Bruce Tuckeman’s stage of group development is an explanation of behavioral patterns people on a team go through as they learn to work together. There are several variations on the model, but most commonly the stage are defined as:



• Forming - People are trying to figure out their roles and purpose in the group.
• Storming - Conflict may arise as members of the team learn how each other work, hierarchy forms and individual differences emerge.
• Norming - The team establishes behavior, role, and value standards.
• Performing - The team performing at its highlights potential.
• Adjourning - The team’s time together comes to an end.

In Magic in the Room #70: Stages of Team Development, Hannah, Luke, and Ben discussed specific strategies for helping teams stay effective when the group’s makeup and tasks are constantly changing. The changes we are seeing now in the way people work mean that teams are not necessarily stable. They change members and tasks often. During times of change leaders must be particularly aware of the stage their team is in, and what their team needs to perform at a high level. 

Here is one simple thing you can do for each stage of team development to ensure high performance.

Forming - Be clear about the ground rules. Make sure everyone on the team knows what is ok and what is not. Many leaders fail at this stage because they don’t give enough direction. Leaders may desire to empower their team, or they fear micromanaging, but rather than giving good guidelines the leader is absent or silent when direction is needed.

Storming - Leaders need to be comfortable with healthy conflict. Leaders must recognize that conflict is needed for high performance and may even uncover conflict that exists but no one has acknowledged. However, leaders must be aware that relational conflict is not healthy. Conflict must focus on the task and how to accomplish it, but it cannot be about people's worth or character. Leaders must be comfortable with healthy conflict while building trust to minimize relational conflict. 

Norming - Don’t get stuck in the norming stage. Leaders must constantly adjust the level of work so that performance stays high. On one hand, leaders can risk pushing a team too hard too fast and creating anxiety.  On the other hand, not challenging the team enough can cause people to become bored and disengaged. You must be constantly aware of the team's current state and adjust tasks and work level as needed. 

Performing - Celebrate! Leaders must celebrate what is going well, capture best practices and replicate them. Keep people engaged by giving meaningful recognition and feedback.

Adjourning - As a team disbands or changes membership, be sure and give people time to process the experience, celebrate what was accomplished, and learn new best practices for their next team. Conducting a retrospective or debrief is critical to ending well. 

Leaders who are aware of these stages can respond effectively no matter what the team's situation is. Spend some time reflecting on the teams you lead. What stage are they in? How do you need to adjust your approach based on that stage? 

For an in depth discussion of these stages listen to Magic in the Room #70: Stages of Team Development on your favorite podcast player, or below.