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Graduation Date

2019

Document Type

Portfolio

Degree

Master of Science (MS)

Degree Name

Environmental Studies

School or Department

Environmental Studies

Abstract

This portfolio brings together three experiences of natural resource collaborative groups each in a different stage of development. Researcher, Bruce Tuckman, theorized that collaborative groups go through different stages in order to grow, face new challenges, tackle problems, deliver results, and become an effective team (1965). These stages of development are called Forming, Storming, Norming, and Performing. The application of Bruce Tuckman’s model can help both collaborative organizers and outsiders appreciate the complex dynamics of collaborative groups. The overarching goal for my portfolio is to provide new ways to examine natural resource collaborative groups, so that there is a better understanding of why collaborative groups generally work the way they do. My first piece, a reflection of my work assisting in the formation of the Central Clark Fork Watershed Network, gives a first-hand account at what did and did not work well in the creation of a new collaborative group. The second piece, a Tribes and First Nations research report and personal memoranda from my practicum experience with the Roundtable on the Crown of the Continent, provides insights about the natural resources needs of Native American tribes around the Crown region, and describes the “storming” I witnessed within the group - and what this means for the group. The third piece, my research report about the long-standing River 2 Lake Initiative, sheds light on what variables can lead to the success of a collaborative group.

Keywords

Collaborative, natural resource collaboration, communication, Crown of the Continent, First Nation, Montana Tribes, group development

Group Development in Natural Resource Collaboration in the Crown of the Continent: Forming, Storming, Norming & Performing

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