Finally, over the life of the group, be aware that you'll probably go through several phases, some pleasant and some not so pleasant. Creative conflict is essential to success, and signs of tension are not omens of doom.

Most groups go through four phases: Forming, Storming, Norming, and Performing (Tuckman).

Forming: During the initial stage of the group, structure is developed, roles are assigned or claimed (both implicitly and explicitly), status relations between members of the group are established, norms begin to emerge, shared values are discovered, and general procedures for decision-making and problem-solving are agreed upon.

Storming: Conflicts in values, perspectives, goals, power, and information are discovered and foregrounded, and progress toward resolution is begun. This is often a creative stage and shouldn't be avoided.

Norming: As conflicts are discovered and resolved, the group's approach to communication and problem-solving, for better or worse, is more firmly established.

Performing: Having established roles, personalities, and norms, the group's time, attention, and energy is increasingly directed at the group task and decreasingly concerned with group maintenance, procedural questions, or personalities.

These phases are not to be moved through as rapidly as possible. Problems in performing may often be traced back to insufficient storming and norming, for instance. Group discussion, while storming out some controversies, may return to issues involved in formingÑredistributing responsibilities, rediscovering common values, and modifying procedures. Similarly, a group having difficulty in performing may-either implicidy or explicitlyÑneed to redefine some norms. During the first meeting, in particular, you need to lay a lot of groundwork and get a firm foundation. Your group's success depends upon it.