Tuckman's Stages in New Ways to Speed Up Your Team's Trust

Appendix to: New Ways to Speed Up Your Team's Trust https://ameliafullpotential.blogspot.com/2019/05/new-ways-to-speed-up-your-teams-trust.html

According to Bruce Tuckman, a psychologist who studied the stages of team development in 1965, there are 5 phases a highly effective team goes through. These are:

1. Forming
2. Storming
3. Norming
4. Performing
5. Adjourning

Forming

This is the first stage, when everyone is introduced with their role and background. People tend to be excited, as it’s a new start, and very polite, as they are just getting to know one another.

At this point, the team discusses goals, timelines, ground rules, individual goals and members’ skills. Although it is not a productive stage, it is a very important one when it comes to establishing relationships between colleagues. Often, however, people tend to be overly nice when they meet and the team is only exposed to the positive attributes and strengths of members. What many don’t realise is that it is just as important to know the negative attributes and weaknesses as well, in order to prevent conflict and increase awareness and acceptance of each individual. This will set the ground for the next stage, where clashes may occur.

Storming

In the second stage, people have moved away from the initial excitement and politeness, as the work starts to get serious. In moments when tasks need to be completed and deadlines are approaching, conflicts arise especially between people who work using different approaches.

This phase can be tense and colleagues become impatient with one another. Some try to avoid discussions, but this will only lead to problems further down the line. However, if people have already had the chance to expose their weaknesses and to openly share them for their own and the team’s awareness, this phase serves to reinforce relationships in a positive and constructive way, rather than unsettling the balance. When potential sources of tensions have been acknowledged, the team can move to the next stage.

Norming

Everyone is working in flow and collaboration, dealing with tensions as they occur. Productivity is good, but it hasn’t yet reached its peak.

Performing

The fourth stage, if reached, is the peak of productivity, where members work together confidently. They don’t require supervision or motivation, as the team working efficiently towards the end goal. Tension is minimal and constructive, people communicate effectively and openly, and they are comfortable with each other.

Adjourning

The fifth and last stage was added later in the model, in 1977. This is when the team disbands after the project, which is something that is happening more and more, as the work environment becomes more agile.