Stages of Team Building

Stages of Team Building — Forming, Storming, Norming, Performing

Normal and Inevitable

Stages Normal + Inevitable

The typical stages or team dynamics that groups or teams experience are normal and often inevitable.

Four Stages

4 Stages of Team Building

The four stages most often experienced by teams:

Forming
Storming
Norming
Performing

Forming

Forming Definition

Forming is the initial period of uncertainty in which individuals try to determine their place on a team and establish or accept the procedures and rules of the team.

Cautious Exploration

When a team is forming, members cautiously explore the boundaries of acceptable group behavior in various ways.

Transition + Leader Test

The forming stage is when:

The transition from individual to member status occurs
A leader's guidance may be tested, both formally and informally

Storming

Storming Definition

During the storming stage, conflicts begin to arise as members tend to:

Resist the influence of the team
Rebel against accomplishing the task

Most Difficult Stage

Storming = Most Difficult

Storming is probably the MOST difficult stage when some team members begin to realize the task is different and more difficult than they initially expected.

Member Behavior

Storming Member Behavior

Impatient about the lack of progress, but still too inexperienced to know much about decision-making or the scientific approach, members:

Argue about just what actions the team should take
May try to rely solely on their personal experience, thus avoiding the need for collaboration

Beginning Understanding

Regardless of tensions, during the storming stage, team members are beginning to understand one another.

Norming

Norming Definition

During the norming stage, team members:

Establish cohesiveness and commitment
Discover new ways of working together
Set norms for appropriate behavior

What Members Reconcile

Norming Reconciliation

During the norming stage, members:

Reconcile competing loyalties and responsibilities
Begin to accept the team, team ground rules (norms), and their roles in the team
Accept the individuality of fellow members

Reduced Emotional Conflict

Reduced Conflict

Emotional conflict is reduced as competitive relationships become more cooperative.

Focus Shift

Focus on Objective

As the team begins to work out their differences, they focus more time and energy on the team objective.

Performing

Performing Definition

In the performing stage, the team develops proficiency in achieving its goals and becomes more flexible in its patterns of working together.

What Performing Stage Achieves

Performing Achievements

By the performing stage, the team has settled its relationships and expectations and can begin:

Diagnosing and solving problems
Choosing and implementing changes

Mutual Acceptance

Team members have discovered and accepted each other's strengths and weaknesses and learned and embraced their roles.

Effective Cohesive Productive

In the performing stage, the team can be considered to be an effective, cohesive, and productive unit.