Group Dynamics- Avengers Style

The Avengers

Characters:

Tony Stark/Iron Man (Information seeker/Opinion Giver)

Steve Rodgers/Captain America (Opinion Giver/Summarizer)

Bruce Banner/ The Hulk (Information seeker/Clarifier)

Thor (Mediator)

Natasha Romanov/Black Widow (Follower)

Clint Barton/Hawkeye (Follower)

Nick Fury (Encourager/Summarizer)

            The Avengers is a group of heroes, and with that comes varying leadership styles, personalities, and ways of executing their work. Tony Stark is both an information seeker and an opinion giver. He is smart, always trying to gather more details about the situation. That being said, he constantly gives his opinion, serving as one of the biggest personalities in the room at all times. His voice and viewpoint are always heard. Steve Rodgers, better known as Captain America, is a summarizer, always wanting to make sure everyone is on the same page. Additionally, Captain is an opinion giver who wants to ensure that everyone else knows all of the facts and details before proceeding. He is a reasonable person to have in the group. Bruce Banner/The Hulk is the information seeker and clarifier. A doctor by nature, the Hulk is always gathering information so he can calculate a plan of action. His natural intelligence also makes him a clarifier, elaborating on the plan of action for everyone to understand.

Thor is the mediator of the group, attempting to create harmony among all of the differing views. Despite having a strong personality, within The Avengers he takes on a mediation role in order to straighten out the issues. Nick Fury, the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D., is the encourager and summarizer among his team. As the man who assembled the group, Fury is responsible for welcoming and ensuring the success of everyone. Finally, both Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow and Clint Barton/Hawkeye are the sole followers of the group. Although they each bring a unique personality and skillset to the group, they are both active participants in the dynamic of The Avengers. Black Widow is strong-willed as the lone female of the group, but she has conviction and will always follow through.

            The forming of The Avengers begins over a period of time in which the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. assemble the group. To “bring together a group of remarkable people and see if they can become more” was the vision of Nick Fury, who led the formation. Along with Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow, Fury assembles the heroes from across the globe. The members, including Tony Stark/Iron Man, Steve Rodgers/Captain America, Thor, Bruce Banner/Hulk, Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow, Clint Barton/Hawkeye, and Nick Fury all come together under S.H.I.E.L.D.’s “Avengers Initiative.”

            The initial conflict and storming of the members of the group is evident due to the dominant personalities of each Avenger. Most prominently, we see Tony Stark clashing with Captain America. They both seek the greater good, but have different ideas of how to reach their goals. This conflict is followed by Stark butting heads with Thor, also due to their varying opinions. As the entire group is formed, storming occurs on a normal basis. Each member of The Avengers is used to playing by their own rules, so working together as a team is a huge adjustment.

            After the shocking and devastating loss of Agent Coulson, the members of The Avengers begin norming as a team. The death of their friend is the catalyst for normalizing them together. After working through their issues, they understand the greater purpose for their team to work together. The group’s personality is defined by the varying members’ headstrong qualities. United with the drive to succeed, The Avengers buckle down and work together as a unit.

            The Avengers clearly begin performing as a team when the Battle of New York breaks out. The group’s purpose is to answer their call to action: fight to save the world. This lofty goal can be worked towards once the Chitauri invades New York. They effectively utilize their specialized skills in a united front, working against the clock to save New York. Building upon their established foundation of forming, storming, and norming, the group works flawlessly together towards achieving their goal.

            Finally, the adjourning occurs once their mission is complete. The Avengers, despite not knowing how long their group would be together for, are proud of their accomplishments together. The end of their job doesn’t mean the end of the group, as they understand that they may need to unite again if they are needed.