Seasons of Change

My last journal club post inspired this blog post on Tuckman’s model of group development. For anyone interested in a quick summary, the 4 stages of group development include: Forming, Storming, Norming, Performing, and the latest version (Tuckman and Jensen’s) includes a 5th stage, called Adjourning.

So what does it all mean?

Forming

The stage where the group is built and consists of general orientation, establishing boundaries, and building trust.

Characteristics of this stage:

• The team comes together to address the problem and propose solutions - limited task accomplishment

• Relationship building within the group

• Typically a positive time

• Focus on creating structure and defining the team

Storming

The stage where interpersonal issues are emphasized, emotional responses are common, and, as it’s often characterized by conflict, task work may suffer.

Characteristics of this stage:

• Focus may shift from task completion to frustration in areas where expectations from the Forming stage haven't been met

• A potential period of resistance within the group

• Requires attention to ensure the team doesn't fall apart - ex. building conflict management skills

• Dividing larger tasks/goals into smaller more achievable ones may improve the ability of the group to see successes

Norming

The stage where conflict and resistance are overcome, acceptance has been achieved, and team members are more comfortable expressing themselves and appreciating each others' perspectives.

Characteristics of this stage:

• Team buy-in is achieved

• The team begins to work cohesively, sharing ideas and working together on solving problems

• Increased feeling of acceptance from the team

• Constructive criticism is accepted and appreciated

• Typically see an increase in productivity

Performing

The stage where the team feels comfortable with the progress being made and confident in each other as teammates.

Characteristics of this stage:

• The group's needs are placed ahead of individual needs

• Shared goals among the group are at the center of decisions

• Significant progress towards goals is achieved

• Team commitment is high

Adjourning

The final stage where the group’s work concludes and the group either disbands or may be assigned to another project.

Characteristics of this stage:

• The team celebrates their wins – a time of recognition

• The team disbands - may be accompanied by feelings of loss or anxiety about what's next

• The team worked so well together they may be assigned to another project

Considerations

• It's important to note that if changes to the team are introduced at any point throughout the process, such as the addition of a new team member, it may lead to revisiting past stages. So depending on the factors that may impact your team and the frequency, these stages may become more fluid than linear.

• Now that you're aware of the stages, the next steps are to research tips and tricks for you and your team to utilize to capitalize on the positives of each stage and to reduce or prevent the negatives. Who knows? Maybe this will be the topic of a future blog post??? (Check back to find out!)

Points to Ponder

As I was researching the stages of team development, I couldn’t help but think about the Satir Process of Change Model. Superimposing visuals of both Tuckman’s team development and Satir’s change model, the productivity dips seem to overlap. Could I be on to something? At this point, I can’t find any free journal articles to confirm or refute my rudimentary hypothesis…but I’ll keep searching!

Let me know what you think! And if you find any articles around my hypothesis - send them my way!

Let's grow together!

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