During this stage, the team focuses on developing ideas; they develop feelings of frustration or anger with members or processes and members try to see how others handle conflict. This stage could be considered the less polite one due to frustration and disagreements. The team develops tasks to redefine the goals and conflict management (Stein, as cited in McShane et al., 2018).
It’s a great way to keep the team and your stakeholders on the same page. I recommend building it out in three phases as you define the problem space, validate your assumptions, and get ready to execute. DACI (30-90 min) – The DACI framework helps you make group decisions efficiently and effectively. American psychological researcher Bruce Tuckman developed the theory of Tuckman’s stages of group development in 1965.
Transitioning from One Stage to the Next
Creating a closing celebration that acknowledges the contributions of individuals and the accomplishments of the team and that formally ends this particular team’s existence. Don’t leave team conflict unchecked, but remember that a little friction can be a good thing – it might reveal inefficiencies for the group to fix together and ultimately lead to innovation. Identify the stage that your team is at from the descriptions above. According to our Project Management Statistics 2021, an astonishing 92% of people believe that collaboration with their teammates could be improved.
Since everyone is off on their own island, it’s up to the team leader to kick off the team direction and paint a picture of the work to be done. Opportunities and challenges are discussed, and goals are laid out. What everyone needs most is a clear understanding of their part in the journey. First days at new jobs, first assignments with new bosses—the forming stage of teamwork is all about first meetings and first impressions. Borrow insights from this teamwork theory, and you might finally understand how your team can push past average and unlock a higher level of productivity together. Our kanban boards can be personalised to suit your needs, and the drag-and-drop feature makes it easy to move tasks along as your project progresses.
Scenario: You’re leading your team through the performing stage
Communication is flowing in all directions, everyone is engaged, and it looks like they will meet the launch date originally set by Mr. Marcus at the first meeting. The cost of the Banisher is within the profit target, and production has assured everyone that they can produce the required number of Banisher canisters. Rina, the four stages of team development the leader of the Bug Banisher Team, comes to Mr. Marcus thirty days after the initial meeting. She has a laundry list of issues to discuss, and none of them is pleasant. Nicole from marketing has scheduled focus group sessions, but the final prototype of the Banisher will not be completed in time for the first session.
- They’ll look to you for guidance and support, and when you establish a trusting two-way conversation, you’ll pave the way towards their professional growth.
- “With group norms and roles established, group members focus on achieving common goals, often reaching an unexpectedly high level of success.” By this time, they are motivated and knowledgeable.
- You are participating in the discussions instead of leading them all, and the team begins to solve problems jointly.
- It’s a great way to keep the team and your stakeholders on the same page.
If these changes – and their resulting behaviors – are recognized and addressed directly, teams may successfully remain in the Performing stage indefinitely. While working on a high-performing team may be a truly pleasurable and growthful experience, it is not the end of team development. There is still a need for the team to focus on both process and product, setting new goals as appropriate. Changes, such as members coming or going or large-scale changes in the external environment, can lead a team to cycle back to an earlier stage.
Implications of Tuckman’s Model for Project Management Teams
As a result of these studies, a fifth stage, “adjourning,” was added to the hypothesis (Tuckman & Jensen, 2010). Focus on building a shared understanding across your team and with stakeholders. Recently, several teams in our engineering department undertook a massive, ludicrously complex, business-critical infrastructure project. The number of risks and dependencies sent these established and cohesive dev teams into a flurry of (ultimately, unproductive and/or counter-productive) activity.
This is the second stage of team development, where the group starts to sort itself out and gain each others’ trust. This stage often starts when they voice their opinions; conflict may arise between team members as power and status are assigned. At this stage there is often a positive and polite atmosphere, people are pleasant to each other, and they may have feelings of excitement, eagerness and positiveness.
Strategic Project Management: Theory and Practice for Human Resource Professionals
The forming → storming → norming → performing model of group development was first proposed by psychological researcher Bruce Tuckman in 1965. Do you know where your team falls in the natural progression of team development? In 1965, Bruce Tuckman researched group development and identified four distinct stages that all teams must move through in order to become successful. Over the years, I have worked with many teams and have found theses stages to be very predictable.
You don’t wait to be told how to do your job – you determine the best way to meet your objectives and get on with it. 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.
Team Development Never Stops
While the team forms, the role of the leader is to give clear direction, set out the goals and objectives, and help the team members understand exactly what the leader expects them to do. During the Norming stage, members shift their energy to the team’s goals and show an increase in productivity, in both individual and collective work. The team may find this is an appropriate time for evaluating team processes and productivity. 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.
During the Forming stage, much of the team’s energy is focused on defining the team, so task accomplishment may be relatively low. 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. Once the reality of the tasks has set in, you may see team members start to feel frustration and anger towards other team members. Finding out how each team member works towards goals and handles stress has created these feelings. You’re running the race with a friend because you thought it would motivate you.