Overview of the Team
The SSU team is made up of seven members all of whom are pharmaceutical students. The team’s number is informed by the need to enhance communication within the team and also to ensure that all the necessary skills are present for the sake of synergy. The purpose of the team is to help investigators obtain approval from the Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) agency to conduct Clinical Research Trials.
Responsibilities of the Team
The SSU is charged with various responsibilities which are outlined by the investigators who work with the team. Part of the responsibilities are establishing protocols for carrying out clinical trials, conducting clinical trials under the supervision of the investigators, explaining research studies, their potential risks and advantages to subjects, securing their written permission before proceeding with the study, and informing the research participants of their roles.
Other responsibilities are informing investigators of any negative incidents that may occur during the study so that they can report the same to the IRB, keeping accurate records regarding the study for assessment by IRB, and seeing to it that IRB regulations for clinical research trials have been followed.
Features of SSU
SSU group possesses several features which show that it is functioning as a team. To start with, it has a clear mission which is to help clinical investigators get FDA approval for clinical trials. It also has SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Time-bound) objectives which are set in critical tasks areas. The roles, responsibilities and relationships between members are clearly defined to enhance motivation, group communication, coordination, and to avoid confusion.
The team has embraced a democratic leadership style which encourages participation of all the members in decision making. Critical decisions of the group are made through consensus. In the decision making process, the sharing of information is encouraged as opposed to hoarding information. Any conflict that may arise during group activities and during discussions is resolved constructively.
Over the period that the group has been in operation, there have been few incidences of mistrust among members while interpersonal relationships have been supportive and competitive at the same time. Members are also quick to offer constructive feedback to each other. Moreover, the team has maintained amicable relationships with other groups including investigators, the IRB, and the FDA agency.
SSU Teamwork Survey Scores
The SSU team scored lowest in the forming and storming stage (below 16) which means that the team has developed beyond these two stages. In contrast, it scored highest in the norming and performing stages (above 32). This indicates that the team is most probably in the last stages of group development. Since the scores were high in both the norming and performing stage, it is logical to conclude that the team is in the performing stage.
Tuckman’s Group Model
According to Tuckman, there are five phases in a group’s development. These are the formation phase, the storming phase, the norm establishment phase, the performance phase and lastly, the adjourning phase (Tuckman, 1965). In order for a team to grow successfully it needs to have the right mix of skills for accomplishing the task at hand.
A good team will usually have at least five members to ensure that the members’ skills are complimentary. However, the team should not be very large as this tends to impede communication within the team. A good team usually has a maximum of nine members. The Tuckman model identifies five stages of a team’s growth namely forming, storming, norming, performing, and adjournment stages.
Forming
During this stage, the team members come together and each one of them explains his or her goals in joining the team. The team members will consider acceptable group behavior in this stage and also establish leadership positions either formally or informally (Quinn, 1998). In this stage, there is little discussion regarding the real issues that the group is going to face.
A lot of excitement and enthusiasm is experienced during the stage. The phase is also characterized by various group behaviors such as confidence, high expectation, exhilaration, a sense of closeness to the team, and apprehension regarding the job among others. After the forming stage, the group then enters the storming stage.
Storming
In the storming stage, the team members express ideas on how to accomplish the group’s tasks. A lot of debate happens with members reviewing each others ideas and airing their own. Members may oppose each others suggestion, and disunity and tension could be experienced in the phase.
Other behavioral features of this stage include rivalry, loosing optimism regarding the ability of the group to succeed, group members contesting each others ideas, setting unrealizable goals, doubting the competence of those members appointed to lead the group, taking sides on debate issues, etc. After this stage, the group proceeds to the norming stage.
Norming
In this stage, the team’s members set up rules, roles, and responsibilities that would be guiding the team. The group’s disunity is resolved and the group reaches consensus on any issues that may have raised conflict in the former stages (Wellins, 1991).
Performing
The performing stage is characterized by tackling the group’s tasks. At this stage all the group’s issues have been settled and members have accepted each other and learned their roles. The stage is characterized by diagnosis, problem-solving, and execution of group objectives.
Adjournment
When the team finally accomplishes it tasks, the members proceed to dissolve it. There is a high sense of achievement at this stage and members are reluctant to leave the group because of the emotional bonds created in the formative stages (Davenport, 1997).
SSU Team’s Stage in the Group Growth Process
The characteristics of SSU team discussed earlier on point out that the team is in the performing stage. The members’ roles and responsibilities as well as the group’s rules are clearly defined. In addition, the group has already established a leadership style and mechanism for resolving conflicts.
Everything seems to be running smoothly for the team and all the members are eager to contribute towards the achievement of the team’s goals. Also, each member feels responsible and accountable for the group’s goals. SSU may stay much longer in the performing stage before it becomes adjourned.
References
Davenport, T. (1997). Working Knowledge: How Organizations Manage What They Know. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press.
Quinn, J. (1998). Managing Professional Intellect: Making the Most of the Best. Harvard Business Review on Knowledge Management. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press.
Tuckman, B. (1965) Developmental Sequence in Small Groups. Psychological Bulletin, vol. 63, pp. 384-399.
Wellins, R. (1991). Empowered Teams: Creating Self-Directed Work Groups That Improve Quality, Productivity, and Participation. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.