Bruce Tuckman proposed the four stages of group development – forming, storming, norming, performing – in 1965 and added a fifth – adjourning – in 1977 (see these articles for good overviews of each stage MIT, WCUPA). Reviewing Tuckman’s five stages therefore is not new information for many people, however executive and management teams play such a large role in most organizations that reviewing their performance and needs on a regular basis is an essential activity for good leadership.
It’s important to note that teams can revert to any of the stages at any time, even if they have been together for a long time. Sometimes it’s a logical step back when new team members arrive, or the mandate changes significantly. In these cases, the team should be able to quickly work its way back to the Performing, or at least the Norming stage quite quickly. However, if other factors are at play there may not be a bounce back without intervention. It is therefore important to watch for the signs of reverting back so you can take definitive action to stop the decline.
Forming
If a team is not clear on their purpose, they can remain at this stage forever. Operational issues can also hold back teams from advancing. Surprisingly few teams take the time to agree on some form of the following at the outset of forming the team:
- Purpose
- Values & Ground Rules
- Communication Norms
- Roles & Responsibilities
- Success Metrics
- Signs of reverting back to Forming include: No real agenda or outcomes from meetings; low level of trust; continual misunderstandings; no commitment from members because their own teams, which have a clear purpose always come first; unable to focus on team goals; team members consistently look to the leader for guidance.
Storming
If team members don’t trust each other they won’t get past this stage
- Signs of reverting back to Storming include: low level of trust; constant bickering; unable to agree on or commit to a decision; meetings after the meeting; members are unhappy with the Team’s progress; interim goals are not met, so larger goals are not achieved.
Norming
This is a common place for underperforming teams to spend much of their time.
- Signs of being stuck in or reverting back to Norming include: focus on the social aspect; work on what is convenient; decisions made, but the difficult ones remain on the agenda; lack of constructive conflict; team members look to the leader for accountability; resources are guarded as much as they are shared.
Performing
This is where you want to be, but a high percentage of teams don’t make it here, or only perform here in fits and starts. The whole is greater than the sum of the parts when the Team is Performing.
- Signs of being in Performing mode include: shared leadership and accountability; steady flow of team results; easy flow of resources to address issues and opportunities; healthy conflicts lead to root cause discussions and discovering excellent solutions; members like to spend time with the Team; members lean on each other for support.
- There is Team Flow: It feels like the work flows easily as do the relationships between team members. Further insights on team flow can be found here: https://sage-summit.ca/5-powerful-conditions-leaders-can-influence-to-improve-team-performance/
Adjourning
Sometimes a team’s work is done, as in a completed project. But even ongoing teams sometimes need to be dismantled and a new one created. If your organization is growing quickly, or had to pivot dramatically to survive or to pursue a major opportunity, then the existing team may not be the right one.
- Signs that it’s time to Adjourn: If it feels like you regularly have the wrong people in the room to work on the issues at hand; the team just can’t get past the Norming stage; if the majority of team members have joined in the last few months, maybe just call it a new team and start at Forming once again.
If you step back and really observe your team for both performance and behavior, you will know when to step in to keep them moving forward. High performing teams are hard work, but well worth the effort.
Sources: https://hr.mit.edu/learning-topics/teams/articles/stages-development
https://www.wcupa.edu/coral/tuckmanStagesGroupDelvelopment.aspx
