Tuckman’s Stages of Group Development

“Storming” can be thought of as “weathering the trying times that will come with the stresses of a project.” The latter doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue – so storming is efficient. The Five Stages of Team Development were developed by psychologist Bruce Tuckman in 1965. These five stages advance as a team works together, but especially when a team brings awareness to their dynamic.

A good team environment develops when people are recognized, valued, and appreciated for their unique skills and capacity to contribute to your shared goal. Draw a simple four-stage diagram and ask each person to place a dot or sticky note next to the stage they think the team is at. The team development cycle starts over more often than you might think. It just means that when change happens, humans need time to adapt.

Stages of Group Development

Every team has different needs when it comes to their development. Which means, you may experience these stages in sequential order, or find yourself in a loop with one or more of the stages outlined above. This is a concept that psychologist Bruce Tuckman came up with to properly understand the progress of various teams and the development of key contributors. During the Ending Stage, some team members may become four phases of team development less focussed on the team’s tasks and their productivity may drop. Alternatively, some team members may find focussing on the task at hand is an effective response to their sadness or sense of loss. No matter where a company falls on the spectrum of archetypes, there is great value in slowing down and regrouping around a new, more targeted strategy aimed at maximizing the value of a digital transformation.

• After the storming stage, they recognize behavioural patterns, strengths and develop foresight for upcoming roadblocks.
• The digitally enabled factory of today looks very different from the leading factory of ten years ago.
• The skills of each member are fully optimized, supervision is almost never needed, and members feel a strong sense of trust in one another.
• You recognize that your team is new, and want them to feel supported, motivated and psychologically safe.

Developing “team operating principles” is key at this stage. The storming stage is the most difficult and critical stage to pass through. It is a period marked by conflict and competition as individual personalities emerge. Team performance may actually decrease in this stage because energy is put into unproductive activities. Members may disagree on team goals, and subgroups and cliques may form around strong personalities or areas of agreement.

Scenario: You’re leading your team through the storming stage

Individual members might feel all of these things at the same time, or may cycle through feelings of loss followed by feelings of satisfaction. Given these conflicting feelings, individual and team morale may rise or fall throughout the ending stage. It is highly likely that at any given moment individuals on the team will be experiencing different emotions about the team’s ending. In the Performing stage, the team makes significant progress towards its goals.

By recognizing these stages, we can adapt our leadership style to the needs of the team. Some teams reach a stage of development in which they thrive at their individual and collective tasks. The skills of each member are fully optimized, supervision is almost never needed, and members feel a strong sense of trust in one another. In the adjourning stage, most of the team’s goals have been accomplished. The emphasis is on wrapping up final tasks and documenting the effort and results. As the work load is diminished, individual members may be reassigned to other teams, and the team disbands.

Using the Stages of Team Development

For practical cooperation and communication, there must be open lines of contact. Additionally, you might want to be extremely clear about what each participant is expected to perform. Consequently, when a problem or issue arises, the team will find it easier to decide who is in charge of what and what to do. Consider taking the following measures to develop a solid and effective team. A team is a work in progress; hence, good teams are always open to feedback and encourage constructive communication.

Members attempt to become oriented to the tasks as well as to one another. To grow from this stage to the next, each member must relinquish the comfort of non-threatening topics and risk the possibility of conflict. Behaviors during the Storming stage may be less polite than during the Forming stage, with frustration or disagreements about goals, expectations, roles and responsibilities being openly expressed. Members may express frustration about constraints that slow their individual or the team’s progress; this frustration might be directed towards other members of the team, the team leadership or the team’s sponsor. During the Storming stage, team members may argue or become critical of the team’s original mission or goals. It is this methodology that underpinned the approach taken by the industrial company mentioned earlier.

Clearly set expectations for communication

For more than 20 years, Eric has successfully helped a wide array of government agencies, nonprofit organizations, and corporations achieve breakthroughs in performance. His new book The Leadership Equation helps leaders achieve strategic clarity, manage change effectively, and build a leadership culture. The leader should focus on her or his role as a facilitator and trust-builder. S/he should provide tools and tips to the team for effective communication and conflict management. If team members sense that they don’t have all the information, or that information is being selectively shared, they’ll keep their guard up.

Intuition recognizes signals outside of the logical filters. When you have been on a team, how did you know how to act? How did you know what behaviors were acceptable or what level of performance was required? Teams usually develop norms that guide the activities of team members. Team norms set a standard for behavior, attitude, and performance that all team members are expected to follow.

How to help your team through the stages of group development

If you notice a few team members not participating, the easiest thing to do is to prompt them for their thoughts and ideas. This paper became the groundwork for the stages of group development. Tuckman’s foundation helps team leaders understand how team dynamics change as a project progresses. By understanding the five stages of group development, you can support your team as they’re getting to know one another to quickly enable collaboration and effective teamwork.

Group execution may diminish in this stage since energy is placed into useless exercises. Individuals might differ in group objectives, and subgroups and coteries might confirm areas of strength or understanding. Bruce Tuckman, an educational psychologist, defined the words we use for team stages of development and presented his results in a paper titled Developmental Sequence in Small Groups in 1965. His hypothesis, known as Tuckman’s Stages, is based on his study of team dynamics and team formation.

Signs and questions to look out for in the norming stage

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. In this meeting, you take notes from each team member and apply these to your team principles. This way, each employee knows they can trust you, and each other going forward. You recognize that your team is new, and want them to feel supported, motivated and psychologically safe.