The Stages of Team Development
AYL Podcast #8 Summary
Leadership and the Stages of Team Development
Definition of a Team
“A team is a small number of people who come together with complementary skills and are committed to a common and agreed upon purpose, performance goals and approach. As a team they hold themselves accountable to the agreements, both as a whole and individually.”
Typical Indicators of the Four Stages of Team Development
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FORMING
- Polite, Impersonal
- Hesitant Participation
- Test Behavioral Expectations
- Discusses Peripheral Problems
- Attempts to Identify Tasks and Parameters
- Decides on Information Needed
- Watches Team Leader Closely
- Accomplishes Minimal Amount of Work Together
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STORMING
- Conflicts
- Competition
- Disunity, Tension
- Fluctuations of Relationships
- Concern over Excessive Work
- Polarized Group Members
- Watches Team Leader Closely
- Accomplishes Minimal Amount of Work Together
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NORMING
- Establishes Procedures
- Able to Express Emotions Openly
- Sense of Team Cohesiveness, Spirit
- Trust Among Members
- Common Goals
- Developing Skills
- Respects Members’ Contributions
- Accomplishes Moderate Work
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PERFORMING
- Informality
- Members Willing to Help Others
- Close and Supportive
- Builds Links to Other Teams
- Flexible and Open
- Functions Do Not Become Redundant
- Distinct Roles & Contributions
- Accomplishes Maximum Work
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Suggested Team Activities in Each of the Four Stages of Development
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FORMING
- Provide opportunities to make contact, bond, and get to know each other
- Clearly define and discuss expectations and boundaries, including personal needs
- Clarify roles and responsibility within the teams and cross teams
- Acknowledge and empathize with members feelings of confusion, ambivalence and even annoyance
- Communicate team members personal needs
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STORMING
- Discuss team performance compared to goals and objectives set
- Focusing on managing the workplan, milestone and resource needs
- Focus on team process issues, and clarify decision-making roles and responsibilities
- Discuss what has been learned
- Plan for celebrations of team success
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NORMING
- Conduct regular check-ins to ensure sharing of information and resources, feedback, and evaluation
- Check problem solving and decision making processes to ensure effectiveness
- Clarify key cross group dependencies and encourage more contact cross group
- Plan for celebrations of team success
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PERFORMING
- Experiment with and develop new methods for meeting team goals
- Consider implications of the work from a change management perspective
- Think about how to transfer knowledge created by the team
- Consider implications of work for the broader business
- Identify and decide how to address cross team gaps
- Cross train within the team for development and expertise sharing
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BEV BENWICK
Leadership and the Stages of Team Development
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