Stages of team development

One of the greatest challenges leaders have is moving their team through the various team development stages.

Every leader needs to know:

What the various growth stages are of a developing team; and

How best to move the team through these stages with a minimal amount of fuss and stress

Stages of team development

In order to be productive, there are four team development stages* that teams must go through:

1. Forming: when a team meets and starts to work together for the first time
2. Storming: when the members within the team start to “jockey” for position.  This is also characterized when control issues take place
3. Norming: when rules are finalized and accepted and when team rules start being adhered to
4. Performing: when the team starts to produce through effective and efficient working practices

*Reference: Psychologist, B.W. Tuckman developed these stages in the 1970s

It is noted that some teams will go through the four stages quickly and move from forming through to performing in a relatively short period of time. There are a lot of variables: the team’s composition, capabilities of individuals, required tasks, and leadership. And while there are a lot of variables, there is one certainty: no team passes over the storming phase.

All teams must be prepared to go through the difficult and stressful times while anticipating the benefits of the productive phases. As leader, your role is to identify where along the path of team development your team is and then move it on to the next phase with as little chaos and resistance as possible. 

I will discuss each stage in more detail. In the meantime, give some thought to the teams you have or want to develop.  You may want to record your perceptions of their activity based on the following five areas: 

1. Mission, vision, and goals
2. Team roles
3. Operating processes
4. Interpersonal relationships
5. Inter-team relations

And yes, these five areas will be discussed in greater detail, too.
Remember, you need to be the effort in upfront.  There will be challenging days, but I anticipate your efforts will be meaningful and rewarding.