Team Development Stages

It is often a tricky task to build a team of professionals

. Personalities are unique, opinions differ and leadership styles vary greatly. That is why utilizing a model like Bruce Tuckman's Team Development Model is important for successful team building. One such model to consider is Bruce Tuckman's Model.

A renowned university professor Bruce Tuckman proposed a sequence model to observe and analyze the group formation process. Holding a Bachelor's degree in Science, a Master's degree in Psychology and a PhD, Tuckman has held numerous positions at a number of educational institutions in the Psychology and Educational faculties focussing his academic studies on educational research in motivation and behavior. Known almost exclusively for his model on group development, Tuckman has also published a novel and various papers in the educational world. Other topics that Tuckman has explored are: goal setting, incentives and personal planning. Currently Tuckman directs the Academic Learning Lab at Ohio State University, his work persistently influencing the way groups are analyzed and assisted in developing. The four stages offered by Tuckman are as follows: Forming, Storming, Norming and Performing; each stage shedding light on the process of building excellent teams.

The very first stage of group formation as proposed by Tuckman is the Forming stage. 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 is truly the testing phase.

Progressing from Forming, a group will move into the Storming stage. Typically during the Storming phase, conflict, dissention and difficulties arise. As a result of trust and confidence forming, the course 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 differences to be validated by the leader.

The next progression in the model is: Norming. This stage is marked by a group 'gelling' together. Rules, regulations, expectations, methods, values, behaviours and tools are solidified by the group to provide stability and a structure from which to work. Because of this structure, the team builds 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.

Tuckman's last proposed stage is: Performing. Actions 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.

Due to the complexities of human behavior it is often difficult to pinpoint which stages a group is in. Sometimes it is apparent and other times, not. Each group progresses at different rates and some stages may overlap.

Tuckman presents a clear and accurate model for an often muddled process that is team development. The stages help leaders identify upcoming seasons of conflict, plan procedures for managing behavior and to grasp a better understanding of team interaction. Clear, simple and insightful, Tuckman provides leaders with a tool enabling them to become more effective, more fruitful and more knowledgeable in their approach to building dynamic teams.

Team Development Stages

By: Won Fran

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