group dynamics

ALPs workshops foster interactions between group members to create a positive learning environment. Through the fun and energetic workshop, groups learn to work together, value the contributions of each member and make decisions cooperatively. Our programming centers on your group’s needs, which can oftentimes fit into a series of common stages of group development:

“In the Forming stage, group members rely on safe, patterned behavior and look to the group leader for guidance and direction. Group members have a desire for acceptance by the group and a need to know that the group is safe. To grow from this stage to the next, each member must relinquish the comfort of non-threatening topics and risk the possibility of conflict.”

Short ALPs workshops like the Ice-Breaking and Team-Building programming can help a newly-formed group establish a comfort level and lay the foundation for both lasting friendships and a productive atmosphere.

“The next stage, which Tuckman calls Storming, is characterized by competition and conflict in the personal-relations dimension of an organization. Individuals have to bend and mold their feelings, ideas, attitudes, and beliefs to suit the group organization. Questions will arise about who is going to be responsible for what, what the rules are, what the reward system is, and what criteria for evaluation are. The most important trait in helping groups to move on to the next stage seems to be the ability to listen.”

Longer ALPs workshops like the Team-Building and Problem-Solving aim to more actively tackle common issues within an established group. Cooperation, trust and communication are all important aspects of healthy groups that can be challenged and explored with a variety of activities.

“In Tuckman’s Norming stage, interpersonal relations are characterized by cohesion. Group members are engaged in active acknowledgment of all members’ contributions, community building and maintenance, and solving of group issues. Members are willing to change their preconceived ideas or opinions on the basis of facts presented by other members, and they actively ask questions of one another. Leadership is shared, and cliques dissolve. If this stage of data flow and cohesion is attained by the group members, their interactions are characterized by openness and sharing of information on both a personal and task level. They feel good about being part of an effective group.”

And whether your organization is norming, performing, somewhere in between, or just forming, a ropes course experience can offer lasting bonds. A day-long experience guided by the talented ALPs staff can help create an organizational mindset ready to tackle your group’s goals, or the ropes course is the perfect place to challenge and celebrate your organization’s past successes.

“The Performing stage is not reached by all groups. If group members are able to evolve to stage four, their capacity, range, and depth of personal relations expand to true interdependence. In this stage, people can work independently, in subgroups, or as a total unit with equal facility. There is unity: group identity is complete, group morale is high, and group loyalty is intense. The task function becomes genuine problem solving, leading toward optimal solutions and optimum group development.

Adapted from 5 Stages of Group Development

issues in group dynamics

Group Bonding:
Icebreackers and Deinhibitizers
Learning Names and Faces
Establishing Trust and Communication

Integration of Ideas:
Collaborative Problem Solving
Teamwork and Communication
Conflict Resolution

Reflection:
Vision and Goalsetting
Group Progression and Change
Evaluation and Feedback

Outdoor Action Guide to Group Dynamics & Leadership