The Team Development Curve Forming-Storming-Norming-Performing

The Team Development Curve

Forming-Storming-Norming-Performing

Forming-Birth

This phase is like giving birth.  The fact that six or seven people have gathered together does not guarantee effectiveness.  Teams, like individuals, need to grow up, move through development stages, from formation to maturity.  There are a number of practitioners and researchers who have proposed any number of clearly definable stages or phases of group life.  Teams don’t experience these states exactly as they are identified, but the general descriptions are helpful.  The stages are normal, to be grown through just as individuals from adolescence to adulthood.  As teams struggle through these growing pains and become more effective as a team, they’ll even find their personal lives richer, fuller and more satisfying.

During the early formative and dependent stages, it is not surprising that individuals are concerned about membership, belonging to the group, being included.  There is as strong need to be liked and accepted.  Conflict is usually avoided at all costs.  Personal needs and wants are characterized by the following:

       

• There is conformance to the established company line.
• Feelings are hidden and suppressed.
• There is little listening and caring for others.
• Personal inadequacies and weakness are kept hidden.
• Objectives and action plans are poorly done and communicated.
• Hidden agendas remain hidden.
• Cliques and alliances begin forming.
• Feedback and disclosure are at a minimum.
• There is a strong need for approval.
• Mistakes are often used as evidence.
• Real feelings are shared outside the meeting.

Storming-Control

Once team members get the lay of the land they begin to feel comfortable, they usually want to figure out who is in control and how much influence they will have on the team.  Look for the following characteristics:

• People do not work in a unified way.
• The cliques grow and wield influence.
• Conflict intensifies and is general resolved through voting.

• There are a lot of win/lose interactions.
• Infighting exists.
• Personal strengths and weaknesses become better known.
• Commitment is debated.
• Self-centeredness becomes evident.
• Team identity is low.
• Self-disclosure is still cautious.
• Close-mindedness is evident.
• People are defensive.
• Ground rules are ignored.

This is a critical time for teams and some may even self-destruct.  If there is order without freedom, team members will rebel against rigidity or formality.  If there is freedom with out order, the chaos will produce confusion and frustration.  Member freedom within an orderly process to which the team has agreed is the best result desired 

Norming-Effectiveness

To arrive at this point is a real struggle.  It provides the team with the vehicle for becoming an effective team.  It allows them to dig in and truly be productive with their time.  This stage is characterized by the following:

• There is an attitude of change.
• Real constructive cooperation begins.
• People are more open-minded.
• Better listening is evident.
• Cliques dissolve.
• Leadership becomes more shared.
• Previously dormant people contribute.
• There is a willingness to experiment to explore all sides of an issue.
• Conflict is viewed as needed.
• Methodological processes begin developing.
• Operating methods are reviewed.
• Problem solving skills are developed and utilized

Performing-Maturity

As the team continues to constructively explore and struggle developing orderly processes, methods, and task accomplishment becomes much quicker and easier.  The work team begins functioning as mature, interdependent members.  Leadership becomes less of an issue; anyone can take the lead role when appropriate.  The team will appear to be less structured because the discipline is internally understood and monitored by the members themselves.  This level of maturity can be recognized by the following:

• Close relationships.
• Resourceful and economical.
• High spirits and morale.
• Informality and respect.
• Happy and rewarding
• Encouragement of outside help.
• Mistakes still made, but eagerly examined.
• Cohesiveness.
• Common spirit.
• High goal attainment.
• Intense loyalty.
• Open relationships with other teams.
• Flexibility, adaptability.
• Individual needs recognized and met.
• Continual review and feedback.
• New members welcomed and included.

The mature team, like the mature individual, reflects on itself, and organizes its own continuous growth and development.

These stages are not tied to time.  Some groups never achieve maturity.  Some get so bogged down at stages that it is difficult to move on.  Even mature groups may have to re-form to work out some new issue or problem, or simply lose their willingness to work together.