Stages of team development: Forming

Forming is a stressful phase when new teams come together or the addition of new members or there have been changes, such as a new leader. Everyone is a bit wary of each other, particularly if they do not know anyone.  This is magnified with a change in leadership. Even more stressful, if there are rumours circulating about the new leader that are not positive.

The first meeting will likely be a nervous one and you need to recognize this and make attempts to ensure the team is put at ease.  It is at this stage that cliques can develop and you need to be aware of the potential for various alliances. Not all alliances will be counter-productive to the team’s future success but it pays for the manager to watch and observe the behaviours of potential cliques.  

Here are some tips to give your team the best possible start in the forming stage:

• Outline specifically the task the team has to perform
• Be specific about each person’s role in the team’s task
• Outline how the team has come together (or continues to exist) and give reasons as to why the various team members have been brought together for inclusion within this team
• Be open about the way you operate as a manger / leader – what are your strengths and weaknesses? What do you look like under stress?
• Outline your expectations of both the team and the individuals within the team. In other words, start to contract with the team
• Encourage each team member to do likewise
• Ensure that the team has a set of rules and guidelines and that the team has an iput into how these rules are formed and agreed
• Discuss reward and recognition.  How does the team want to celebrate its achievements?
• How is the team going to make decisions?
• How is the team going to give feedback on each other’s performance?
•  How are they going to resolve conflict? Discuss past conflict.

By having an open discussion from the onset allows people the chance to air views, concerns and queries.  The goal of these discussions is to:

• Ensure people feel they have been heard and have a voice
• Give people an opportunity to contribute. If people have made contributions, they tend to be more committed
• Ensure people know the rules and regulations by which the team will operate
• Allow people to have a greater appreciation of the people they are working with on this team

In summary

As the leader, you will ensure that the team meets and understands the team's goals, the different roles, and the rules by which the team is governed. 

Remember: although there my be a great deal of agreement and compliance about what is discussed, many people will have different interpretations of what is agreed upon.  Have one-on-one discussions with the team members to help minimize this. 

Documentation: Inevitably, there will start to be undercurrents of disagreements of what has been exactly agreed up so make sure decisions are well documented, share them and make them readily available, and review.

Next post will review phase two, storming.