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scientifically, so he’s important. He published his
results during the 1940s and 1950s. And he
created the term ‘group dynamics’ to describe
how groups and individuals act and react in
changing situations.
OK, the next really important contribution came
from a researcher, Bruce Tuckman. Tuckman
developed a theory about groups in 1965. He
argued that groups went through four stages.
Now I’d like to look briefly at each of the stages
in turn.
First, ‘Forming’. This is the stage when the
group pretends to get on well with each other
and everyone seems to be happy. It’s a kind of
honeymoon period.
Next is the ‘Storming’ stage. As the name
suggests, at this stage, members of the group are
less polite to each other and they try to resolve
their issues, even if they lose their tempers at
times. Individual group members may fall out
with each other as the true personalities of group
members become clearer at this time.
‘Norming’ is the stage after that. Members get
used to each other at this stage. They begin
to trust each other, share information and are
much more productive as they get down to the
job of working together.
The final stage is ‘Performing’. The members of
the group have common goals. The atmosphere in
the group is good. They work efficiently together
and cooperate effectively with each other.
These are the four stages in Tuckman’s original
theory about how groups develop. I should say
that later on he added a fifth stage. He called
it ‘Adjourning’. That’s the stage when the group
breaks up. Of course, some groups never even
reach the ‘Norming’ stage. If they don’t trust
each other, and members find they cannot put
up with each other, the group may break up
early, before the ‘Norming’ stage.
Tuckman’s theory is useful and of practical value.
Think for a moment about pop groups, or bands
you know. A classic example for me, although
not from my generation (laughs) is The Beatles, for
example. They went through all five stages. During
the ‘Performing’ stage, they were very effective,
and wrote and performed some of their best songs,
but eventually John Lennon moved away from
the group and after Paul McCartney left, the band
began to break up. You can also think of successful
football teams which go through those stages.
After early struggles, they have a period of success,
with a core of the same team members, although
a few individuals will leave and join. This stable
team may do well and win championships and
trophies. Then the team breaks up – for whatever
reason – perhaps due to the age or the ambition of
the players. Finally, a very contemporary example
would be in reality TV, where the way the group
works together is often the most interesting part of
these sorts of programme, and why people watch
them. So Tuckman’s model is a good one, and it’s
useful for analysing group dynamics.
Now are there any questions so far …?
LESSON 10.4 RECORDING 10.3
PB = Professor Brown, M = Michelle
PB:
OK, let’s go to my next caller, who’s in
Preston.
M:
Hello Professor, my name’s Michelle.
PB:
Hi Michelle. How can I help?
M:
It’s about my husband, Jack. You see, he’s
52 and a year ago he was made redundant.
Since then, he has tried to find a similar job
but hasn’t had any luck. And the problem
is, I think he’s started to give up hope. He’s
lost faith in himself and he doesn’t want to
apply for any more jobs.
PB:
Oh dear! That must be worrying.
M:
Mmm. He was always very proud of his
job. It gave his life meaning. Now he’s got
nothing.
PB:
Michelle, I can see you’re very upset. Can
you tell me what his job was before?
M:
He was a sales manager in a household
appliances company. He was with the
company for over 30 years, but they had
financial problems and closed the area
office.
PB:
Mmm, I see. And what sort of jobs has he
applied for since he lost his work?
M:
He was trying for management positions
similar to the one he had, but no-one
wants people of his age nowadays. At one
interview they told him he could start as
a salesman again. That’s what he did after
leaving school. It’s very stressful work, with
lots of travelling and nights spent in hotels
all over the country. He loved it when he
was in his twenties but he’s used to his
home comforts now. I think they knew he
would reject the job when they offered it to
him. They were just trying to be kind.
PB:
You said he doesn’t want to apply for
any more jobs. Do you think you could
persuade him to try again?
M:
I’m not sure. That’s why I’d like your
advice. He’s become very depressed and
disinterested in everything.
PB:
Well, tell me a bit about him. Outside work,
does he have any interests or hobbies at all?
M:
He loves gardening. We’ve got an allotment
where he grows fruit and vegetables. He
used to spend all his time there but he’s
even lost interest in that.
PB:
Does he keep up with modern technology?
Can he use a computer?
M:
Oh yes. At work he used computers and
new technology a lot. He gave multimedia
presentations to his team and everything.
Do you think you can help us, professor? Is
there anything I can do for my husband?
LESSON 10.4 RECORDING 10.4
PB = Professor Brown, M = Michelle
PB:
Well, it’s obviously very difficult for Jack,
and you, Michelle.
M:
Mmm, That’s why I’ve phoned you – I need
some good advice.
PB:
Right, first of all, you need to talk to
your husband and give him some
encouragement. You have to be the positive
one in the family and stop him from getting
too negative.
M:
Mmm, yes, that could be helpful, I suppose.
I think I can manage that.
PB:
Now, you should also contact your local
Job Centre – their services are free. They’ll
give Jack help with his CV and know how to
make his age and experience work for him
rather than against him.
M:
Well, I like the idea but ... I don’t think it’d
work if I contacted them. I mean. Jack’s a
proud man. He will want to do it on his
own. I can suggest it but it’s up to him to
do something about it.
PB:
OK, then, fair enough, but try to be as
persuasive as possible. Now, another idea.
Can I ask you, do you have many friends
in the local area? People who are still
working?
M:
Yes, we do.
PB:
Well, it might be a good idea to talk to them.
You don’t have to beg for help but just ask
them to keep an ear or eye open and let you
know if they hear of any vacancies. It can’t
do any harm.
M:
No, that’s true. Other people have asked him
for similar favours in the past so I can suggest
it in terms of someone repaying a favour.
PB:
Good idea. Now another possibility is for
Jack to do voluntary work. What do you
think about that?
M:
Oh, I don’t think so. What’s the point of
doing that? There’s no way he’d agree to
it. Not now. We have talked about doing
voluntary work when we retire and I’m afraid
he would see this as more evidence that his
proper working life had come to an end.
PB:
OK, we’ll forget about that one. Now, do
you use the Internet a lot at home?
M:
Yes, every day.
PB:
Great! Well, if I were you, I’d search online
for training courses for over 50’s. Also, it
might be worth contacting your local library
or college. Quite often courses are free for
the unemployed and, if your husband is still
open to new ideas and experiences, he might
find it incredibly rewarding to try something
different.
M:
That sounds like a great idea to me. But
won’t my husband still be competing in the
job market with younger people?
PB:
Yes, which is why it’s vital that he shows
prospective employers that he is capable
of taking on new ideas. It makes a big
difference. If employers look at his CV now,
they can see the experience but they don’t
know anything about your husband. He
may still be doing the same things that he
was doing thirty years ago and might not be
willing to take risks or be receptive to new
ideas.
M:
You know, that’s really good advice. Jack
likes meeting new people and I’m sure a
training course would really inspire him.
Yeah, I like that idea. Thanks very much,
Professor. You’ve been really helpful.
PB:
Good. Michelle, I’ve one final bit of advice.
You might consider going on a retraining
course yourself if you’ve got time. It’s always
useful to have new skills and it will make it
seem less like something Jack has to do and
more like a hobby that you can share.
M:
Well, I haven’t got a lot of free time but I’ll
definitely think about it. I’ll see what is on
offer and when and then decide.
PB:
OK, great. Well, good luck to you both. Let
me know how Jack gets on.
M:
I will. Thanks a lot for your advice.
PB:
No problem. Goodbye Michelle.
