ABSTRACT
Groups that perform will manage to overcome the conflicts between common and individual interests, and have developed strategies that avoid the all-too-common finding that the bulk of the work is done by one or two participants. Effective and sustained group performance will depend on balanced participation, open communication about differences and conflicts, and attention to the two types of behaviour that group members must employ, namely task achievement and group maintenance. Productivity and performance in a group setting rely on many factors, ranging from the characteristics of individual members and the structural aspects of the group to the task and environmental characteristics. It might seem logical that once a group has formed, stormed and normed, it could then simply get on with its business. During the norming phase, the members of the group acknowledge shared interests and adopt shared perspectives and patterns of thought.
