Perhaps one of the most influential models of the team development process is that of Bruce W. Tuckman (1965). He outlined a stage by stage process which teams pass through on their way to becoming an effective team.

In the first stages of team building, the forming of the team takes place. The team meets and learns about the opportunity and challenges and then agrees on goals and begins to tackle the tasks.

Every group will then enter the storming stage in which different ideas compete for consideration. The storming stage is necessary to the growth of the team. It can be contentious, unpleasant and even painful to members of the team who are averse to conflict. Tolerance of each team member and their differences needs to be emphasised. Without tolerance and patience the team will fail. This phase can become destructive to the team and will lower motivation if allowed to get out of control.

At some point, the team may enter the norming stage. Team members adjust their behaviour to each other as they develop work habits that make teamwork seem more natural and fluid.

Some teams will reach the performing stage. These high-performing teams are able to function as a unit as they find ways to get the job done smoothly and effectively without inappropriate conflict or the need for external supervision. Team members have become interdependent. By this time they are motivated and knowledgeable. The team members are now competent, autonomous and able to handle the decision making process without supervision.

To these four stages, a fifth has been added called an adjourning stage – a stage for a team that has fulfilled its objectives and goals. It is important for a group to achieve closure on a positive note.

At first glance, it may appear that teams pass through these stages in a predictable linear sequence. However this is a myth. The reality is that team development is not steady or predictable and is situationally dependent. Many long standing teams will go through the cycle of phases many times as they react to changing circumstances. Teams can also get “stuck” in an early phase and never reap the benefits of the latter stages. At team that doesn’t want to challenge or rock the boat can be described as simply “going through the motions” – they are stuck in the comfy forming stage and cannot move on. Teams can also become “stuck” in the storming stage and until the cause is addressed the team cannot become high performing.

Within the world of team building, a really useful aspect of the Team Development Model is that argument, challenge, and conflict can be understood as essential to team development, even when the process can feel uncomfortable for some of us caught up in it.

 

You may be interested in also reading our post Team Cohesiveness & Performance

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