Dodge, Duck, Dip... Storming, Norming, and Performing?

For this week's blog, I've been asked to talk about Tuckman's model for Stages of Group Development.

The Five Stages: Forming, Storming, Nornming, Performing, and Adjuourning all conicide with a certain point in the life of an organization, group, or team. I strive to show you guys diversity among my experiences. Being involved in a plethora of things here at OSU and back home allows me to take from my experiences and learn from them in ways that few others can. I'd like to do my best to pass the knowledge on to you. So, for this entry, I'd like to talk about my relationship this year with The Ohio State Dodgeball Syndicate.

The Ohio State Dodgeball Syndiacte (or OSU Dodgeball, for short) is one of the few clubs on campus that has transcended many leadership changes, struggles, and most importantly, time. That being said, the club has had no shortage of problems in its tenure here on campus. One of the most promient problems that they've encountered falls into playing locations, which falls into the Forming aspect of group development.

OSU Dodgeball prides itself on being as open and encouraging as any organization on campus can be, which makes them prime examples of utilizing the Forming State to the best of their ability. They have an established game and focus, with predetermined goals. They also are under great leadership, and do their best to recruit to everyone who would like to play. The one problem that they may have is, as said before, playing location.

In Storming, things are still pretty plain. Because the club is set up to play dodgeball, and pretty much nothing else, and dodgeball is a game that has rules that aren't really up for interpretation, the phase is short and sweet.

Norming is where things start to get a little bit more complicated. Because the club is played at more of a casual level, leadership is a little sketchy. Other officers openly mock their peers, and while this definetly makes everyone else feel closer to them, it devalues their leadership. Also, the club recently underwent transition, which puts the "primary leader" position in absolute limbo, as the former primary leader still attends meetings, but strives to just be a regular member, and the new primary leader still hasn't been able to show that he can handle things yet.

The being said, the group still has enough order, vision, and purpose to proceed to the Performing stage. They will no longer truly grow in a way that is significant, their meets are consistent, and no monkey wrenches have been thrown in. They're pretty much a well oiled machine, and will continue to work until something changes. They are absolutely at this stage of equilibrium.

All things considered, this group will not have to worry about the Adjourning stage for quite a while. They consistently generate interest, attempt recruitment events, tournaments, and many more things to keep the group alive. They are the essence of a long-lasting group, and will continue to be around for a long time.