Don’t you just wish putting together a high-performing team was as simple as getting the best individuals together and then watching as magic takes place? Unfortunately, that sort of thing only happens in the movies.
Or does it?
When you really think about it, people not getting along at first, but ending up being best friends or partners is one of the oldest Holywood tropes. Whether it’s buddy comedies like “Lethal Weapon” or superhero extravaganzas like “The Avengers”, the message is the same: you cannot switch on teamwork.
It has to happen naturally. However, there are some things you can do to help your agency team’s development, and you need to turn to the work of Bruce Tuckman, an American psychological researcher who studies the theory of group dynamics.
More specifically, we are talking about Tuckman’s stages of group development and how you can apply it to develop your team.
What Is Team Development: The Tuckman Model
According to statistics, 75% of employers think teamwork and collaboration are very important.
However, team development requires time because getting a group of people together doesn’t mean they will click right away. You will need to assign roles and responsibilities for each team member and perhaps even provide some training and education.
Back in 1965, psychologist Bruce Tuckman identified four stages each team goes through during its development in his essay “Developmental Sequence in Small Groups”.
Those four stages were: Forming, Storming, Norming, and Performing.
This was also known as Tuckman’s FSNP model. In 1977, Tuckman and doctoral student Mary Ann Jensen added a fifth stage, Adjourning. The model then became Tuckman’s FSNPA model.
Tuckman’s approach to team development is used to understand and establish group dynamics, as it helps team leaders realize how relationships at work evolve over time. Once you know what it takes to make your team effective, you can build the right foundations for team collaboration and productivity right from the get-go.
Why is Team Development Important?
Apart from fostering collaboration and making your team more effective, Tuckman’s model has many other benefits. By being able to recognize which phase your team is currently in, you can react appropriately and give them support and guidance.
Here are some advantages that proper team development brings to the table:
- Boosts productivity: When your team members are aware of their strengths and weaknesses, they can begin to rely on each other and work together. And that's when they start to fire on all cylinders.
- Improves collaboration and team morale: Team development helps your team members feel appreciated and supported, which makes them more likely to stay at your company. And they won’t just stay but also be more engaged and committed to your team’s and agency's success.
- Enhances communication: Being aware of the team development stage your team is at, you can establish better communication and provide them with exactly what they need. For example, during the early stages, your team members need more structure and direction from you, while those in later stages need more freedom and trust.
Five Stages of Team Development Explained
In this section, we will take a deeper look at all five stages of team development and what you need to do during each one to set your team up for success.
Stage 1: Forming
At this stage, your team members have gotten together for the first time. There is considerable excitement but also some anxiety because everybody is stepping into something new, and they are not sure how they’re going to fit in or what their role is going to be.
During the forming stage, it would be best if you focus on activities that enable group members to gel, as well as defining and assigning their responsibilities within the team.
This is also the ideal time to talk about your team’s mission and establish team norms and expectations.
What to Do During the Forming Stage
The first few times your team gets together, make an effort to do the following:
- Organize an introduction: During the first few meetings, your team shouldn’t delve into actual tasks since they have different skills and personalities. Instead, select a few icebreaker games they could participate in to start developing chemistry and trust among them.
- Set goals: Get everybody aligned with team goals right from the very beginning, with every team member learning what they need to do and why. Break down the vision into concrete steps your team will need to go through.
- Assign roles: Explain to each team member what their role is in the hierarchy and communicate clear expectations about how they should contribute to the team.
- Establish dialog: By this, we mean not just the dialog among your team members, but between you and everyone on the team. Be a leader who listens to what the team has to say, and addresses their concerns and questions.
Stage 2: Storming
There is a reason why the second is called the “storming” stage. This is where the “fun” begins. So far, everyone has been all smiles and things have been going smoothly. However, conflicts start to pop up here and there, until the noise is impossible to ignore.
You will witness differences in values, ways of working, and opinions, as team members try and find where they belong in the group and push their ideas to the front. And, just like in high school, you will also see silos and cliques begin to form within your team.
Instead of panicking, you should view the storming stage as an opportunity to embrace conflict and mediate between group members.
What to Do During the Storming Stage
The storming stage is basically the ‘terrible twos” of team development, but this rocky phase can pass more quickly if you:
- Channel conflicts into opportunities: Viewing conflict as a natural part of team development is crucial, so make your team aware of that. Also, shift their focus from issues and disagreements toward finding a solution.
- Set boundaries: By setting certain limits on how team members treat each other, you lay down the foundation for their mutual respect. For instance, don’t let extroverted members dominate the conversation. Establish balance by allowing quieter team members to voice their ideas and opinions.
- Be an active listener: Instead of trying to fix things yourself and provide an answer, actively listen to your team and lead them to find a solution themselves.
- Be an objective mediator: Remain level-headed and avoid taking sides when resolving a conflict between team members. Consider strategies that lead to a healthy resolution of conflict.
Stage 3: Norming
If your team has reached this stage of its development, things are starting to look up. Everybody has slid comfortably into their role, conflicts are few and far between, and team members have learned how to work with each other and make the most of their skills.
In terms of productivity, the norming stage is the first one, where you will be able to see a noticeable increase in the productivity of your team. They may get stuck doing their tasks on occasion, but they will waste very little time arguing.
Your team members will also become more comfortable to share feedback at this point.
What to Do During the Norming Stage
As your team starts to become more productive, it’s important that you prepare for the performing stage that’s about to follow:
- Support team building: If there is an opportunity to organize team building activities, take it, because the norming stage is the perfect time to capitalize on developing relationships and trust among team members.
- Provide support for individual members: Even though there is good communication and support, some team members may still feel reserved or uncomfortable sharing their struggles. Make sure to let them know that they can always count on you for some individual advice.
- Exchange feedback with your team: Take note of the progress team members have made as a group and discuss the challenges so far, as well as potential solutions.
- Celebrate wins: Because your team is starting to get some real traction in terms of producing, it’s absolutely essential that you acknowledge their contributions and motivate them for the next team development stage.
Stage 4: Performing
As your team enters the performing stage of its development, there is almost no input required on your end. Everyone has learned each other's strengths and how to work as a group, and the entire team is working at maximum efficiency.
There is trust and cohesiveness in the team, and members are capable of handling both individual and group tasks with very few issues. In fact, challenges and obstacles have very little impact on the performance and dynamics of the team as a while at this point.
This is because your team has developed strategies for solving problems without jeopardizing the progress of the project.
What to Do During the Performing Stage
During the performing stage, your role will become that of a facilitator as your team becomes self-reliant. To aid the process, implement these steps:
- Champion shared leadership: Leadership does not come from a single individual. Instead, it is divided among team members. Each member of the team takes ownership of their responsibilities and does their work without supervision or oversight.
- Acknowledge everyone’s contributions: Some team members might not feel comfortable standing out, even though they are doing great work. Make sure to recognize them and that their work is noticed and appreciated.
- Promote work-life balance: While it’s tempting to reap the benefits of your team operating at its peak, make sure to protect your team members from burnout. Insisting on a good work-life balance is what will keep your team efficient in the long run.
- Offer coaching and support: There is trust, understanding, and respect between you and each member of the group. Take the opportunity to offer them help with challenges they may come across.
Stage 5: Adjourning
The fifth and final stage of team development is the adjourning stage. You and your team will have mixed feelings about this one. On one hand, everyone involved will feel a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction with the project being completed successfully.
On the other hand, the adjourning phase also includes the breakdown of the team and the assignment of team members to different teams and projects.
Seeing as there is not only a strong collaboration among group members but probably close personal relationships as well, this phase ends on a bittersweet note.
What to Do During the Adjourning Stage
In terms of actual activities during the adjourning stage, we recommend that you:
- Give closure: Recap your team’s accomplishments and the lessons learned in the process.
- Give guidance during the transition: Support your team members as they leave the group and move on to other projects by providing advice and resources.
- Wrap up tasks: Go over the project and see if any tasks need to be finished. Also, make sure that those that are finished are complete and provide notes and information for clients and stakeholders.
- Celebrate: Thank each member for their hard work, dedication, and the role they played in developing the team and completing the project.
How to Guide Your Team Through the Stages of Team Development
We’ve looked at the specific actions you will need to take to facilitate your team’s development. Here, we will take a look at a handful of general guidelines that will support the development process, regardless of the stage your team is at.
Choose the Right People for Your Team
You can do the icebreaking games, team-building activities, and trust-building exercises all day long, but if you don’t have the right people on your team to begin with, turning them into a cohesive unit is going to be a massive challenge.
We’re not just talking about their soft skills and character but also their professional background, work styles, and knowledge. Why? Because it’s important to put together a team that is diverse in those terms.
It may seem tempting and easy to develop a team where most members are similar, but the best solutions and ideas come from teams that can look at the problem from different angles.
Provide Your Team With the Right Tools and Resources
If you provide your team with the right tools, they will be able to give you their best, it’s as simple as that. Having the right software enables them to focus on doing actual work and not get bogged down sending emails back and forth, or filling out Excel sheets.
ActiveCollab makes team development easy through a large range of features that cover just about every aspect of productivity and collaboration and help your team through the first four stages.
With functionalities like time-tracking, labels, notes, and discussions, you and your team are always one click away from accessing a comprehensive view of what each individual is working on and what their progress is. There is also a chat feature that allows for smooth communication.
When you reach the adjourning stage, there is a powerful reporting feature that enables you to reflect on your journey toward team development and project success.
Embrace the Struggles
We’ve already covered the importance of acknowledging everyone's contribution to the team and celebrating the well-earned success. However, it is equally important to acknowledge the obstacles and challenges and to embrace them.
When your team comes across roadblocks, limitations, and problems, that’s usually when it comes up with its best ideas. In fact, a common trait of the best-performing teams is that there is an element of tension to it that is missing from your “average” groups.
Conclusion - Guide Your Team Through All Development Stages with ActiveCollab
Whether you are putting together a brand new team or running an existing one, we cannot overstate how important it is to understand all five stages of team development.
Why? Being able to identify which stage your team is at gives you the tools to provide your team with exactly what it needs, be it support, resources, accolades, or conflict resolution.
Ready to jumpstart your team’s development? ActiveCollab will help you get where you want to be, which is the performing stage, in no time.
Sign up for our 14-day free trial, or book a demo! Get in touch with our experts and see how ActiveCollab can help your team develop to its full potential!
