Running Head: GROUP DEVELOPMENT

Group Development

Institutional Affiliation

Student’s Name
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GROUP DEVELOPMENT

Introduction

The success of a particular course is determined by how effective and efficient the

team overseeing the activities is. Working in unison and sharing the same goals and

objectives for the assigned task are vital tools that fore see the development of a group up to a

mature level in regards to service production and quality delivery (Tuckman, 2017).

Consumers seek to get standardized goods and services thus it is upon the set team to ensure

that it works beyond the expectations of the public since this is the best way to win goodwill

from the public. Group development does not only apply in the business sector but also other

institutions that are attached to provision of any kind of service to the public. These include;

hospitals, schools, political governments and the police force (Hassall, 2015). We shall be

discussing the stages involved in group development and also the various strategies that can

be used to improve group work in the police department which eventually turns into effective

law enforcement.

The Four Stages of Group Development

i. Forming

This is the first stage towards group development whereby the leader has to orient and

inform new members on the objectives and goals that the team looks forward to achieve

within a stipulated period of time. At this stage, the group leader is expected to orient new

members and demystify the duties that each post in the team entails (Tuckman, 2017). This

assists the potential and already recruited members to decide on whether or not they want to

be part of the team. This point also facilitates the sifting of the serious people from

individuals that do not mean their word since interest in inquiring about matters concerning

the group can tell that the member is active whereas an ever silent individual may showcase a

person that lacks interest with whatever is being discussed.

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ii. Storming

This is an intense stage in group development where conflict arises due to different

personal perspectives among the group members. Some of the issues that bring disagreements

include reward system, delegation of duties, and accountability of funds and resources

(Tuckman, 2017). Most individuals are normally sceptical about the person handling crucial

sectors such as the finance office and some may prefer a person close to them or themselves

to be on such positions. This mentality is caused by insecurity from within a person where he

feels that his time or investments will be wasted. It is normal to have such occurrences since

it shows commitment of the members whereas in other circumstances it may point out people

that are greedy and only want to have a bigger share of the available profits (Lavie-Ajayi,

2014). The structure of leadership, authority and power also causes problems since people

want to have reliable leaders that will not disappoint or rather hinder them from getting to

their ambitions.

iii. Norming

A sense of belonging begins to develop at this point where members now exchange

ideas and feel comfortable to explore new ideas. This segment leaves the group with decided

individuals that are ready to foster ahead since they begin to look at possible solutions for

incumbent problems and each one of them accepts responsibilities delegated to them (Hohl,

2010). The leader should take advantage of this time because the members are willing to

work thus he should give them opportunities to explore their ambitions because something

significant may come up from the suggestions shared by different individuals (Tuckman,

2017). This is what increases the scope of a group and it eliminates monopoly and encourages

team work among members eventually building trust and a strong bond among the

beneficiaries.

iv. Performing
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The execution of the theoretical aspect of a group comes at this stage where members

are expected to practically initiate everything that has been done on paper and in board room

discussions (Greenberg, 2011). The group may choose to accomplish this as a total unit

which implies that everything will be done in unison and this includes decision making and

any other logistical issue that will arise. On the other hand, the group may choose to sub-

divide into equal sections that will handle specific tasks assigned to them and thereafter an

overall analysis will be conducted on what has been conducted by particular groups

(Tuckman, 2017). The tasks are categorical and there should be experimental tools that will

measure the results acquired. This will affirm to the group that the obtained results are true.

At this point, the leader should be less active and allow the group members to actively

execute their duties. This increases their passion because it boosts the sense of belonging

among members.

Strategies used to build effective and Efficient Team in Law Enforcement

i. Interest Served

Groups that share common interests happen to be the most suitable for implementing

a particular course that a team wants to execute. For instance, the police department aims at

providing security and reducing crime in the public. The people living in these protected

areas also share the same thoughts since none of them wants to live in a neighbourhood that

is insecure (Mahesh, 2000). Therefore, the police may use this as a stepping stone by

providing civil education to civilians on how they can easily notice a criminal or rather the

ways they are supposed to use while investigating a suspected character within their premises

(Braun, 2006). Efficiency and effectiveness materializes in law enforcement when both the

police and citizens can look deep on a suspected individual and be able to find out hidden

information that may be helpful to the police (Greenberg, 2011). This is how similar interest
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between the police and the public work towards achieving a secure environment and also

simplifying police work.

This appears to be the best strategy since it promotes team work between the public

and the police. We have people that view law enforcers as enemies thus it is high time to

change this perspective if at all we need change. The police are supposed to be friends to the

citizens because with that kind of relationship, crime can never grow into complexity (Loftus,

2009). The major problem most police departments have experienced is that there is a wide

gap between them and the civilians and this also makes acquiring of information a difficult

task since they do not have trustees or spies that can be used to source out important

information from the ground (Hassall, 2015). Civil education to citizens on what group work

in law enforcement entails will enlighten the minds of many and eventually good security

conditions will be achieved.

ii. Law Enforcement Culture

The implementation of stipulated laws requires individuals that are courageous

enough to face any kind of security threat that may arise whilst on duty. This is the reason

why private security employs retirees from the police force or military because they have

security backgrounds which will be essential in law enforcement (Mahesh, 2000). This

implies that the employees have the required knowledge to know when there is danger in the

premises and their instincts can easily tell when a suspicious person is around. Therefore, the

culture of hiring people with security knowledge is a strategy that needs to be supported in

totality since these individuals are useful in the society (Haas, 2015). Furthermore, it keeps

the retirees busy rather than staying at home on a daily basis. Their experience can be used to

realize greater goals in terms of law enforcement. This is another suitable strategy that the

police department needs to work on so as to build a task force that is conversant with the
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laws, use of weapons and sharing of intelligence and how to scoop information from

suspected individuals.

iii. Observant Behaviour

A comparison between private security and the police department has found out that

the two entities have a lot in common. Both the private and public police put on uniforms,

caps and also use common vehicles to move around. It has also been proved that private

security is good in controlling crowds because they are many especially when dispatched to

public events and other occasions that demand their services. Therefore, the police might

borrow the idea of hiring more regular police whose work will specifically be enforcing laws

at the grass root level and informing the regional commanders on the state of security in

particular areas. This approach shall make the problem of administration easy because

community policing at some point becomes difficult for government officers due to the heavy

work load that is involved (Mahesh, 2000). However, this strategy might not be as effective

and efficient as the other two mentioned above since it mostly concentrates on administration

issues and collection of information which may not be accurate at all times. It demands that

an experienced and knowledgeable officer be at the ground but it is also good to attach the

people into community policing so that they may learn to be responsible and report any issues

of crime to the physical officer in their area (Bradford, 2014).

Conclusion

Group development is a dynamic aspect that literary involves all institutions that aim

towards progress or production of profit. Regardless of whether a vision is from an

individual, there has to be a team that will propel this idea into materialization because it does

not only involve one person. Business entities, schools, ministries in government and

hospitals should implement group development within their specific capacities for purposeful

success in the near future.

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Reference list

Bradford, B. (2014). Why do the law comply? Procedural justice, group identification and

officer motivation in police organisations. European Journal of Criminology , 110-113.

Braun, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in

Psychology , 77-101.

Greenberg, J. (2011). Organisational justice: The dynamics of fairness in the workplace. APA

handbook of industrial and organisational psychology .

Haas, N. (2015). Explaining officer compliance: the importance of procedural justice and

trust inside a police organisation. . Criminology and Criminal Justice , 442-463.

Hassall, K. (2015). Fidelity of implementation: important considerations for policing

scholars. Policing and Society , 504-520.

Hohl, K. (2010). Influencing trust and confidence in the London Metropolitan Police: results

from an experiment testing the effect of leaflet-drops on public opinion. . British Journal of

Criminology , 491-513.

Lavie-Ajayi, M. (2014). I didn’t know I was isolated until I wasn’t isolated anymore: the use

of groups in qualitative psychology research. Qualitative Inquiry , 175-182.

Loftus, B. (2009). Police culture in a changing world. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Mahesh, K. (2000). Assessing strategies for improving law enforcement / security

relationships:Implications for community policing. ReserachGate , 1-14.

Tuckman, B. (2017). Group Development Theory. Students Activities and Leadership Centre

, 1-2.