Final answer:
The team primarily focuses on similarities and looks to the leader for structure and direction in the forming stage of group development. Authoritative or instrumental leaders are common during this stage to provide guidance. Leadership styles influence group dynamics, with groups looking for clear roles and responsibilities.
Step-by-step explanation:
Understanding Group Development and Leadership Styles
In the context of group development and dynamics, teams primarily focus on similarities and look to the leader for structure and direction in the forming stage. The forming stage is the initial phase where group members are generally polite, positive, and exploratory. During this time, team members often rely on authoritative or instrumental leaders to provide guidance and structure, as individual roles are not yet clear.
Group leadership styles influence how a group functions and achieves its goals. Democratic leaders encourage group participation and collaborative decision making. However, in the forming stage, the leader often takes on a more directive role, which can be seen as either authoritarian or instrumental, ensuring that the group's primary objective is understood and team members are aligned. In this stage, the group size and structure can impact individual behavior and group effectiveness.
Group dynamics and leadership are influenced by secondary groups, which are defined by formal leadership and structured chains of command, in comparison to primary groups that tend to have informal leadership. Leaders in secondary groups might exhibit expressive leadership focusing on the team's emotional health or instrumental leadership aimed at achieving specific results. The type of leadership in the forming stage can set the tone for the group's subsequent development and success.