Team Development Stages

Building a team of professionals is a difficult task at the best of times. Everyone included has a different perspective and different ways of doing things. Because of these factors, it is important to consult a model or theory to help understand the team forming process. One such model to consider is Bruce Tuckman's Model.

In the early sixties, a well-respected professor known as Bruce Tuckman published a sequence model to help analyze and identify the process a group experiences as it grows and solidifies into a team. Holding a Bachelor's degree in Science, a Master's degree in Psychology and a PhD, Tuckman has held a variety of positions at a number of educational institutions in the Psychology and Educational faculties focussing his academic studies on educational research in motivation and behavior. Other topics that Tuckman has explored are: goal setting, incentives and personal planning. Tuckman's continued research and work, continually influences how groups are formed and developed. He currently holds a position at Ohio State University directing the Academic Learning Lab. The four stages offered by Tuckman are as follows: Forming, Storming, Norming and Performing; each stage shedding light on the process of building productive teams.

The initial stage, Forming, brings insecurities, trust issues and competition to the surface. This stage sheds light on issues of trust, insecurities and competitive character within the group. Usually, individuals will take a careful approach. Little initiative is taken by members in the group and they will continue to act independently. Leadership should strive to bring the individuals together as a team and reassure each member of their unique contributions. This initial stage is a 'testing' period.

Progressing from Forming, a group will move into the Storming stage. The Storming phase commonly is filled with conflict and challenges. As a result of trust and confidence forming, the track of the team and leadership are questioned. As opinions begin form, the productivity and group focus will often be temporarily lost. Out of this period of questioning, it is imperative for each member's distinctions to be validated by the leader.

The next progression in the model is: Norming. This stage is marked by a group 'gelling' together. The stableness of the group has been solidified due to key components being established: values, methods, behaviors, tools, expectations, etc. Because of this structure, the team creates its own unique identity. A conscious effort is made to benefit the group and promote unity in every decision that is made. Unity and productivity are by-products. Participation needs to be encouraged and group self-reliance needs to be explored.

Performing is the final stage in the model. As roles have been defined and team members are operating as a cohesive unit, production and group gratification increases. Judgments are easily made by group members as they are confident in their contributions to the team and their roles are clearly defined yet remain flexible and functional. As the team becomes more functional, leadership begins to delegate the majority of the decision-making and responsibilities to the team. Conflict is minimal, trust has been established thus, negating the need for much supervision.

Ideally the group will move through each stage in a visible way, but as the model applies to human behavior, sometimes it may be difficult to determine in which phase a team may be. Each group progresses at different rates and a few stages may overlap.

As a model for team development, Tuckman presents a simple but accurate look at a seemingly complex process in forming strong teams. Through the model, leaders are able to anticipate and recognize times of conflict, develop behavior management strategies and see a clearer picture of group dynamics overall. Tuckman's model provides an insightful, clear resource for leaders seeking to raise the bar when it comes to dynamic team formation.