Stages in Small Group Development Revisited

The purpose of this review was to examine published research on small-groupdevelopment done in the last ten years that would constitute an empirical test ofTuckman's (1965) hypothesis that groups go through the stages of "forming,""storming," "norming," and "performing." Of the twenty-two studies reviewed,only one set out to directly test this hypothesis, although many of the others couldbe related to it. Following a review of these studies, a fifth stage, "adjourning,"was added to the hypothesis, and more empirical work was recommended.