Many researchers have studied the different phases of group development. Groups often rush into task performance as a way of avoiding the anxiety associated with the newness of their group or the diversity of individual opinions. Teams are more likely to succeed, however, if they put aside some group time to examine, discuss and develop their group processes. Perhaps the most important thing is for group members to be aware of the operation of group processes as group discussions progress, and to review the effectiveness of group processes regularly. Although successful completion of tasks is important, attention should also be paid to morale and the feelings of individual members towards the group, its tasks, and other members.
Participation is examined in more detail in the section below.
It is often helpful to have someone actively monitor group discussions for a period of time and provide feedback on the extent to which each group member is engaging in these various participative behaviors.