Team Development: 4 Stages Every Team Experiences
They have accepted their position, they understand what’s expected of them, and can see how their position contributes to the completion of the project. Looking back, it would have been more effective if I had allowed for the questions to be asked to the entire group. I would have responded more effectively if I had understood that people were trying to figure out just how deep they were willing to go. In this stage, the best thing the group leader can do is to be honest about their hopes for the group, while also making room for others to share their thoughts as well. The transition to Stage 2 can feel like the most challenging time for the leader. A key aspect of this stage is increased participation by the team members.
If you reflect on them, they’ll tell you a cohesive story about their strengths, needs and performance. Understand your people’s needs and make team management your greatest strength. It requires more preparation from the leader to go smoothly, but non-participation by team members can be catastrophic. The casual nonchalance in this stage should be balanced with a healthy respect for how important it is as it will directly influence how the team will act. Natural talent will only get one so far in the real world, however.
Questioning and Refining the Purpose of the Group
They’ll also trust each other and interact with a high degree of openness. Best of all, teams at this stage will largely be able to manage themselves, resolve their own conflicts and act collectively, as a whole. You may even be able to turn over some of the day-to-day leadership to a team member. “Resolved disagreements and personality clashes result in greater intimacy, and a spirit of co-operation emerges.”[4] This happens when the team is aware of competition and they share a common goal. In this stage, all team members take responsibility and have the ambition to work for the success of the team’s goals.
Supervisors of the team during this phase are almost always participating. Even the most high-performing teams will revert to earlier stages in certain circumstances. Many long-standing teams go through these cycles many times as they react to changing circumstances. For example, a change in leadership may cause the team to revert to storming as the new people challenge the existing norms and dynamics of the team. In the performing stage, consensus and cooperation have been well-established and the team is mature, organized, and well-functioning.
Scenario: You’re leading your team through the forming stage
A Definition of Done is a common understanding of all the work the Developers need to complete for each Product Backlog item before being considered part of the product increment. A Definition of Done might include ensuring unit tests pass, code review is complete, code is merged into the main code branch, or that the codebase is integrated into any other systems. Because the Definition of Done creates transparency around what work the team needs to complete, it helps them transition from the forming stage faster by removing uncertainty. Another characteristic of forming teams is their concern about how each member fits in.
If led correctly, groups can graduate from start-up through Stage 1 to Stage 2 in about two months. In this stage, members seem more concerned with being accepted by others than with the task at hand. They tend to be overly polite and, as a result, are unlikely to express different points of view.
Decoding The 4 Stages Of Team Development
The principal work for the team during the Forming stage is to create a team with clear structure, goals, direction and roles so that members begin to build trust. During the Forming stage, much of the team’s energy is focused on defining the team so task accomplishment may be relatively low. During the Forming stage of team development, team members are usually excited to be part of the team and eager about the work ahead. Members often have high positive expectations for the team experience. At the same time, they may also feel some anxiety, wondering how they will fit in to the team and if their performance will measure up.
Thus, communication hasmoved from mostly top-down to a healthier give-and-take mode, both in an upward direction and at a peerlevel. Despite the potential for conflict and disagreements in this stage, team satisfaction actually improvesfrom Stage 1. They need to set the overarching goal forthe team and provide the structure.
Do the five stages of team building always occur in the same order?
In the first phase, Forming, teams are uncertain about the team goals and how to work together. In the second phase, Storming, teams challenge boundaries and get to know each other and how to work together. In the Norming phase, teams become more comfortable with each other and more familiar with their processes. And in the final phase, Performing, teams really begin to work together well, achieving an ever increasing level of peak performance. It’s upon reaching this stage that a team can become high performing. Members will generally be excited about their work and find satisfaction in the results.
Individual team members learn more about their potential, responsibilities, and how to operate dynamically within the group. A team is effective when its cognitive, motivational, and behavioral resources align correctly with task demands. This final phase of team building is the stage at which teams are actually working on the project itself or the everyday functioning of a team.
Leadership from the Proverbs: Fear of the Lord
Everyone knows the challenges of coordinating a team – no matter how small the size or how miniscule the project, conflict will arise in some form. Generally the forming stage has the team starting on whatever larger project that they have been assigned. It’s critical to vocalize to each member their expectations and their accomplishments at every opportunity during this early stage. This usually includes basic introductions, getting a “feel” for your team members and who will work together well, and identify potential early problems.
- The fourthstage of group development is a time of intense productivity and effectiveness.
- The casual nonchalance in this stage should be balanced with a healthy respect for how important it is as it will directly influence how the team will act.
- A team is effective when its cognitive, motivational, and behavioral resources align correctly with task demands.
- Their focus may shift from the tasks at hand to feelings of frustration or anger with the team’s progress or process.
- It is reasonably priced and enables the maintenance of timesheets and screenshots, as well as the verification of active hours and team communication via project management.
- Team members should continue to deepen their knowledge and skills, including working to continuously improving team development.
Enjoy the moment and think back on what made it possible for you to succeed while you take a moment to celebrate. 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. A team can often be categorized as a good team by its willingness to ask for and receive feedback. I avoid them if I can.” All team members voice agreement about their reluctance to attend safety training. Chris feels a sense of camaraderie as group members unite around a common issue.
Team effectiveness is key to Performing well
It is perfectly normal at this stage to see little progress, as the team may complain about the purpose of the team and are inclined to get stuck in discussions that end up nowhere. Impatience 4 stages of a team and frustration are common symptoms of members on the team in this stage. Our discussion so far has focused mostly on a team as an entity, not on the individuals inside the team.
