Team development is integral to organizational culture for maintaining equilibrium among team members and enhancing workflow, including collaboration and productivity. The team’s bonding directly impacts the workflow of the project and organization’s growth as the team consists of all types of employees hailing from varied backgrounds, experiences, skills and knowledge.
So, it is essential to bunch up the team members and enhance team building to not only attain the company’s goal but also maintain sustainability in business operations and working harmoniously and build an inclusive work culture that elevates the company’s reputation among its competitors.
The stages of team development will help you understand the steps through which your team will pass through and give you an insight to develop strategies to ease the tension in the team and motivate them in the process to perform efficiently.
In this blog, we will give you a described version of stages of team development model, strategies to work together in each stage and will also provide you with some group activities for each stage that will help your team bond effectively.
What is the Tuckman Model of Team Development?
The Tucuman model of team development is a theory which was proposed by psychologist Bruce Tuckman in 1965, highlighting the 4 stages of team development namely forming storming norming, and performing. Later in 1977, he added the fifth stage of team development which is adjourning.
According to Tuckman’s model of team development, there are five stages of team development or team members’ processes of team building and collaboration in five distinct phases: forming, storming, norming, performing, and later, adjourning.
Each stage represents a different level of team development among the team members helps teams understand where they are in their development process and guides how to improve collaboration and performance at each stage.
With a quick start to explain the various stages of group development we will start with the forming stage is when a team is formed, and the team members start to know each other by interacting and collaborating. The second in the row is the storming stage, where the team begins to work together as a result of which conflicts and disparities arise, the third stage of team development is the norming stage where the team members try to settle into a rhythm as the roles get clearer and the sync among the team gets stronger. Then comes the fourth stage, the performing stage of group development in which the team functions at the highest of their capabilities and efficiency. Last comes the adjourning stage of team development which occurs when the team completes its objectives and disbands, it gives a mixed feeling of accomplishing the tasks as well as the sadness of the team getting dissolved.
Let us give you an in-depth insight into the five stages of group development: forming storming norming and performing, the adjourning stage of team development, and the strategies to thrive in each stage that will benefit each team member and the organization.
Five Stages of Team Development
The five stages of team development by Tuckman demonstrates the transition in five stages of team members and how they accommodate in the process resulting in team building and team development.
It is necessary to understand all five stages of team development to get an insight into the internal dynamics of team members and the flow of transition in the team. The five stages of team development: forming storming norming performing and adjourning are as follows:
1. Forming Stage of Team Development
The forming stage of team development is the first stage among the 5 stages in which the team members come together in a group to perform a specific task as a team. Being the initial stage, the level of enthusiasm, politeness, and urge to know about each other in the team and the task are usually found high in the forming stage.
As the name suggests, the forming stage of team development is the formation stage in which the team development or the team members get to know each other and the formation of the group occurs.
In this phase, team members are unsure about their job roles, and goals and are also unaware of others in the team which intrigues their curiosity to gain knowledge on every single aspect in detail.
In the forming stage of team development, team leaders need to play a significant role in guiding a new team to know each other and navigate through the stages of team development. Although this stage has negligible issues relating to conflicts among team members. Yet, the uncertainty among the team members regarding the task ahead creates high changes of confusion, complexity, and curiosity.
Trust and comfort levels among the team members are drastically low in this stage of team development and dependency on the leader or facilitator is high for task detailing and role explanation.
➔ Strategies to Excel in the Forming Stage
Here are some strategies that will help you ease your team members in the forming stage and settle their morale and enthusiasm by navigating it towards strategic goal accomplishments way.
a. Group Orientation & Introduction
Orientation is a must to proceed with a new team with new team members. It is essential to give them a gist and insight into the tasks they are going to perform in the near future along with the introduction of the entire team individually.
A brief introduction mentioning experiences, name, key skills and qualifications can help the members of the team understand each other technically and will boost confidence by breaking the ice and creating comfort.
b. Strong Leadership
In the initial phase of team development, leadership is pivotal to not only to settle the team members in the group but also to navigate their efforts towards goal accomplishments and guidance.
The leadership in this stage need to be focused on the establishing relationships and strategizing the learning process in the training management system that would help the team members understand and figure out how their skills fit into the project.
c. Open Communication
Keep the channel of communication open for all the team members to clear their doubts and get accustomed to the team. Also, open communication on job roles, tasks, peers and other work related issues and also helps them understand the group dynamics.
Furthermore, open communication in the team will help establish a relationship among the team members and comfort them assisting them in accommodating the new team.
➔ Group Activities for Forming Stage
a. Ice Breaker
The first and foremost activity to perform in a new team is the icebreaker, to comfort individuals hailing from different backgrounds. You can opt for two truths one lie game where each individual will speak 2 truths and one lie about themselves, and the others have to guess the truths and lies.
Also, bingo can be a great icebreaker to break the ice among the team individuals and comfort their curiosity and nervousness. Create bingo cards with personal or work-related facts. Team members move around to find people who match the statements in the boxes.
b. Fun Intro Activity
Introductions are boring and are often ignored. So, go for fun introduction sessions where team members in the team will introduce themselves funnily or indirect way leaving others guess or solve the riddle.
You can also ask each team member to introduce themselves and share a fun fact from their experiences gained over the years in life. This helps break down barriers and fosters personal connections.
c. Mind Mapping/ BRAINSTORMING
To start with, make your project goal the topic for discussion and ask your team members to share their ideas individually and in groups to encourage their creativity, collaboration, and innovation. The brainstorming process is a great way to gain insight into your team’s efficiency both individually and in the group. It will also highlight their cognitive potential to perceive and make decisions quickly.
2. Storming Stage of Team Development
Storming stage of team development is the second stage in the process of team development in which team members start projecting their opinions as a result of which conflicts arise. This is considered as the most difficult stage as personalities clash, differing working styles emerge, and tensions arise over task distribution or leadership.
Task disagreements and varied opinions make it difficult for the team to reach a unanimous decision on leadership, tasks, etc. Also, some team members might be reluctant to change and adapt to new ideas, which causes conflicts and delays the decision-making process.
To resolve “how to work effectively in a group?”, challenges among the team members as the team formed are usually a collaboration of individuals from varied socio-economic, cultural, and educational backgrounds holding varied experiences that shape their perceptions and cognitive thoughts.
➔ Strategies to Manage Storming Stage
a. Set Clear Objectives
Set clear goals and task procedures to avoid perplexities in the team. A structured task procedure and a robust framework can help the team members perform efficiently without confusion.
Also, try seeking opinions from the team on the team meetings to make the members feel valued and included in the team.
b. Transparent Communication
Keep the channel of communication open and transparent to encourage your team to come forward and keep up their conflicts upfront without creating chaos.
Also, this will help them feel confident and a sense of belongingness also enhances their morale towards their work. Transparent communication helps maintaining harmony in the team thereby diminishing conflicts.
c. Address Issues
Address the issues or conflicts among team members without being biased. Discrimination and favoritism in group can create bigger issues, so it is essential to stay liberal in decision making and come up with strategic solutions to solve the conflicts among team members.
➔ Group Activities for the Storming Stage
a. Conflicts Resolution Workshops
Arrange conflict resolution workshops for the team to make them learn how to resolve the conflicts that arise due to disparities in suggestions, feedback, and opinions. Also, this will empower the team to handle the situation with ease hence avoiding disparities to the optimum.
b. Open Dialogue & Feedback Sessions
Encourage employees to participate in open dialogue sessions and come up with their queries and conflicts also seek their feedback regarding decisions, tasks, and workflow. This will boost their morale and foster their enthusiasm along with making them understand the perspective of other members of the team.
c. Peaks & Valleys Sessions
Ask your team to sit together, come forward individually, and speak about one “peak” (positive experience) with the other members and a “valley” (challenge or difficulty), about them since they have joined.
This will disclose the likes and dislikes of the team among themselves and will give an insight into difficulties without assigning blame and encourage the team to collectively resolve issues.
3. Norming Stage of Team Development
Norming stage is the third stage of team development process in which team settle into more structured patterns after getting out of conflicts. Roles and responsibilities are clearer, and the team begins to establish norms for how they work together. Cooperation improves, and there’s a stronger sense of cohesion in this stage as team relation gets settled.
➔ Strategies to Effectively Navigate the Norming Stage
a. Foster Collaboration
Foster teamwork and collaboration by encouraging the team to take accountability for their tasks and being responsible for the workflow. Promote collaborative tasks that require input from different team members. This reinforces the importance of teamwork and helps deepen working relationships.
Also, use collaborative tools in your HRMS software to quicken the process and provide a seamless experience to your team members.
b. Monitor Progress
Continuously monitor the team’s progress, ground rules, and responsibilities of the team to ensure its progress. Deviation in the anticipated goals can require resetting rules and norms to adjust them based on the team’s evolving needs. Ensure that everyone is aligned with how the team should function moving forward.
c. Encourage Leadership
This is the best stage to encourage leadership in the team by fostering innovation, capabilities, and skills among the team members. Facilitate cross-learning opportunities in the team as it will foster learning as well as build stronger relationships among the members.
Furthermore, you can also encourage different team members to take on leadership roles in various aspects of the project, such as leading meetings, organizing activities, or taking responsibility for specific tasks.
➔ Group Activities for Norming Stage
a. Team Outings
Arrange team outings, lunch, or dinner parties for team building and fostering relationships among team members outside office premises. It will give them a fresh environment to know about each other and will also establish friendly attributes in them.
b. Responsibility Mapping
Ask your team members to map the responsibilities they are currently working on and the responsibilities they anticipate for the future in project management. This will help your team understand each other’s perspectives and aspirations.
c. Cross training Exercise
Facilitate team building by cross-training exercises where each team member of the group has to share knowledge on their potential skills for others to learn. Have team members shadow each other or participate in short training sessions to understand the responsibilities and skills required in different roles. This helps team members appreciate one another’s work and gain a broader understanding of the team’s functions.
4. Performing Stages of Team Development
In the performing stage of team development, the members are seamlessly connected to each other and perform to their optimum strength. The team members in the performing stage collaborate seamlessly, leveraging on each other’s strength and capabilities.
The performance goes smooth, and the members of the team rely on each other for goal accomplishments and functioning efficiently.
➔ Strategies to Ensure Success in Performing Stage
a. Access Performance
Access the performances of team members regularly to check the progress of team and navigate their efforts and collaboration towards goal accomplishments. It is necessary to keep a regular check to ensure the team performance is on the right path and is not deviated.
b. Motivate Team
Motivate the team members in this stage as they perform in their optimum capabilities. You can reward them with attractive bonuses, compensations, rewards and recognitions to motivate their morale and make them perform more efficiently.
c. Be a Listener
Listen to your team queries and solve it on the right time to avoid disparities and conflicts. this is a vital stage for the team as they perform seamlessly in the team, so it is essential for the leader to address each query and come up with effective solutions to resolve the issues to continue the workflow.
➔ Group Activities for Performing Stage
a. Feedback sessions
Have weekly or monthly feedback sessions with the team to understand the challenges, difficulties and disparities occurring in the operations and also come up with effective solutions in the sessions by seeking the suggestions of the team.
b. Collaborative problem-solving Exercise
Have a collaborative problem-solving session along with your team to understand the problems and have the team work together to brainstorm and find effective solutions.
c. Rewards & Recognition Events
Arrange rewards and recognition events for the team in this performing stage, to encourage their morale and reward their efforts towards goal accomplishments. This is significant to foster growth in the group in the performing stage and further.
5. Adjourning Stage of Team Development
Adjourning stage is the fifth and last stage of team development process in which the project is completed, and the team disbands. It is also known as the mourning stage that bids adios to the team as the team disbands and the members of the team move to other projects separately.
The emotional quotient in this last stage is higher and also, the team achievements and accomplishments reflect in this.
➔ Strategies to Thrive in Adjourning Stage
a. Reflect Accomplishments
Reflect the team accomplishments in public and celebrate the team success by addressing the accomplishments. This will make the team feel contended and will encourage them to perform better in future.
b. Document the Process
Document the entire task accomplishments, challenges and project management process. Create summary report of key lessons learned during the project. This documentation can serve as a resource for future teams and initiatives.
c. Encourage Networking & Facilitate Transitions
Encourage networking among team members and help them transit to other projects seamlessly. Help them with documentation and transition to other team in the organization. Also, encourage them to stay connected with the members for future acquaintances.
➔ Group Activities for the Adjourning Stage
a. Farewell Event
Facilitate a closure event to bid goodbye to the team. Address their success, peaks, valleys and the entire process and close the event by networking with all the individuals in the team.
b. Share Success stories Activities
If appropriate, share the team’s success and experiences with the larger organization. Highlighting achievements can enhance visibility and recognition.
c. Celebrate Together
Celebrate with your team by arranging a good event or party for your team. Reward the hardworking employees in the team and also motivate them to perform better in future.
A Rising Tide Lifts All Boat
As the saying goes, “A rising tide lifts all boats”, similarly, investing in the training and learning of employees, team development and team empowerment will benefit the entire organizational productivity and goodwill in the market. To make it achievable, it is necessary to understand the five stages of team development: forming storming norming performing and adjourning that will help you elevate team building and bonding among the team members to perform proficiently.
Team members are a significant asset to the organization, and the workflow is majorly dependent on them. Each team member has a unique proficiency that makes them different from the others and if navigated in the right way, can not only help the organization boost but also will help them grow individually. To understand the team dynamics and to enhance team development it is crucial to understand all the five stages of team development and strategize in accordance to help your team flourish and your organization grow.
