'No man is an island, Entire of itself; Every man is a piece of the continent, A part of the main' - John Donne
Humans are social beings. As John Donne says, while we may like to be alone sometimes, we will always be part of something bigger – even just occasionally.
Healthcare is a collaborative profession, especially when you first start out. When you graduate and start work as a doctor or a dentist, you’ll need to become part of a team. And, as a doctor on rotation, you’ll be expected to join a new team every few months.
That’s why it’s helpful to understand more about group dynamics. It isn’t always easy trying to fit in with new colleagues. Often the members of your team already know each other and, in some cases, have been working together for a long time. Being the newbie can be quite daunting and even a bit lonely at times.
Having to ask where the toilets, breakroom or supplies cupboard are can also dent your confidence, as having to ask for information all the time can make you feel like you are a burden to your colleagues. You might even feel that your colleagues resent having to 'babysit' you.
As well as all of the processes and protocols you’re told about, each group or team will have its own unspoken rules you’ll have to navigate too – which mug is never to be touched, shelves in the fridge that are only ever used by X or which chair 'belongs' to Y. Navigating that particular minefield can be exhausting and dispiriting.
It isn’t necessarily personal
It can be tempting to feel that any perceived hostility or uncooperativeness you encounter when you join a new team is aimed at you personally, but according to some psychologists, such as Bruce Tuckman, this kind of behaviour is common in small groups when someone new joins.
Effectively, by introducing you as a new group member, the group has changed and people can feel put out by this. In his 1965 paper Developmental Sequence In Small Groups, Tuckman describes the four stages of a team’s life cycle: Forming, Storming, Norming and Performing.
Later, in collaboration with Mary Ann Jensen, he added a fifth stage – Adjourning, which is sometimes referred to as 'Mourning'. Adjourning is to do with the breaking up of the group after completing the task it was set, and is probably more appropriate for project teams.
In Tuckman’s model, the 'Forming' stage is where the team members come together and start to get to know each other. They will also define the goals of the team. This is usually quite polite and cordial, as people are still sussing each other out.
It’s in the next stage – 'Storming' – that there can be conflict. This is where people can start asserting themselves and establishing a pecking order.
You might find that some of the team members who have been there a long time try to throw their weight about or elevate their status by using their length of service as a way of undermining your position. Remember, when a new person joins a team it changes the dynamic, so a new one has to be established.
Be assertive
While it may seem as if this behaviour is aimed at you personally, it’s common for people in group settings to find themselves in conflict with others when there has been a change in personnel.
It can be quite uncomfortable, but it’s at this stage that you may need to stand up to someone who tries to push you around or undermine you. If you find yourself on the other end of this sort of behaviour, it’s important to establish boundaries to ensure you are treated with the respect and professionalism you deserve.
If the group can get through the 'Storming' stage, it will progress onto 'Norming'. It’s at this point that people have declared a truce, and roles, status and responsibilities have been ironed out. If a group reaches this stage, they can really start working on the tasks in hand.
The 'Performing' stage is where the group is working well together and can start suggesting new ways of doing things to make improvements. To achieve this level, team members need to feel confident that if they share their ideas, they will be taken seriously.
Other models of group dynamics
Although Tuckman’s model may seem linear, as Billie Holliday sang, it 'ain’t necessarily so. Some groups may never reach the 'Performing' sage as events and changes in circumstance could push them back to the 'Storming – and in some cases even the 'Forming' – stage.
"All models are wrong, but some are useful" is a famous quote often attributed to the British statistician George E. P. Box. But, nearly 60 years later, many sites devoted to team development and group dynamics still refer to Tuckman’s model. So, while it may be wrong, it can be a useful starting point.
Alisdair White used Tuckman’s model as a starting point when he, along with this colleague John Fairhurst, developed the White-Fairhurst TPR model. TPR stands for Transforming, Performing and Reforming.
In their model, they combine the Forming, Storming and Norming stages into Transforming. They follow this with Performing, which then develops into a higher level of performance they term Reforming.
Other theories and models relating to group dynamics have been developed and can be useful to develop an understanding of why people behave in certain ways. If you know why someone is behaving in a particular way, it can often help guide you in how to deal with them.
Other group dynamic and conflict theories
As long ago as 1928, Dr. William Moulton Marston developed his DISC theory. DISC is based on four key personality traits he originally described as Dominance, Inducement, Submission and Compliance. It’s still used today in the sense that having an awareness of your colleagues’ personality traits can be useful if you find yourself in conflict with them.
In Patrick Lencioni’s book, 'The Five Dysfunctions of a Team', he outlines the things that can scupper a team’s chances of successfully performing together. These include Lack of Trust, Fear of Conflict, Lack of Commitment, Avoidance of Accountability and Inattention to Results.
If we don’t trust each other, are so polite that we stifle creativity and innovation, miss deadlines and let each other down, don’t make ourselves accountable, and focus so much on our own goals that we neglect the goals of the team as a whole, then our chances of performing successfully are slim to none.
These are just a few of the group dynamics and team conflict theories around. Forewarned is forearmed, so a little time spent looking at these theories might stand you in good stead.
If you join your new team and find yourself facing some passive aggressive (or even just downright aggressive!) behaviour, remember that it’s probably nothing you’ve done. It’s just people reacting to the change you’ve made to the group dynamics.
Good luck!