Using The Stages Of Team Development

Business owners, managers, and entrepreneurs are often viewed as team leaders. Groups are so in-sync during the performing stage that it seems to happen naturally. The most effective and high-functioning teams are cultivated.

It’s also common for team performance to dip a bit in the storming stage as members can sometimes disagree on goals, strategy, responsibilities, and roles. Also, keep an eye out for subgroups or cliques that can begin to form during this stage. Successfully moving through the storming stage means that a team has clarified its purpose and strategy for achieving its goals. It now transitions to a period focused on developing shared values about how team members will work together. Norms become a way of simplifying choices and facilitating collaboration, since members have shared expectations about how work will get done. At this stage, team leaders can begin delegating tasks easily and seeing growth within their teams.

Behaviors during the Norming stage may include members making a conscious effort to resolve problems and achieve group harmony. There might be more frequent and more meaningful communication among team members, and an increased willingness to share ideas or ask teammates for help. Team members refocus on established team groundrules and practices and return their focus to the team’s tasks. Teams may begin to develop their own language or inside jokes. Having a way to identify and understand causes for changes in the team behaviors can help the team maximize its process and its productivity.

Also, take the time to address and overcome conflicts early on so they don’t stay an issue throughout the other phases. Once their efforts are under way, team members need clarity about their activities and goals, as well as explicit guidance about how they will work independently four stages of team building and collectively. This leads to a period known as storming—because it can involve brainstorming ideas and also because it usually causes disruption. During the storming stage members begin to share ideas about what to do and how to do it that compete for consideration.

Then you need to encourage and help them establish more effective standards – or sometimes even impose more effective standards. Being part of a high-performance team can be a rewarding experience for those on the team. But if the team does not reach the high performing stage it can be extremely frustrating for team members. Being a high performing team requires time and commitment on the part of all on the team to get to that stage. At the Performing Stage, managers can expect the team to start delivering predictable results and meeting deadlines.

• Some teams do come to an end, when their work is completed or when the organization’s needs change.
• Avoidance usually makes the problem grow until it blows up.
• A good way to get any project started is with a kick off meeting.
• Some conflict can be good as it can help work through issues, as well as determine whether or not the group will be able to work together.
• Other members in the group began to express motivation towards completing the group goals and now work harder to finish the project ahead of time.

Questions surrounding leadership, authority, rules, responsibilities, structure, evaluation criteria and reward systems tend to arise during the storming stage. Such questions must be answered so that the group can move on to the next stage. Consequently, not all groups are able to move past the storming stage. The key to moving through this stage is to make things as simple as possible. Hopefully, your team’s purpose or desired outcome is understood by this point.

Stage 4: Performing The Team Gets Stuff Done

The length of time necessary for progressing through these stages depends on the experience of the members, the knowledge and skill of the team members, and the support the team receives. As a project progresses through different phases some team members will leave the project, others will join and some will move into new positions within the project. This means the stages described above are always happening. This is when the team first meets each other and is on their best behavior. As part of a new group, individuals seek acceptance from their new teammates and try to develop bonds through common interests.

Most problems arise when coaches are not familiar with the stages of team development or when they try to push a team to “peak” too soon. The forming, storming, norming and performing model of team development. They eventually agree on some team norms and find a way to collaborate. The team’s level of conflict and antagonism drops, and people become more constructive, supportive, and understanding. These are the signs to identify the transition into this stage.

#2 Storming Stage

You often look at your co-worker and think, “I thought I trusted you, but now I’m not so sure.” In the ’90s, I worked for a tech startup that was scaling quickly. New employees were hired in droves, and we went through six-week boot camps together, learning the ins and outs of the business together. The team can be considered “senior” at the performing stage. They’ve grown knowledge and so they should be able to work independently and confidently.

No one is afraid to ask a question, bring up a concern, or pose a new way of going about certain tasks. Everyone can bring their whole self to the team, play to their strengths, and will step up and help one another when it’s needed. In order to not get bottlenecked in the storming stage, members have to work together and play to each other’s strengths to overcome obstacles and stay on pace.

Psychologist Bruce Tuckman shared the team development process with the world in 1965. The process consists of five stages that teams progress through from the time a leader assigns a project and creates a team, to the point the team completes the assignment and disbands. Tuckman asserted that each of these phases was necessary in order for a team to learn, grow, and deliver results of the highest quality. Bruce Tuckman suggests that there are four stages of team development; Forming, Storming, Norming and Performing. At the forming stage, the team needs to mature and allow relationships to establish. Everyone’s position is currently unclear so the leader must be ready to answer questions and give a lot of guidance.

Tuckman’s final stage of group development, adjourning, was not originally part of his development model. During this closure or mourning phase, the group dissolves or disbands following the successful completion of their main objective. Adjourning is used to wrap up the activities of the group and provide team members with a sense of closure or fulfillment. His theory, which is referred to as Tuckman’s Stages, is centered around his research on the dynamics of teams and team building. His common belief of team development that the stages are all necessary for a group to work together as effectively together as possible in order to see success. The team meets and learns about the opportunities and challenges, and then agrees on goals and begins to tackle the tasks.

You recognize this isn’t any one team member’s fault, but you want to make it right. The last thing you want to experience is team members who de-value one another or collectively fall behind. It’s up to you to provide clarity, ensure team alignment and employee motivation. Blog Actionable articles to help managers improve in their role. About us Officevibe helps your teammates be exactly who they are – because that’s them at their best. Engagement Get to know your people with Pulse Surveys, eNPS scoring, anonymous feedback and messaging.

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Accomplishments in team process or progress are measured and celebrated. The group development process is important because the system allows leaders to identify the correct stage of development and accurately assess the level of teamwork. The leader can then concoct an improvement plan to move team members through the development phases. The forming stage can be most compared to the first day of school or the first day at a new job.

How To Make Storming Run Smoothly

Experienced players will be trying to get a feel for the newcomers in an attempt to see if they can help the team or if their position might be threatened. On the surface, most people will be cordial and friendly as they meet and interact with the new team members, but internally there are often a lot of unanswered questions that can cause stress. At the Storming Stage, managers should ensure the team members agree on the team norms and keep following them. They need to help them find a way to work together and support struggling team members.

Signs And Questions To Look Out For In The Norming Stage

In terms of the dating metaphor, this stage is akin to a couple’s first fight, a disagreement over something silly like a comment over a movie or a mess in the sink. Though a team leader’s first instinct may be to play peacekeeper and sidestep an argument, navigating conflict resolution is an essential step in a team’s growth. Learning how to handle dissonance early strengthens a team and readies teammates to overcome more complex challenges with grace. Skipping this crucial development stage can stunt a team’s growth and delay true harmony.

If you feel your team is stuck, share this information with them and ask them to self-diagnose where they think they are and what they need to do to move on to the next stage. Understanding that each stage is normal and expected can relieve a lot of tension and free the team up to break through and move on. Your role as a leader is different, but no less important through all four stages. In that moment, the key to building lasting trust is to recognize that you don’t currently have trust built up yet. In this phase, team members begin to show their true colors.

A sense of community is established and the group remains focused on the group’s purpose and goal. Leadership is shared, and members are willing to adapt to the needs of the group. Information flows seamlessly and is uninhibited due to the sense of security members feel in the norming stage. https://globalcloudteam.com/ Each of the stages of group formation represents a unique and critical time in the team development process. The remainder of this lesson will describe each individual phase of group development in order and describe how each stage impacts the formation of a healthy, cohesive group.

Team Building Stages: 5 Steps

The team may find that this is an appropriate time for an evaluation of team processes and productivity. The most commonly used framework for a team’s stages of development was developed in the mid-1960s by Bruce W. Tuckman. The final stage, adjourning, involves the termination of task behaviors and disengagement from relationships. A planned conclusion usually includes recognition for participation and achievement and an opportunity for members to say personal goodbyes. Concluding a group can create some apprehension – in effect, a minor crisis. The termination of the group is a regressive movement from giving up control to giving up inclusion in the group.

Likewise, a strategic pivot for the company sends your team back to the “storming” phase. This is the stage during which co-workers get to know each other and build the trust which is essential for good individual relationships. When a new team forms, it is important for the team to have a purpose which enables them to understand how they fit in. An absence of trust and direction will mean that teammates are not open with each other, will be unable to agree on strategy and operate less efficiently as they are unwilling to share tasks. By gaining a better understanding of the 5 stages of team development, you should have the tools you need to help your team collaborate more efficiently and productively.

The Norming Stage

During this phase of team building, responsibilities are clearly defined and the team begins to map out a plan to achieve its goals. The team’s leader is more engaged in team building at this stage to make sure everyone understands the plan. If the team’s objectives are not aligned, there can be mistakes and missed opportunities. The norming stage of team development is like a months-old couple that accepts each other’s quirks and flaws. Team members adjust to teammate behaviors and devise strategies to overcome differences. Moving beyond initial hurdles, teammates acknowledge the common goal and focus on making significant progress.

Team members may feel a variety of concerns about the team’s impending dissolution. They may be feeling some anxiety because of uncertainty about their individual role or future responsibilities. They may feel sadness or a sense of loss about the changes coming to their team relationships. And at the same time, team members may feel a sense of deep satisfaction at the accomplishments of the team.