The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

Department of Applied Social Sciences

Bachelor of Arts in Social Work
2022/23-Semester 1

Subject : APSS2682 Generic Social Work Practice with

Groups, Organizations and Communities

Lecture: 4

Lecturer: Dr. Yam Kong

Date: 20-09-2022
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 Group Developmental Stages
1. Association for the Advancement of Social
Work with Groups (AASWG) – Standards for
social work practice
2. Garland, Jones and Kolodny (1976) - 5 stages of
group development model
3. Tuckman & Jensen (1977) - Stages of Group
Development

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 Stages of Group Development:
Introduction
(Open learning package: Working with Group Vol 1: Unit 3)

• All social work groups go through stages of development. The

stage of a group is a differentiable period or a discernible
degree in the process of development, growth of change.
• The understanding of the stages of group development
enables worker to better predict and understand the
phenomena of group development, which in turn will guide
worker to make more appropriate intervention, to facilitate
the group process and help the members to achieve their
group goals more effectively.

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Standards for Social Work Practice with Groups

The Association for the Advancement of Social Work

with Groups, Inc. (AASWG), is an international
organization of group workers who support its
program of advocacy and action for professional
practice, education, research, training and writing
about social work with groups.

•http://www.aaswg.org/aaswg-homepage

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 PRE-GROUP PHASE: PLANNING,
RECRUITMENT AND NEW GROUP FORMATION

AASWG (2010) – STANDARDS FOR SOCIAL WORK - PRACTICE

WITH GROUPS, SECTION II, A. Tasks and Skills:

Group worker should:

1.identify aspirations and needs of potential group members as
perceived by members, worker and agency.
2.obtain organizational support for and affirmation of the group.
3.select the group type, structure, processes and size that will be
appropriate for attaining the
purposes of the group.

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Group worker should:

4.reach out to and recruit potential group members.

5.obtain consent from potential members and relevant others as
required by ethical guidelines and organizational requirements.
6.clarify potential group members’ goals and expectations of the
group work service and use this information to assess
prospective members’ potential investments in the pursuit of
group goals. The worker should help members specify these
goals in terms that can lead to the determination of their
attainment.

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Group worker should:

7.establish an appropriate meeting place and meeting time that

will be conducive to members’ comfort, safety and access to the
group.
8.prepare members for the group in ways that are appropriate.
This will differ depending on the extent to which the group is
intended to attain individual goals or to accomplish task
purposes in the agency and community. The worker should be
empathic in identifying members’ feelings and reactions to
joining the group.

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Group worker should:
9. know how to select members for the group in relationship to
principles of group composition, although this principle may not
apply to some task groups in which other bodies determine the
group’s membership.
10. develop a clear statement of group purpose that reflects
member needs and agency missions and goals. This is often done
cooperatively with the group members.

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Group worker should:

11. consider potential contextual, environmental, and societal

impacts on the group. 

12. as appropriate, should explain group purposes and processes

to non-members such as other agency personnel, relevant
community entities, and parents or referring agencies in the
case of groups promoting individual change.

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Group worker should:

13.appropriately enhance group content (what will go on during

sessions) as well as the use of activities, supplies and other resources.
14.identify methods that will be used to track group progress (e.g.,
group progress notes, formal and informal evaluations).
15.after each session, the worker should debrief and plan with the co-
facilitator (if there is one) and arrange for consultation and/or
supervision on a regular basis. If there is a co-facilitator, they should
consider together the implications of their similarities and differences
with respect to such issues as approaches, styles and communication.

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 Stages of Group Development:
Introduction
One most popular stage model was proposed by
Garland, Jones and Kolodny (1965;1976). There
are 5 stages of group development:
1.Pre-affiliation
2.Power and control
3.Intimacy
4.Differentiation
5.Separation

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 Pre-affiliation Stage
This is the beginning of the group:
• Members have just come together and may or may
not have known each other before;
• They also are not familiar with the group procedure;
• This is the stage where relationships are built up
preliminary, mutual expectations are spelled out,
group goals are clarified;
• Members are still self-conscious and not yet
committed to the group .

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 Pre-affiliation Stage
Members’ characteristics:
• Members will be preoccupied with issues to
do with ‘joining or inclusion’: They will be
drawing on their past experience of other
groups, searching for similarities, and looking
around for their individual with whom they
may feel affinity;

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 Pre-affiliation Stage
At emotional level, members will enter the group
with mixed emotion and the ‘approach-avoidance’
behaviors – excitement about joining the group but
at the same time fearing that the group will be a
negative experience. They may be concerned with
ambivalent issues such as:
• Am I like others here?
• Will I be accepted in here?
• Do I have to couch my words
carefully so that others won’t be
offended?

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 Pre-affiliation Stage
• Will I be pressured and pushed to perform?
• What if I’m asked to do something I don’t
want to do?
• Shall I tell too much
about myself?
• I am afraid I will be too
withdrawn and passive,
making others attack me, etc.

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 Pre-affiliation Stage
• Hence, they will be cautious in testing out whether
their expectations are to be met and anxious about
how others respond to them.
• Because of their unfamiliar with others, members
tend to talk about acceptable and non-risky subjects
(e.g. the weather, the terrible public transportation
system etc.)
• There may also be certain strange behaviors of
members due to anxiety and tension in beginning
meetings.

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 Pre-affiliation
Stage
Worker’s role and task:
• The role of worker is most central at this stage
because members are ambivalent and
perhaps fearful about a new group
experience. Worker must acknowledge the
initial uncertainties and help members to feel
comfortable, welcome and believe that they
could succeed in this new group.
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 Pre-affiliation Stage
• Worker’s focus at this stage:
– Allow distance
– breaking the ice
– Encourage exploration
– Invite trust
– Do not challenge members
– Provide structure and direction

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 Power and control Stage
• As members are becoming more familiar, they
will try to find out their own roles in the group
through a process of power and control stage.
• The process tends to stabilize the roles and
status of the members in group. In this ways,
preliminary form of group structure will be
formed.

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 Power and control Stage
Members’ characteristics:
• Problem of status, ranking, choice making and
influence;
• Issue of testing behaviors (find out what qualities are
important for being in the group and what qualities
are respected by other members);
• They will involve in a process of formalizing
relationship and creating a status hierarchy. Because
of this struggle for power and control, it may lead
to :

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 Power and control Stage
• Scapegoat (victims bearing the blame for others);
• Isolate (members who do not have much interaction
with other members, who have a high potential for
dropping out);
• Subgroups (seek allies for the purpose of protection,
or sharing common interests).
• Testing behaviors may also take the form of
disobedience towards the worker, or fighting among
the members when the group norm does not allow
this.

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 Power and control Stage
Worker’s roles:
• Keep calm in the face of member-member, member-
leader conflicts and testing out behaviors; do not
attempt to retaliate when your authority is
challenged;
• Model acceptance and openly recognize that people
are different so that members are encouraged to
express themselves without fear of being
misunderstood and rejected;

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 Power and control Stage
• Do not pick out silent, isolated or difficult
members for attention;
• Try to pace and time when to facilitate and
when to be quiet and give autonomy to
members.
• Begin to release
responsibilities to
the members.

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 Intimacy Stage
• This is a period of building. Members in this
stage are becoming more intimate. They have
become more open, and interpersonal
involvement is intensified.
• The relationship is established and each
member in the group has a role to play. Since
they have understood each other more, they
become more co-operative and are able to
plan some programs on their own.

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 Intimacy Stage

Members’ characteristics
• Most members feel a
sense of inclusion, high morale and mutual trust;
• Increasing acceptance among members, excluded
and isolated members are invited to become more
active in group;
• Members increasingly interact with one another in
more direct ways; there is less dependence on the
leaders for direction and less eye contact directed
toward the worker as the members talk;
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 Intimacy Stage

• Members show interest in one another and there is

a willingness to risk disclosing more personal, and
threatening materials;
• Cohesion is high; there is emotional bond among
people to share and to support;
• Greater involvement and autonomy in program
planning and initiating activities;
• Members would use out-of-group time to interact
and to work on problems raised in the group.

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 Intimacy Stage
Worker’s role and tasks

• Support the members’ willingness to share and to risk

new behaviors and assist them in supporting one
another so that members could engage in a deeper
level of group relationship;
• Let members assume more responsibilities. Plan for
group programs and tasks that enhance team
building and cooperation among members;
• Let members to do more for themselves by stepping
out of a directing role more into a listening, and
supporting roles.
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 Differentiation Stage
• This is a period of production for the group
• In this stage, the group moves from the mutual trust
of closeness to the mutual aid of interdependence.
The evolution of trust and closeness permits the
emergence of difference, and they are able to accept
other as unique individuals.
• When these differences become resources for both
individual learning and group growth, the
interdependent and mutual aid system in the group
are established.

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 Differentiation Stage
Members’ characteristics;
• The members know each other well and are able to
accept one another, including the social worker.
There is mutual acceptance of members as distinct
individual with their own experiences, strengths and
weaknesses.
• Members are committed in
the group. They identify with
each other and have a strong
sense of belonging to the group.

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 Differentiation Stage
• The group is highly cohesive and supports
each other. They feel free to express
themselves, and communication among
members is good.
• Because of the co-operative and mutual
support spirits, they are able to plan their
own programs and carry out them with a
good division of labor according to each
one’s strengths and capabilities.

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 Differentiation Stage
Workers’ role and task:
• The group has developed a capacity of acting
together. So it is no longer the leader’s group, rather
the worker becomes peripheral as members
perceived that ‘this is our group’.
• The roles of the
worker are therefore:
1. Observe how the group
handle each other and
facilitate to accomplish
the tasks;
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 Differentiation Stage
2. Give ideas when they are sought;
3. Show interest and express praise and
appreciation of efforts;
4. Offer experimental activities so that members
could learn new themes, firm up
achievements and help to be more
independent.

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 Separation/ Termination Stage
• All groups have to end sometimes. This ending stage
usually follows the achievement of the tasks and
which requires disengagement from relationship.
• The main focus of this stage is on evaluation with the
group. The worker should help the members to
evaluate the group and consolidate what they have
learned. Group worker must also deal with the
anxiety and separation feelings that appear in this
stage.

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Separation/ Termination Stage
Members’ characteristics:

• There is a sense of loss and may be rejection among

members with:
• Some would feel puzzled and uncertain towards
future after termination of group;
• Some would feel sad over breaking of the bonds that
have been formed.
• This may result in sense of loss and abandonment,
and resentment on worker. Some may exhibit
behaviors of denial, flight or even regression.
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Separation/ Termination Stage
Worker’s roles and tasks
• Set goals for the time left in partnership with the
group;
• Help members to be aware of and express their
ambivalence about termination. Group worker
should help them review experiences, emphasizing
gains as well as feelings
of lost.
• Then, clarify their continuing needs,
and unfinished tasks, if there is any;

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 Separation/ Termination Stage
Planning for members’ wishes regarding termination –
this can be:
•Members decide to continue with the group in the agency (re-
contract for additional services, and arrange for other worker or
the same worker to continue the group with additional goals).
•Members decide to work independently on their own (worker
helps to liaise a place for holding meeting, reduces his
involvement in the group gradually).
•If members are ready and decide to end the group (worker may
reinforce interests outside their group, e.g. prepare a contact list
with members’ information, arrange for mutual visits among
members, participate in informal activities outside the group).

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Happy ending

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Implementing the group stage model
• Please also refer to the class note regarding “Table-
16-1 Stages, dynamics, and leader focus (Hepworth,
Rooney, Rooney, & Strom-Gottfried, 2013, pp.496-
497).” Information combined in the table comes
from a variety of sources, including Garland, Jones,
and Kolodny (1965), Rose (1989), Henry (1992), as
well as Corey and Corey (2006).

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 Implementing the group stage model
• Although the stages of group development
are presented linearly, the reality is that each
stage is not discrete. Thus :
• Some group may demonstrate simultaneously
characteristics of more than one stage;
• Some group may not come across some of the
stages, or does not progress beyond a certain
stage;

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Implementing the group stage model
• Also the longevity of a particular stage will vary among groups
(e.g. for some group, the beginning stage may be short-lived
while in other it may take considerable time)
• The variation in group development are affected by factors
such as : leadership style and skills, characteristics of
members, purpose, duration and number of sessions. For
examples: Hepworth, D. H., Rooney, R. H., Rooney, G. D., &
Strom-Gottfried, K. (2013, pp.486):

- Schiller (1997;2007) has noted that groups composed of women

may emphasize intimacy for a longer period and come to power
and control later in the group’s process.
- Berman-Rossi and Kelly (2000) suggest that stages of group
development are influenced by variables such as worker skills,
attendance patterns, group content, genders, and other member
characteristics.
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Other Group
Developmental Model:

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 Stages of Group Development
(Tuckman, 1965; Tuckman & Jensen, 1977) Cited in Forsyth (2014):

Stage Major processes Characteristics

Orientation: Members become familiar Communications are
Forming with each other and the tentative, polite; concern for
group; dependency and ambiguity, group’s goals;
inclusion issues; acceptance leader is active; members
of leader and group are compliant
consensus
Conflict: Disagreement over Criticism of ideas; poor
Storming procedures; expression of attendance; hostility;
dissatisfaction; tension polarization and coalition
among members; formation
antagonism toward leader

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 Stages of Group Development
(Tuckman, 1965; Tuckman & Jensen, 1977) Cited in Forsyth (2014):

Stage Major processes Characteristics

Structure: Growth of cohesiveness and Agreement on procedures;
Norming unity; establishment of roles, reduction in role ambiguity;
standards, and relationships; increased “we-feeling”
increased trust, communication

Performance: Goal achievement; high task- Decision making; problem

Performing orientation; emphasis on solving; mutual cooperation
performance and production

Dissolution: Termination of roles; Disintegration and

Adjourning completion of tasks; reduction withdrawal; increased
of dependency independence and
emotionality; regret 43
 Reference
• Anderson, J. (1997). Social work with groups: A process model. New York:
Longman.
• Corey, M.S., Corey, G., & Corey, C. (2014). Groups: Process and practice.
Belmont, Calif. : Brooks/Cole.
• Garland, J.A., Jones, H.E., & Kolodny, R.L. (1965) A model for stages of
development in social work groups. In S. Bernstein, (ed) Exploration in group
work. Boston: Boston University School of Social Work.
• Garland, J.A., & Frey, L.A. (1970) Application of stages of group development to
groups in psychiatric setting. In S. Bernstein, (ed) Further exploration in group
work. Boston: Boston University School of Social Work.
• Hepworth, D. H., Rooney, R. H., Rooney, G. D., & Strom-Gottfried, K. (2013).
Direct social work practice: Theory and skills (9th ed.). Brooks/ Cole.
• Rose, S.D. (1989) Working with adults in groups: Integrating cognitive-
behavioral and small group strategies. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers.

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 Reference
• Cohen, C., & Olshever, A. (2013). IASWG Standards for Social Work
Practice with Groups: Development, Application, and Evolution.
Social Work with Groups, 36(2-3),
111-129.(http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/01609513.
2012.763107)
• Tuckman, B. (1965) Developmental sequence in small groups.
Psychological Bulletin, 63, 384-399.
• Tuckman, B. & Jensen, M. (1977) Stages of small group development
revisited. Group & Organization Management, 1977, Vol.2(4),
pp.419-427
Other useful websites:
• http://www6.cityu.edu.hk/projectcare/tc/group_s_ra.html
• http://www.aaswg.org/files/
AASWG_Standards_for_Social_Work_Practice_with_Groups.pdf 45