This article will be covering the crucial 5 stages that are necessary and inevitable for a team to grow, face up to challenges, tackle problems, find solutions, plan work, and deliver results
Overview of Team Development Model:
So back In 1965, a psychologist named Bruce Tuckman said that teams go through 5 stages of development: forming, storming, norming, performing, and adjourning. The stages start from the time that a group first meets until the project ends
Stages of Team Development Model:
1) Forming:
The first stage of the team development model is forming which focuses more on people than on work. This part refers to creating/forming a team -> getting familiar with the opportunities/challenges ->making a little agreement on those objectives -> then gear-up to achieve those tasks.
Let’s try to understand with an example:-
Forming is more like your first day at your new job. You are excited about starting your new journey. You have been introduced to the team which is just been created. Your discussion at this stage will be as follow:
- Team Member’s skills, expertise, background, and interests
- Project Goals
- Timeline to complete the goals
- Any rules that detail the code of conduct for a meeting
- Each Member Roles
During forming a team, this stage mainly focuses on team members developing relationships and understanding what part each person plays. As mentioned above, this stage focuses more on the people than on the work, your team probably won’t be very productive yet.
2) Storming:
This is the second stage of team development where the group starts building and gaining each other’s trust. The team starts sharing their opinions due to which there is a high possibility that conflict arises b/w the team members as roles and responsibilities have been assigned. They may even question the authority or guidance of group leaders. But keep calm and try to resolve their differences so that members will be able to participate with one another more comfortably. The ideal is that they will not feel that they are being judged, and will therefore share their opinions and views. Normally tension, struggle, and sometimes arguments occur. This stage can also be upsetting. If you are the leader, remind members that disagreements are normal.
Few groups try to avoid the storming stage because of having a fear of internal conflict… Remember that, avoidance is never the solution, it always makes the problem grow until it blows up. So acknowledge the conflicts and try to resolve them.
So the ideal flow for this stage is to let the team members openly share ideas and use this as an opportunity to stand out and be accepted by their peers. Team leaders help teams in this stage by having a plan in place to manage competition among team members, make communication easier, and make sure projects stay on track.
3) Norming:
If the team gets through the Storming stage, conflict is resolved and some degree of unity emerges. So now the time comes in Norming when team members start appreciating their team members' strength. Everyone starts contributing and working as a cohesive unit.
Team members' performance increases during this stage as the team start cooperating and begins to focus on team goals. Problems and conflicts can still emerge when new tasks are defined but if the team has already gone through the Storming stage, so it would be easier to address this time else they can move back to the Storming stage.
4) Performing:
Reaching this stage is an indication of one step away from success. At this stage, members are more confident, motivated and teamwork is at that much peak that the team can even progress without much supervision.
During the Performing stage, the team is mature, well-organized, and well-functioning, and the whole team is dedicated to the team’s mission. The team can also focus on other goals and new areas to benefit the business. To develop a team performing at its best, a leader should also make time for the group’s personal development by discussing what opportunities and resources are available to them.
5) Adjourning:
So the time comes when most of your tasks have been accomplished. In Adjourning, the team will be either focusing on wrapping up the final tasks or celebrating their achievement but never forget or be lazy in documenting your efforts, results and pinpoint the room for improvements.
This stage is sometimes also known as Mourning, as the project has ended and the team disbands. Some might be moving into another team or project and some may be replaced by new people. This could be a moment of sorrow, as the team members get attached so don’t hesitate to arrange a small appreciation ceremony for the team to boost their confidence and to guide them in terms of their career growth.
Finally, when the milestones have been achieved, the team can go back to a forming stage and repeat the development process.
More About Author:
Ali Iqbal ‘A certified HIPAA Tester’ is a Lead QA & DevOps engineer and has helped multiple fortune companies in implementing QA standards and DevOps practices. His major expertise evolves around FinTech and Health Care products.
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