes present in our findings, and previous group cohesion is an unreliable predictor for successful group development post-initiation. Implications: Theoretically, we further understanding of group development as an unpredictable system due to the nuances and complexities associated with initiations that stimulate periods of chaos. Practically we find administration of bureaucratic control is an ineffective mechanism for constraining initiation activities, and instead it is team leaders and captains who should guide behaviour towards constructive and enjoyable initiations associated with improved commitment and performance of sporting teams. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports on a study aimed at integrating an important but neglected behavioral issue--group development--into group decision support systems (GDSS) research. Group development is based on the fact that most groups have a past and a future, and this affects group outcomes. However, most GDSS studies have investigated only a single group session. This study examined the behavior of groups using a GDSS over multiple sessions. The study reported in this paper specifically examined the following two questions: (1) does computer support affect the development of decision-making groups? and (2) do the patterns of development differ over time between computer-supported and manual groups? These two questions were studied using a two-factorial repeated measures research design. Results showed significant differences in development patterns between computer-supported groups and manual groups in terms of conflict management and degree of cohesiveness. After adapting to GDSS, computer-supported groups displayed more productive conflict management and higher group cohesiveness than manual groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT Based on a developmental approach, this study intended to analyze the extent to which the different stages of group development differ regarding the use of knowledge management processes. The sample comprised 211 teams belonging to a Portuguese military organization. In order to test the hypotheses a multivariate analysis of variance was conducted. The results showed that more mature and cooperative groups (Restructuring/Realization phase) apply to a greater degree the processes of knowledge management, while groups in which there is high intragroup competition and in which members try to “gain power” among themselves (Reframing phase), apply these processes to a lesser degree.

This article examines how technology and structural guidance influence the development of workgroups using computer-mediated communication (CMC). The results of two experiments support the notion that CMC workgroups develop over time in a similar manner to face-to-face groups. Technology availability had minimal, fleeting effects on group development. Structural guidance had a more pronounced effect, increasing feelings of belonging and goal commitment in newly formed groups, but lowering feelings of trust in maturing groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article reports results of a study that tracked growth factors in experiential training groups through Tuckman’s conceptual framework of group development using Critical Incidents methodology and quantitative description. We sought to explore whether different growth factors varied in salience over the course of each of the groups’ life and over time. Four group facilitators completed a total of 40 copies of the Group Development Checklist over the course of one academic semester. Results showed that growth factors varied across stages of group development and over time, offering partial support to Tuckman’s model. We discuss several implications for training and future research on growth factors in experiential groups, as well as limitations of the study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is growing interest in mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) in the management of multiple physical and mental health issues. Although MBIs utilize a group format, research on how this format impacts teaching and learning mindfulness is lacking. This study aimed to develop a detailed theory of MBI group processes utilizing a grounded theory methodology. This article presents our subsequent model, developed from semistructured interviews conducted with MBI students, teachers, and trainers (N = 12). A core category, the group as a vessel on a shared journey, and three higher-order categories emerged from the data. They illustrate how MBI group processes navigate a characteristic path. Teachers build and steer the group “vessel” in a way that fosters a specific culture and sense of safety. The group is facilitated to share communal experiences that augment learning and enrich mindfulness practice. Limitations and implications for clinicians and researchers are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this paper is to clarify how leadership is able to improve team effectiveness, by means of its influence on group processes (i.e., increasing group development) and on the group task (i.e., decreasing task uncertainty). Four hundred and eight members of 107 teams in a German research and development (R&D) organization completed a web-based survey; they provided measures of transformational leadership, group development, 2 aspects of task uncertainty, task interdependence, and team effectiveness. In 54 of these teams, the leaders answered a web-based survey on team effectiveness. We tested the model with the data from team members, using structural equations modeling. Group development and a task uncertainty measurement that refers to unstable demands from outside the team partially mediate the effect of transformational leadership on team effectiveness in R&D organizations (p < 0.05). Although transformational leaders reduce unclarity of goals (p < 0.05), this seems not to contribute to team effectiveness. The data provided by the leaders was used to assess common source bias, which did not affect the interpretability of the results. Limitations include cross-sectional data and a lower than expected variance of task uncertainty across different job types. This paper contributes to understanding how knowledge worker teams deal effectively with task uncertainty and confirms the importance of group development in this context. This is the first study to examine the effects of transformational leadership and team processes on team effectiveness considering the task characteristics uncertainty and interdependence.

From a developmental perspective, workgroups adjust and modify the way they function over time. The present study aims to test, at the group level, the moderating role of the group’s life phase in the relationship between workgroup interdependence ties in terms of task, outcome and functions, assessed by social network density and group satisfaction. A sample of 84 teams from various companies participated in this research. The results showed that the group’s development phase determines the way that outcome interdependence density in teams is associated with satisfaction and reveal the existence of differences between the second and fourth development stages. Therefore, the group’s life cycle stage should be considered as a relevant variable in research and intervention with groups in the workplace. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Group formation studies are rare in the literature on teacher professional learning communities (PLCs). But they are needed to render realistic scenarios and design interventions for practitioners who work in schools where teachers encounter distress and social adversity. Under these conditions, we may need approaches to PLC development that are not adequately captured with conventional models. Drawing from the literature on teacher collaboration, effective work teams, group development and identity, problem solving, conflict and collective resilience, the article traces the development of a grade level team in a distressed urban middle school that was charged to make the learning environment for students safer, more orderly, and more caring. When teachers face the social adversity that students bring to them from their life experiences, the problems faced by teachers are often not 'friendly' problems. Rather these problems cause suffering: being challenged in one's basic competencies as a teacher or one's personal integrity. Oftentimes, they require collective action while they at the same time increase individual distress, fear of being seen as weak, and isolation. Work team development under these circumstances needs to capitalize on the desire to connect that may be imbued in collective suffering. Against norms of privacy, non-interference, and conflict avoidance, ideological rifts, and interfering interpersonal dynamics work team members need to look for the seeds of the desire to connect in the midst of this suffering. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As believed by many researchers (Dörnyei & Murphey 2003, Hadfield 1992), classroom climate is strongly determined by the dynamics of the learning group and its development over time. For this reason, the role of the teacher in facilitating group processes seems to be of primary importance since it is the teacher who has long been regarded as the group leader in both teacher-centred and learner-centred classrooms.The presentation focuses not only on positive but also on negative forms of classroom dynamics together with management techniques for dealing with conflicts, educational alienation and psychological defensiveness. This, in turn, leads to the concept of facilitator style based on Heron’s (2006) model of facilitation, which consists of six dimensions and three modes. In the paper particular emphasis is placed on the presentation and comparison of various theories of leadership, namely Heron’s system of facilitation, Hersey and Blanchard’s situational-leadership theory (1982) and Bass and Avolio’s transactional versus transformational leadership theory (1984).

International exchanges and travel and study projects have been gaining popularity in many fields including social work. Embedded in a group context, the success of these initiatives depends heavily on the group process of all members involved. This article analyzes the impact group dynamics have on an international travel and study project that brought 11 doctoral students and their dean from Ethiopia for a one-month experiential education program. A model of group development, which emphasizes behavioral outcomes in groups (forming, storming, norming, performing, and adjourning), is presented as an organizing framework. The discussion draws on a qualitative analytical study, which revisits Tuckman's model, and proposes a revised model that defines group development stages by individual, group, purpose, and work concerns that drive conflict throughout all group stages. Implications for social work education include de-emphasizing stages of group development, being mindful about what is known about small groups, and improving empirical research and training for leading international groups. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Groups are more effective when positive bonds are established and interpersonal conflicts resolved in early sessions and work is accomplished in later sessions. Previous research has provided mixed support for this group development model. We performed a test of this theoretical perspective using group members' (actors) and aggregated group members' (partners) perceptions of positive bonding, positive working, and negative group relationships measured early and late in interpersonal growth groups. Participants were 325 Italian graduate students randomly (within semester) assigned to 1 of 16 interpersonal growth groups. Groups met for 9 weeks with experienced psychologists using Yalom and Leszcz's (2005) interpersonal process model. Outcome was assessed pre- and posttreatment using the Inventory of Interpersonal Problems, and group relationships were measured at Sessions 3 and 6 using the Group Questionnaire. As hypothesized, early measures of positive bonding and late measures of positive working, for both actors and partners, were positively related to improved interpersonal problems. Also as hypothesized, late measures of positive bonding and early measures of positive working, for both actors and partners, were negatively related to improved interpersonal problems. We also found that early actor and partner positive bonding and negative relationships interacted to predict changes in interpersonal problems. The findings are consistent with group development theory and suggest that group therapists focus on group-as-a-whole positive bonding relationships in early group sessions and on group-as-a-whole positive working relationships in later group sessions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research uses the construct of group development (GD) to distinguish highly developed workgroups and teams from mere social aggregates. The aims were to develop a scale capable of measuring this basic emergent process and to study the scale's reliability and construct validity (content, factorial, convergent and criteria). Data concerning the GD, other related processes (entitativity and group identification) and team outputs (group performance and team effectiveness) were gathered from four successive studies (4099 participants belonging to 521 workgroups in 13 organizations). All the studies were carried out using a cross-sectional and correlational design. The results revealed an one-dimensional solution for the proposed measurement scale, which showed adequate reliability and validity. The scale is not only practical (quick and easy to apply) but also useful for group managers and leaders, since it provides them with a tool for determining the extent to which their groups are actually functioning as highly developed groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research shows how participants in classroom learning communities (LCs) come to take responsibility over designing their collaborative learning norms. Taking a micro-developmental perspective within a graduate-level course, we examined fine-grained changes in group discourse during a period of rapid change where this responsibility taking occurs, which we frame as the transition between the storming and norming stages of group development. Our findings indicate that this transition was based upon three sub-stages that included (a) recognition of a group crisis; (b) acceptance of responsibility; and (c) increased meaningfulness of norms. As an outcome of this transition, LC members took responsibility over negotiating and designing their collaborative norms as authority moved from moderators to students. We discuss the theoretical and practical contributions of this research on group development and LCs, as well as limitations and next steps for research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was designed to explore differences in group climate development between 2 brief group therapies, cognitive-behavioral group therapy (CBGT) and group psychotherapy (GPT), using multilevel growth curve analysis. Participants were 45 university students with a primary diagnosis of social anxiety disorder (SAD), randomly assigned to either of the 2 treatment conditions. Each group consisted of 8 weekly 2-hr sessions and members completed the Group Climate Questionnaire after each session. Similar patterns were found in both treatment conditions; engagement increased throughout the sessions, avoidance decreased, and conflict was overall low. The results support the hypothesis that brief group therapies (consisting of less than 10 sessions) will stay in the engagement phase of MacKenzie's 4-stage developmental model. There was less conflict in the CBGT groups compared with GPT, reflecting the more dynamic and interactive nature of the latter treatment. Conflict was lower than reported in previous studies, which may be attributable to the SAD diagnosis of group members. Future directions involve comparing group climate development between treatments of varying duration, between different treatment orientations and with members diagnosed with different disorders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Teams need to pass through a series of development stages before they can operate effectively, and, in a changing context, it has also been demonstrated that teams need to continue learning in order to remain effective. This article aims to explore the relationship between team development and team learning. In particular, it focuses on when and why basic team learning processes such as sharing information, co-construction, and constructive conflict occur during different phases of development. It can be hypothesized that although each stage of team development is characterized by specific learning tasks, team learning processes occur more in certain stages than in others. The results from a model-based cluster analysis and ANOVA analyses on a sample of 44 professional teams show that team learning occurs more in the later phases of group development due to higher levels of team psychological safety and group potency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates group/team development in computer engineering courses at a University in the Central USA from the perspective of organization behavior theory, specifically Tuckman's model of the stages of group development. The investigation, conducted through linguistic analysis of student reflection essays, and through focus group interviews, also presents STEM education researchers with a method to obtain nuanced information about interpersonal skills issues such as how groups and teams function. A third contribution of the paper is a review of the organizational behavior literature on teams and groups with a concern for its application to modern engineering education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]