There are many situations in which people join groups, the number of groups being fixed, and a person (or agent) can only join a group if this group approves the person’s joining (Watts, 2007). A model of group formation is presented such that the number of groups is fixed, and a person can only join a group if the group’s members approve the person’s joining (Watts, 2007). There are stages of group development that would apply for any group size. The original stages of group development consist of four stages and were designed in 1965 by Bruce Tuckerman. Later in 1977, Tuckerman along with Mary Ann Jenson revised the stages adding a fifth stage. The first stage is referred to as “forming”. During this stage members try to orient themselves to the group (Brehm, Kassin, & Fein, 1999). The second stage is storming. During this stage members are more assertive about the group’s direction and what roles they would like to play in the group (Brehm, et al., 1999). Specifically, each person is endowed with a quality level and receives a payoff from the group he joins that depends only on who is in the group (or only on the quality levels of the people in the group) (Watts, 2007). The third stage is norming where the members develop a common sense of purpose and perspective and they establish norms and roles with more commitment to the group (Brehm et al., 1999). During this stage members appear more comfortable in their roles due to a more acceptance of their status in the group. The fourth stage is performing. Members operate within their roles in the group and try to solve problems to allow them achieve their shared goals (Brehm et al. 1999). The fifth stage is adjourning. This stage occurs due to members deciding for various reasons they no longer need to be a part of the group. A decision has been made by members who believe the benefits of staying in the group no longer outweigh the costs (Brehm et al., 1999). There is no set amount of time for each stage. A person could easily go through each stage within a short period of time. The time frame for each stage all depends of what type of group is joined and what the member is searching for during different times in his/her life.

References

Brehm, S. S., Kassin, S. M., & Fein, S. (1999). Social Psychology (4th ed.). 247-290 Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company.

Watts, A. (2007). Formation of segregated and integrated groups. International Journal of Game Theory, 35(4), 505-519. doi:10.1007/s00182-006-0064-z