Stage 1: Forming
The initial forming stage is the process of putting the structure of the team together. Team members enter with ambiguous feelings and attitudes. Conflict is avoided at all costs because of the need to be accepted into the group. Team members reflect not only on the tasks at hand, but also about each other.
Feelings and Thoughts
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- Excitement, anticipation, and optimism
- Suspicion, fear, and anxiety about the job ahead
- Tentative attachment to team
- Why am I here?
- Why are they here?
- What is expected of me?
- How much influence will I have?
- How much am I willing to give?
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Observable Behaviors |
- Politeness
- Guarded;
- Sporadic participation
- Attempts to define tasks and decisions on how it will be accomplished
- Attempts to establish acceptable group behavior
- Abstract discussions of concepts and issues
- Discussion of symptoms and problems not relevant to the task; difficulty in identifying relevant problems
- Complaints about the organization
- Decisions on what information needs to be gathered
- Impatience with discussion
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Team Needs |
- Team mission and purpose
- Team membership
- Team goals and objectives
- Measurement and feedback
- Definition of roles and responsibilities
- Team member expectations
- Team operational guidelines and procedures
- Behavioral norms and values
- Effective meetings and facilitation
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Leadership Style Required |
Directing:
- Telling
- Guiding
- Establishing
- High task and low relationship involvement
- Manager makes decisions, tells group what to do, when, where, how, & with whom to do it
- Clear boundaries
- One-way communication from leader to follower
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Stage 2: Storming
This stage is characterized by competition and conflict among team members. In the process of organizing tasks, interpersonal conflicts will begin to surface. Leadership, structure, and power issues dominate. The team must grow from this testing mindset to one of problem solving in order to progress in its development.
Feelings and Thoughts
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- Resistance to task
- Fluctuations in attitude about the team
- What are the job-related risks and benefits of sharing information?
- What are the risks and benefits of being open or closed?
- Do I agree with the team’s purpose?
- Do I agree with the team’s approach to accomplishing the task?
- How do I feel about my personal influence and freedom in the team?
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Observable Behaviors |
- Arguing among members
- Defensiveness and competition
- Polarizations and pecking orders in team
- Power struggles and clashes
- Lack of consensus-seeking behaviors
- Lack of progress
- Establishing unrealistic goals
- Concern over excessive work
- Attacking the leader
- Confusion, loss of interest; opting out
- Code-of-conduct violations
- Poor attendance
- Questioning wisdom of other members of the team
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Team Needs |
- Interpersonal relationships
- Identification of style differences
- Effective listening
- Giving and receiving feedback
- Conflict resolution
- Leadership clarification
- What position does the team take when people don’t get along?
- How should the team deal with violation of codes of conduct?
- What should we do if team gets stuck?
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Leadership Style Required |
Coaching:
- Provides guidance
- Clarifying
- Persuading
- Explaining
- High directing and supporting behavior
- High task and high relationship involvement
- Leader consults but makes final decision
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Stage 3: Norming
In this stage, team members are breaking from paradigms of preconceived ideas and opinions. As the group develops cohesion, leadership is shared and team members are trusting one another. Interpersonal conflicts give way to sharing of feelings and creative thinking. The group operates in cohesion and members are glad to be a part of the team.
Feelings and Thoughts
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- Sense of belonging to team
- Personal accomplishments
- I understand how I contribute effectively
- I have freedom to be myself and express my ideas
- I can trust my teammates and they trust me
- Ability to express criticism constructively
- Acceptance of membership in the team
- Relief that it seems that everything is going to work out
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Observable Behaviors |
- Procedures established and practiced in problem solving, leadership, resolving conflict
- Open, honest communication; practicing communication skills
- Effective conflict resolution
- Sincere attempts to achieve consensus decisions
- Free participation and risk taking
- Productive; steady progress
- Shared decision making
- Develop routines
- Unified mission and purpose
- Focused problem solving
- Sets and achieves task milestones
- Members honoring code of conduct
- Strong team identity
- Healthy balance of power
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Team Needs |
- Decision making
- Problem solving
- Management coaching
- Leadership skills
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Leadership Style Required |
Supporting:
- Committing
- Participating
- Encouraging
- Listening
- Collaborating
- High relationship and low task involvement
- Minimal influence in decision making
- Promotes discussion
- Asks for contributions from followers
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Stage 4: Performing
True interdependence is the mainstay of this stage of group development. The team is highly flexible as individuals adapt to meet the current needs of the team. There is high productivity in task and personal relationships. A team operating in this mode is unique and a value added to its organization.
Feelings and Thoughts
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- High commitment
- Trusting; friendships
- Fun and excited
- High personal development and creativity
- Involvement with team inspires the best in me
- Understand other’s strengths and weaknesses
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Observable Behaviors |
- Constructive self-change
- Flexibility, versatility, and midcourse corrections
- Tries new way of doing things
- Excited participation, enthusiasm, and volunteerism
- Attachment to team, connectedness and unity
- High level of mutual support
- Humor
- Satisfaction at team’s progress; celebrating successes
- Expressions of pride in team’s unique accomplishments
- Ability to work through group problems; confronting with support
- Ownership of results
- True consensus decision making
- Management and creative use of team’s resources
- Momentum maintained
- Smooth task and process flow
- Purpose and mission basis for action
- Goal attainment
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Team Needs |
- Coaching and counseling
- Measuring performance
- Customer focus
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Leadership Style Required |
Delegation:
- Observing
- Monitoring
- Fulfilling
- Low relationship and low task involvement
- Provides little direction
- Leader sets goals; team accomplishes
- Low amounts of two-way communication needed
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The Forming – Storming – Norming – Performing is a model of group development, first proposed by Bruce Tuckman in 1965, who maintained that these phases are all necessary and inevitable in order for the team to grow, to face up to challenges, to tackle problems, to find solutions, to plan work, and to deliver results. This model has become the basis for subsequent models.
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Phone: [530]321.5309 Email: Kelly@ProfitWithIBS.com