Temporary groups with finite deadlines pass through a unique sequencing of actions (or inaction):

1. The first meeting sets the group’s direction.

2. The first phase of group activity is one of inertia and thus makes slower progress.

3. A transition takes place exactly when the group has used up half its allotted time.

4. This transition initiates major changes.

5. A second phase of inertia follows the transition.

6. The group’s last meeting is characterized by markedly accelerated activity.9

This pattern, called the punctuated-equilibrium model, is illustrated by Exhibit 9-1.

Let’s discuss each stage of the model. At the first meeting, the group’s general purpose and direction is established, and then a framework emerges of behavioral patterns and assumptions through which the group will approach its project, sometimes in the first few seconds of the group’s existence. Once set, the group’s direction is solidified and is unlikely to be reexamined throughout the first half of its life. This is a period of inertia—the group tends to stand still or become locked into a fixed course of action even if it gains new insights that challenge initial patterns and assumptions.

One of the most interesting discoveries in studies was that groups experienced a transition precisely halfway between the first meeting and the official deadline—whether members spent an hour on their project or six months. The midpoint appears to work like an alarm clock, heightening members’ awareness that their time is limited and they need to get moving. This transition ends Phase 1 and is characterized by a concentrated burst of changes, dropping of old patterns, and adoption of new perspectives. The transition sets a revised direction for Phase 2, a new equilibrium or period of inertia in which the group executes plans created during the transition period. Lastly, the group’s last meeting is characterized by a final burst of activity to finish its work. In summary, the punctuated-equilibrium model characterizes groups as exhibiting long periods of inertia interspersed with brief revolutionary changes triggered primarily by members’ awareness of time and deadlines.

There are many models of group stages, but this one is a dominant theory with strong support. Keep in mind, however, that this model doesn’t apply to all groups, but is suited to the finite quality of temporary task groups working under a time deadline.10