238: Developing an Exceptional Work Team

This week, I’m talking about the stages of group development – what is necessary (and inevitable) for a team to grow, face up to challenges, tackle problems, find solutions, plan work, and deliver results. This work is based on the research of Bruce Tuckman from 1965, who hypothesized that, along with these factors, interpersonal relationships would create an effective group function.

The four stages Tuckman identified in his research are forming, storming, norming, and performing.

Forming

In this phase, the team meets and learns about the opportunities and challenges, and then agrees on goals and begins to tackle the tasks. Team members tend to behave quite independently. They may be motivated but are usually relatively uninformed of the issues and objectives of the team. Team members are usually on their best behavior, but very focused on themselves. Mature team members begin to model appropriate behavior even at this early phase.

The meeting environment also plays an important role. Members attempt to become oriented to the tasks as well as to one another. This is also the stage in which group members test boundaries, create ground rules, and define organizational standards. 

Discussion centers on defining the scope of the task, how to approach it, and similar concerns. To grow from this stage to the next, each member must relinquish the comfort of non-threatening topics and risk the possibility of conflict.

Storming

This is the second stage of team development, where the group starts to gain each other’s trust. This stage often starts when they voice their opinions; conflict may arise between team members as power and status are assigned. When group members start to work with each other they start to learn about individual working styles and what it is like to work with each other as a team; it also identifies the hierarchy of positions in the group.

At this stage there is often a positive and polite atmosphere, people are pleasant to each other, and they may have feelings of excitement, eagerness, and positivity. Others may have feelings of suspicion, fear, and anxiety. The leader of the team will then describe the tasks to the group, describe the different behaviors to the group, and how to deal and handle complaints.

In this stage "...participants form opinions about the character and integrity of the other participants and feel compelled to voice these opinions if they find someone shirking responsibility or attempting to dominate. Sometimes participants question the actions or decision of the leader as the process grows harder..."

Disagreements and personality clashes must be resolved before the team can progress out of this stage, and so some teams may never emerge from "storming" or re-enter that phase if new challenges or disputes arise. 

In Tuckman's 1965 paper, only 50% of the studies identified a stage of intragroup conflict, and some of the remaining studies jumped directly from stage 1 to stage 3. Some groups may avoid this phase altogether, but for those who do not, the duration, intensity, and destructiveness of the "storms" can be varied.

Tolerance of each team member and their differences must be emphasized in this phase; without tolerance and patience the team will fail. This phase can become destructive to the team and will lower motivation if allowed to get out of control.

Some teams will never develop past this stage; however, disagreements within the team can make members stronger, more versatile, and able to work more effectively together. Supervisors during this phase may be more accessible but tend to remain directive in their guidance of decision-making and professional behavior.

The team members will ideally resolve their differences and members will be able to participate with one another more comfortably. The ideal is that they will not feel that they are being judged and will therefore share their opinions and views. Normally tension, struggle, and sometimes arguments occur.

Norming

"Resolved disagreements and personality clashes result in greater intimacy, and a spirit of cooperation emerges." This happens when the team is aware of competition and they share a common goal. In this stage, all team members take responsibility and have the ambition to work for the success of the team's goals.

They start tolerating the whims of the other team members. They accept others as they are and make an effort to move on. The danger here is that members may be so focused on preventing conflict that they are reluctant to share controversial ideas.

Performing

"With group norms and roles established, group members focus on achieving common goals, often reaching an unexpectedly high level of success." By this time, they are motivated and knowledgeable. The team members are now competent, autonomous, and able to handle the decision-making process without supervision. Dissent is expected and allowed as long as it is channeled through means acceptable to the team.

Supervisors of the team during this phase are almost always participating. The team will make most of the necessary decisions.

Even the most high-performing teams will revert to earlier stages in certain circumstances. Many long-standing teams go through these cycles many times as they react to changing circumstances. For example, a change in leadership may cause the team to revert to storming as the new people challenge the existing norms and dynamics of the team.

In 1977, Tuckman added a fifth stage: adjourning.

Adjourning

This stage involves completing the task and breaking up the team (also sometimes referred to as mourning). Tuckman’s research concluded that an important step in the small group lifecycle was the ultimate separation at the end of this cycle.

As a leader of small groups, how can you facilitate this lifecycle?

In the forming phase, a leader should engage their coordinating behaviors, which include:

-Purposefully picking the team

-Facilitating goal identification

-Ensuring a shared mental model – a cohesive approach to thinking about the problem or task at hand

In the storming phase, a leader should engage their coaching behaviors, which include:

-Serving as a resource person for the team

-Developing mutual trust

-Calming the work environment

In the norming and performing phases, a leader should engage their empowering behaviors, which include:

-Getting feedback from team members

-Facilitating the transfer of leadership to the group

-Setting aside time for planning and engaging the team

In the adjourning phase, a leader should engage their supporting behaviors, which may include:

-Redefining roles

-Creating future leadership opportunities

You’re probably thinking that leaders in these various phases need to have a wide range of competencies – and you’re right. I wanted to take a few minutes to outline three leadership strategies to help with these groups:

Group diversity is everything…if you can manage it.

From a personality perspective, research has shown that, while homogeneous groups get along better with less conflict, heterogeneous groups achieve better results…IF they learn to work together.

Understanding personality type, and subsequently bringing together a diverse group in terms of the way they take in information, make decisions, structure themselves, and orient themselves to the outer world will ultimately help you get the best possible result.

Striking a balance between decisiveness and inclusivity.

Your team will run you over if you aren’t decisive enough…but if you are dictatorial, they will rebel like teenagers. Your challenge, then, is to find the ideal balance between getting input so all members feel heard and their opinions valued - AND making the necessary decisions that move the group forward.

Personality type plays a role here, as well – make sure your introverts are heard. Giving them the agenda ahead of time, with specific questions or issues you’ll be bringing up during the next meeting, will help get the best out of your quieter members.

If a lack of decisiveness is one of your weaknesses, establish a timeframe for decision-making. For example, set a timer in the meeting for discussion, then when the alarm goes off, DECIDE. Then move on to the next decision…no second-guessing or re-evaluating.

Continue to step back, gradually.

As the team becomes more cohesive, roles and responsibilities clearly defined, and forward progress accelerates, your leadership role will change. An important skill set is to know when to step back to more of a facilitation/support role.

Ego can sometimes get in the way here, so keep in mind that this isn’t about you. You have an amazing opportunity to develop emerging leaders, help group members develop skills, and watch synergy between people who perhaps didn’t even know one another a short time ago.

Here’s a bonus: Evaluate your leadership.

This is a growth opportunity for you as a leader, so it is important that you assess your leadership strengths at each phase. Where could you have handled situations better? Where were you too slow/too fast to address a problem? Internally, where did you find yourself resisting a change that would require a different set of skills from you?

Make sure you do this evaluation from a place of curiosity and personal development – not judgment and condemnation. Remember, there is a learning curve here for you, as well – even if you have led other groups, you haven’t led this group with this purpose before. Be kind to yourself!

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