TLB #34🧠 Practical tips for navigating group dynamics
A bi-weekly inside scoop on all the hottest events, juicy discussions, and oh-so-many other exciting things happening in our dynamic L&D community. 🧡
Hello Shaker,
Here’s all that you’ll experience in today’s issue:
💡Learning Bites: Integrated Model of Group Development by Susan Wheelan
🗓️ Community Calendar: Be a part of events like Nurturing Growth and Well-Being and many more.
🖌️ Community Creations: Let’s welcome Vanessa Alves Ruiz, Maxine Buttigieg, Scott Robson, Agata Wojtatowicz, Merryn Jones and Supriya Harikumar to the Core Team!
🔖 Resource Reel: A collection of resources on Human Centred Design, AI and many more.
🎤 Shaker's Stage: This week’s stage is taken by Lisa Nguyen.
Learning Bites 💡
Understanding how groups develop and function is crucial for anyone involved in team dynamics, whether you're a team member, leader, or facilitator. You can leverage group dynamics to foster collaboration and cooperation among team members, be able to create a safe and inclusive environment for everyone.
So, this week's exploration led me to understand group dynamics at a deeper level. I explored Susan Wheelan's Integrated Model of Group Development (IMGD), a powerful framework that outlines the stages of group development and offers practical insights for enhancing team performance. Knowing how team members move from one stage to another during a journey can improve the way you build, lead, and participate in teams, ultimately driving success in your projects and initiatives.
Here is the summary of what the model is about:
Susan identifies five distinct stages in the lifecycle of a group: Dependency and Inclusion, Counterdependency and Fight, Trust and Structure, Work and Productivity, and Termination. Each stage represents a unique phase of group dynamics, defined by specific behaviours, challenges, and developmental tasks.
Stage 1: Dependency and Inclusion- The groups start with members seeking acceptance and understanding of the group's purpose. They rely heavily on the leader for direction.
Advice for the team:
Get to know each other: Introduce yourselves and learn about each other's backgrounds.
Share your personal goals and how you experience things at work.
Be open to taking on responsibilities.
Respect caution: Avoid getting too personal too quickly.
Advice for the team leader:
Use a structured leadership approach.
Clarify goals, tasks, and expectations.
Establish and communicate values and norms.
Facilitate opportunities for team members to connect.
Ensure everyone feels included and engaged.
Advice for facilitators:
Encourage participation from all members.
Clearly define roles and responsibilities.
Monitor group dynamics to ensure inclusivity.
Stage 2: Counterdependency and Fight- As group members become more comfortable, conflicts may arise as they assert their opinions and challenge the leader.
Advice for the team:
Focus on problem-solving rather than personal attacks.
Respect differing viewpoints.
Stay committed to the group's goals.
Advice for the team leader:
Mediate conflicts impartially and encourage open communication.
Reinforce the group's goals and keep discussions on track.
Provide support and reassurance to maintain morale.
Advice for facilitators:
Help the group navigate conflicts by focusing on common goals.
Encourage respectful communication and active listening.
Facilitate problem-solving sessions to address issues.
Stage 3: Trust and Structure- Once conflicts are resolved, the group starts to develop trust and establish more structured ways of working together.
Advice for the team:
Be reliable and follow through on commitments.
Contribute to creating and adhering to group norms.
Support each other in achieving group goals.
Advice for the team leader:
Empower team members by delegating responsibilities.
Support the development and maintenance of group norms.
Encourage collaboration and trust-building activities.
Advice for facilitators:
Facilitate discussions to establish effective group norms.
Encourage continuous feedback and improvement.
Monitor and support the group's development.
Stage 4: Work and Productivity- With trust and structure in place, the group can focus on achieving high performance and productivity.
Advice for the team:
Maintain high standards and accountability.
Collaborate effectively and support each other's efforts.
Focus on achieving group objectives.
Advice for the team leader:
Set clear goals and celebrate achievements.
Provide resources and remove obstacles to productivity.
Encourage innovation and efficiency.
Advice for facilitators:
Monitor progress and provide constructive feedback.
Keep the group focused on their objectives.
Facilitate any necessary adjustments to maintain productivity.
Stage 5: Termination- As the group achieves its goals, the focus shifts to ending the group or transitioning to new objectives.
Advice for the team:
Reflect on accomplishments and lessons learned.
Plan for future collaborations or transitions.
Celebrate the group's success and individual contributions.
Advice for the team leader:
Acknowledge and celebrate the group's successes.
Provide support for members transitioning to new roles.
Facilitate discussions on future goals and opportunities.
Advice for facilitators:
Conduct debrief sessions to capture insights.
Help members find closure and prepare for the next steps.
Document the group's achievements and lessons learned.
That’s all Shakers! This week reflect on how can you as a leader or facilitator, better support your team in reaching high performance. How do you as a team member contribute to building trust and structure within your team?
Coming Up Next
Community Calendar 🗓️
Don't miss out on our exciting lineup of community events this month! From local hub meet-ups to L&D backstage, there's something for everyone.
Community Creations 🖌️
🇪🇸Our local hub in Barcelona is growing, and so does our local team.
We are happy to welcome Vanessa Alves Ruiz and Maxine Buttigieg to the Local Hub Barcelona Team!
They are joining André Philippe Lauer and Roland Hayward to continue the fantastic work of bringing Shakers in and around Barcelona together for in-person meetups.
Vanessa and Maxine—We wish you lots of fun in this new role, and a big welcome to the Core Team!
🇬🇧Our amazing Lucie Coudret is stepping back from leading the London Hub for a bit, as she prepares to welcome a new bundle of joy into the world. Congrats, Lucie!
The dynamic Scott Robson is stepping in along with two fantastic L&D professionals, Agata Wojtatowicz and Merryn Jones. Together, they’ll keep the energy high and the hub thriving!
Let’s shower them with love and good luck as they embark on this exciting journey with us!
Wake Up, Shakers!
A brand new learning cluster has been launched- Shakers Makerspace by Supriya Harikumar!
This cluster offers an experiential learning space where participants can create artefacts such as courses, videos, and micro-learning modules. Show & tell sessions will showcase these creations, allowing for iterative improvement based on expert feedback. Build your skills and showcase your work in a tangible portfolio.
Who is it for?
L&D enthusiasts working on projects, whether new to the field or recently started an L&D role (1-2 years).
Those eager to dive in and create meaningful artefacts.
Open to receiving feedback and improving through iterative learning.
Call for Project Team Volunteers: She is seeking two passionate Shakers to join her in shaping this initiative. Together, you'll define the format, enhance engagement techniques, and bring this vision to life!
Your commitment as a Project Team volunteer:
Minimum 6 months commitment, dedicating 2-4 hours per week (depending on project needs).
This role requires significant dedication, so please apply only if you're ready to build something impactful for our community.
This is a perfect opportunity for someone new to the L&D space. I know the majority of Shakers who are experienced would say that this is something they wish they had when they started their journey.
Applications close on July 31st!
Cool Stuff You Don’t Wanna Miss Out
Resource Reel 🔖
This week’s hottest resources are:
Facilitator’s Guide by Design Kit will help you introduce Human Centred Design to learners. The guide includes a script, presentation, worksheets, and agendas to maximize your success for a one-day session.
World Café Conversations Guide by The World Café Community Foundation to help you host conversations using the World Café approach. Read and experiment to make the café experience come to your workshops and how you hold conversations.
When a Team Member Speaks Up — and It Doesn’t Go Well by Megan Reitz
and Amy C. Edmondson for HBR where they talk about how framing interactions as learning experiments, preparing for them, using process tools, and adopting a long-term learning perspective is crucial for organisational success.
AI Literacy Competencies for Educators & Learning Professionals by Paradox learning provides a framework with eight key areas like AI Fundamentals, Data Fluency and others with competencies described along the three levels- Explorer, Integrator and Pioneer.
Toolkit for Building an L&D Rightskilling Strategy by NilesNolen and Opensesame will help you start your Rightskilling Strategy and measure the KPIs that matter.
The Journey to Continuous Progression by pando if you are working on employee performance projects, especially if you are experimenting with moving away from yearly performance review cycles to a more impactful continuous process. Inside you’ll find a self-assessment to see where in the journey you are, a practical checklist to get manager buy-in for this new approach to performance, and a little guide which explains the philosophy behind it.
Community Corner:
Shaker's Stage 🎤
Let’s welcome Lisa Nguyen, Leadership Coach to take the Stage.
Something that fills your energy cup these days is:
-Journaling in the morning
What are you currently learning?
-Game-based facilitation strategies to unlock innovative ideation and creative problem-solving
A book that left an impression on you:
-The Creative Act by Rick Rubin.
What does being an L&D Shaker look and feel like for you?
-It means staying curious and open to continuously learning about your field, your peers, and yourself.
〜See you soon
Till then, keep spicing up your learning! 🧠🧂
Sejaal
I appreciate the breakdown on the Susan Wheelan's Model.
I've been using it in facilitation training, and also in leadership sessions, focused on a facilitative approach.