University Sociology Essay: Group Work Theories and Social Work

This sociology essay delves into the theories of group work and group stage development, crucial for social work practice. It examines two key theories: Tuckman's theory of group development, which outlines the stages of forming, storming, norming, and performing, and the inter-disciplinary method, emphasizing collaboration among social workers and other healthcare professionals. The essay highlights the importance of understanding group dynamics, predicting group behaviors, and fostering collaboration to enhance patient care. It compares and contrasts these theories, pointing out their similarities in promoting patient well-being and their differences in terms of professional focus and scope. The analysis underscores the significance of both theories for social workers aiming to improve patient outcomes through effective teamwork and collaborative practices. The essay is well-researched and provides a solid foundation for understanding group work principles in a social work context, offering practical insights for students and professionals alike.

Running head: SOCIOLOGY
Sociology
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

1SOCIOLOGY
The purpose of the following paper is to throw the light on the theories of the group work
and group stage development. The group stage development is a very critical and complicated
task and it caters to the better outcomes in the social work. The chosen theories in this paper are
inter-disciplinary method of group work and Tuckman’s theory of the group stage development.
Both these theories have come up as the most inspiring theories in the social work as they have
contributed a lot to the social workers (Seck & Helton, 2014). The comparisons will also be
made on these theories in this paper.
In the beginning, the theory of the group development will be discussed in the paper.
Tuckman, in his theory, has always stressed on the group work and motivating the entire team so
the individuals can contribute their best efforts in this system (Thibaut, 2017). As per his
opinion, all the groups are generally the mixture of the individuals that provide their
contributions and make the team stronger. Every individual is unique by their own nature.
Likewise, the groups are unique in that sense as well. This is why groups will need to collaborate
and wait for the best outcomes in their work. All the individuals have their own unique
experiences and their expectations as well. All these experiences should collaborate together so
their works can be predicted in a better way (Seck & Helton, 2014). The behaviors of the groups
can be predicted well than the individuals and this is one of the most important things to consider
so the ways of group work can be fixed.
This Tuckman model of group development normally has four stages. All these stages or
steps are related with each other. These steps are forming, storming, norming and performing.
These stages should be monitored by the group so the effective results of the group work can be
traced. The first stage is forming where the testing of the process goes through trial and error
system. Some critics are of the opinion that this stage has some negative things like the lack of

2SOCIOLOGY
social collaboration and not being able to share the thoughts collectively (Dugas, 2017) The
other three stages of the group development are very much crucial from different viewpoints.
The feelings and emotions of the group members must be managed properly in the following
stages so the collaboration in their work process can be achieved properly. After the stages of
storming and norming, the social workers would be able to perform properly within with a high
level of understanding (Thibaut, 2017).
The second theory in this scenario is the inter-disciplinary method or theory. This type of
the inter-disciplinary practice in the group work will benefit the clients of the social workers in a
proper manner. The team of the social workers will have to work as a group and they must
collaborate with harmony by keeping aside all their differences. Critics have opined in this
scenario, that the social working teams will face different issues in their professional sphere but
their individual opinions should not come in the way of their group working context (Brandler &
Roman, 2015). The interdisciplinary team in the social work generally provides their service in
the healthcare settings. The collaboration between the disciplines will definitely give way for a
range of beliefs. These beliefs must end up in the enhancement of the care settings.
Otherwise, the entire purpose of this theory will go in vain. This collaborative theory of
care had been invented in the early twentieth century (Ciemins et al., 2016). According to this
theory, social workers are just a part of the entire model. The other disciplines in this theory are
bereavement counselors, spiritual counselors, nurses, volunteers, home health aide, families of
the patients and the physicians (Brandler & Roman, 2015). The viewpoints of all these
disciplines should aim of the betterment of patient. They might think and act in a different
manner but all these disciplines must set a common goal in front of them. The role sharing
perspectives will enhance the condition of the patients and thus reduce the risks of the patients.

3SOCIOLOGY
The similarities between these two theories lie in the fact that both these theories have
aimed at the enhancement of the patient condition and this is the only common goal before them.
The inter-disciplinary theory of social work is committed through the act of collaboration (Singh,
Wang & Zhu, 2018). Similarly, the group development is also done by the act of collaboration as
well.
The contradictions can be seen in the fact that the group development theory in social
work engages people within the domain of social work only. So, their individual behaviors might
be different but they think and act from more or less similar viewpoints (O'Hare, 2015). On the
contrary, the inter-disciplinary model engages people from different spheres of professions but it
serves the health care setting among patients. This also caters for group work motives.
In the concluding section, it can be said that both the theories in the group work setting
are crucial for the enhancement of the patients. Social workers will be benefitted by using these
theories. The similarities and differences between the two theories have been described in the
previous sections.

4SOCIOLOGY
Reference List
Brandler, S., & Roman, C. P. (2015). Group work: Skills and strategies for effective
interventions. Routledge.
Ciemins, E. L., Brant, J., Kersten, D., Mullette, E., & Dickerson, D. (2016). Why the
interdisciplinary team approach works: insights from complexity science. Journal of
palliative medicine, 19(7), 767-770.
Dugas, D. (2017). Group dynamics and individual roles: A differentiated approach to social-
emotional learning. The Clearing House: A Journal of Educational Strategies, Issues and
Ideas, 90(2), 41-47.
O'Hare, T. (2015). Evidence-based practice for social workers: An interdisciplinary approach.
Lyceum Books.
Seck, M. M., & Helton, L. (2014). Faculty development of a joint MSW program utilizing
Tuckman's model of stages of group development. Social Work with Groups, 37(2), 158-
168.
Singh, S., Wang, H., & Zhu, M. (2018). Perceptions of social loafing during the process of group
development. Available at SSRN 3161269.
Thibaut, J. W. (2017). The social psychology of groups. Routledge.