15.2 Team Development Over Time

Teams evolve through distinct stages, from forming to performing. Understanding these stages helps managers guide teams effectively. Tuckman's model outlines how teams progress, highlighting challenges and opportunities at each phase.

Team dynamics shift as groups move through development stages. Managers must adapt their approach, fostering collaboration and resolving conflicts. Factors like changes in team composition or goals can cause regression, requiring leaders to navigate challenges and maintain team cohesion.

Stages of Team Development

Stages of Tuckman's team model

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• Forming stage involves team members getting acquainted, learning about the team's purpose, and experiencing uncertainty, anxiety, and caution as they are polite, conflict-avoidant, and task-focused (first team meeting, introductions)
• Storming stage is characterized by the emergence of conflict and disagreement as members express opinions, experience interpersonal tensions due to differing work styles and personalities, and may form subgroups and cliques leading to power struggles (debates over project direction, disagreements on task allocation)
• Norming stage involves team members resolving conflicts, developing cohesion, establishing roles, responsibilities, and norms for behavior, and increasing trust, cooperation, and a sense of belonging (creating a team charter, defining communication protocols)
  • Group norms are established to guide behavior and interactions within the team
• Performing stage is when the team is fully functional, focused on achieving goals, with members being committed, collaborative, and supportive of each other, resulting in high levels of productivity, effectiveness, and satisfaction (meeting project milestones, delivering high-quality work)
  • Team effectiveness is at its peak during this stage, with members working together seamlessly

Team dynamics across development stages

• Transition from forming to storming involves a shift from politeness and caution to open expression of opinions and disagreements, with interpersonal conflicts surfacing as members challenge each other's ideas and work styles (initial honeymoon period ending, reality of differences setting in)
• Moving from storming to norming, conflict resolution leads to increased understanding and acceptance of differences, development of a shared sense of purpose, establishment of norms for behavior, and more open, honest, and constructive communication (team members finding common ground, agreeing on rules of engagement)
  • Interpersonal relationships begin to strengthen as team members work through conflicts
• Progression from norming to performing is characterized by cohesion and trust enabling the team to focus on goal achievement, with members taking on roles that maximize their strengths and contribute to team success, and collaboration, mutual support, and high performance becoming the norm (team hitting its stride, working like a well-oiled machine)
  • Group cohesion reaches its highest level during this stage

Factors in team stage regression

• Changes in team composition, such as adding or removing team members, can disrupt established dynamics and require the team to revisit forming and storming stages (onboarding new hires, restructuring teams)
• Shifts in team goals or priorities, like significant changes in direction, can cause uncertainty and conflict, necessitating renegotiation of roles, norms, and strategies (pivoting project scope, adapting to market changes)
• Unresolved conflicts or interpersonal issues, including lingering disputes or resentments, can resurface and undermine trust, causing the team to regress to storming until addressed (old rivalries flaring up, grudges impacting collaboration)
• External pressures or crises, such as stressful situations, can strain relationships and communication, leading the team to revert to earlier stages as they cope with challenges (tight deadlines, resource constraints)
• Lack of leadership or support, in the form of ineffective or absent leadership, can cause the team to lose direction, while insufficient resources or support can hinder progress and morale (leadership vacuum, budget cuts impacting team)

Team Leadership and Roles

• Team leadership plays a crucial role in guiding the team through various stages of development
• Team roles are assigned or emerge naturally, contributing to the overall functioning of the team
• Effective conflict resolution skills are essential for leaders and team members to navigate challenges and maintain team cohesion