Tuckman's 5 Stages of Group Development

Stage 1: Forming

In the Forming stage, personal relations are characterized by dependence. Group members rely on safe, patterned behavior and look to the group leader for guidance and direction. Group members have a desire for acceptance by the group and a need to be know that the group is safe.  They set about gathering impressions and data about the similarities and differences among them and forming preferences for future subgrouping. Rules of behavior seem to be to keep things simple and to avoid controversy. Serious topics and feelings are avoided.

The major task functions also concern orientation. Members attempt to become oriented to the tasks as well as to one another. Discussion centers around 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.

Stage 2: Storming

The next stage, which Tuckman calls Storming, is characterized by competition and conflict in the personal-relations dimension an organization in the task-functions dimension. As the group members attempt to organize for the task, conflict inevitably results in their personal relations. Individuals have to bend and mold their feelings, ideas, attitudes, and beliefs to suit the group organization. Because of "fear of exposure" or "fear of failure," there will be an increased desire for structural clarification and commitment. Although conflicts may or may not surface as group issues, they do exist. Questions will arise about who is going to be responsible for what, what the rules are, what the reward system is, and what criteria for evaluation are. These reflect conflicts over leadership, structure, power, and authority. There may be wide swings in members’ behavior based on emerging issues of competition and hostilities. Because of the discomfort generated during this stage, some members may remain completely silent while others attempt to dominate.

In order to progress to the next stage, group members must move from a "testing and proving" mentality to a problem-solving mentality. The most important trait in helping groups to move on to the next stage seems to be the ability to listen.

Stage 3: Norming

In Tuckman’s Norming stage, interpersonal relations are characterized by cohesion. Group members are engaged in active acknowledgment of all members’ contributions, community building and maintenance, and solving of group issues. Members are willing to change their preconceived ideas or opinions on the basis of facts presented by other members, and they actively ask questions of one another. Leadership is shared, and cliques dissolve. When members begin to know-and identify with-one another, the level of trust in their personal relations contributes to the development of group cohesion. It is during this stage of development (assuming the group gets this far) that people begin to experience a sense of group belonging and a feeling of relief as a result of resolving interpersonal conflicts.

The major task function of stage three is the data flow between group members: They share feelings and ideas, solicit and give feedback to one another, and explore actions related to the task. Creativity is high. If this stage of data flow and cohesion is attained by the group members, their interactions are characterized by openness and sharing of information on both a personal and task level. They feel good about being part of an effective group.

The major drawback of the norming stage is that members may begin to fear the inevitable future breakup of the group; they may resist change of any sort.

Stage 4: Performing

The Performing stage is not reached by all groups. If group members are able to evolve to stage four, their capacity, range, and depth of personal relations expand to true interdependence. In this stage, people can work independently, in subgroups, or as a total unit with equal facility. Their roles and authorities dynamically adjust to the changing needs of the group and individuals. Stage four is marked by interdependence in personal relations and problem solving in the realm of task functions. By now, the group should be most productive. Individual members have become self-assuring, and the need for group approval is past. Members are both highly task oriented and highly people oriented. There is unity: group identity is complete, group morale is high, and group loyalty is intense. The task function becomes genuine problem solving, leading toward optimal solutions and optimum group development. There is support for experimentation in solving problems and an emphasis on achievement. The overall goal is productivity through problem solving and work.

Stage 5: Adjourning

Tuckman’s final stage, Adjourning, involves the termination of task behaviors and disengagement from relationships. A planned conclusion usually includes recognition for participation and achievement and an opportunity for members to say personal goodbyes. Concluding a group can create some apprehension - in effect, a minor crisis. The termination of the group is a regressive movement from giving up control to giving up inclusion in the group. The most effective interventions in this stage are those that facilitate task termination and the disengagement process.

 

Adapted from:

Tuckman, B. (1965) Developmental Sequence in Small Groups. Psychological Bulletin, 63, 384-399.

Tuckman, B. & Jensen, M. (1977) Stages of Small Group Development. Group and Organizational Studies, 2, 419-427.

Expansion of

Tuckman's 4 Stages of Group Development

One way to view the growth of a high performance team is to focus on its stages of development.  By becoming familiar with the stages, a team can prepare for growth and handle problems that arise.  To better understand how the stages work, think of them as the parts of a rafting adventure.

Stage 1:  Getting Started (Forming)

Launching a raft marks the beginning of an adventure.  The rafters (that is, the team members) may not know each other well.  They want to get started, yet at the same time they’re anxious and apprehensive.  They ask themselves, “What are we supposed to accomplish?” “Will this work?” “Who’s in charge”” “What am I supposed to do?”

Stage 2:  Going in Circles (Storming)

After casting off, the rafters find that they’re not working together.  They don’t paddle in unison.  Some may not be paddling at all, while others may fall out of the raft – or wish that they would.  There’s trial-and-error and wasted effort.  For some, it may seem as if they’re going backwards.

Stage 3:  Getting on Course (Norming)

As the rafters get used to their team purpose, goals and team procedures, they find that they now are able to work together better.  They’re paddling together and, in doing so, making real progress toward reaching their high performance goals.

Stage 4: Full Speed Ahead (Performing)

Now the rafters are paddling in unison; they’re working together to avoid rocks and to reach their destination.  The rafters are excited about the team not only because they know they will reach their goal, but because they now feel skilled and competent.

All teams experience these stages in their development.  Every team should aim for the fourth stage, a fully developed, high performing team.  Moving through the stages, however, is not a simple, step-by-step process.  It depends on the complexity of the work and information to be shared, the challenges of coordination and communication and the interpersonal and team leader and member skills.  Also teams may move back and forth between the stages.  That movement can be caused by internal forces (when someone moves to another team and has to be replaced) or external forces (change of goals or measures, lack of resources or time to train members).

 

Six Challenges

of Team Work 

Stage 1

Stage 2

Stage 3

Stage 4

PURPOSE:

Gives a team direction, an identity, and focus.  It means having goals and priorities.  With purpose, a team can concentrate on what’s important and direct its time and resources toward specific goals

·     Has expectations that must be spelled out

·     Lets goals come from out­side the team and focuses on production

·     Has difficulty understand­ing its goals and priorities and the advantages of working as a team

·     Accepts goals without questioning

·     Questions the wisdom of imposed goals

·     Discusses its goals to make sure all members understand them

·     May complain that the goal is more difficult than they originally thought

·     Questions ideas or tasks that don’t seem to contribute to its goals

·     Uses feedback on performance to see how well goals are being met

·     Rarely is confused about its goals or how they fit with the individual member’s goals or with the organization’s goals

·     Is focused and accomplishes specific tasks that relate to team goals

·     Has specific short- and long-term goals

·     Revises its goals based on changes in the organization and with customers and suppliers

·     Sets goals that will give it new responsibilities

COMMUNICATION

Is more than just talk­ing.  It is the open, two way exchange of ideas and feelings in a way that respects others.

·     Jump from topic to topic during meetings

·     Have mostly one- or two-way conversations from the leader to member and back in the form of questions

·     Keep thoughts to themselves

·    Do more talking than listening

·    Resort to blaming and complaining rather than discuss­ing solutions

·    Focuses more on selling their individual ideas than on reaching consensus

·    Discuss concerns and information among themselves between meetings

 

·     Begin to communi­cate by offering sug­gestions and sharing concerns

·     Avoid blaming or criti­cizing

·     Use written communi­cation to convey standards, plans, and proposals

·     Focus on making decisions

·     Ask each other for feedback about ideas

·     Give progress reports to other levels of the organi­zation

·     Have a good relationship with internal and external customers and suppliers

·     Are responsive to con­cerns, questions, and ideas of other members

COMMITMENT

Means members are willing to give 100 per­cent.  Team members help each other.  A team is committed when I feels it “owns” its situation, solution, or system

·     Often doesn’t carry through on responsibilities between team meetings

·     Has a wait-and-see attitude

·     Has difficulty completing work assignments it sets for itself

·     Has members who don’t feel bad if they miss meetings or don’t contribute

·    May not complete work assignments successfully

·    Feels impatient with its progress

·    Feels unsure about its ability to meet goals

·    Has members who resist working together

·     Meets deadlines

·     Readily and openly confronts problems with work quantity or quality

·     Has members who recognize they can help others

·     Remains positive when things don’t go well

·     Seeks out and accepts new assignments even when that work stretches its responsibilities

·     Speaks favorably of its members in front of others

·     Tries to find solutions when there are problems with its level of perform­ance

TRUST:

Is the knowledge that you can rely on your fellow team members when you need them.  It’s also your believe that your teammates will live up to the promises they make.

·     Reluctantly disclose how they feel about team membership and tasks

·     Don’t confront disagreements openly

·     Act as if no one else on the team can do their task but them

·     Are reluctant to question each other

·     Develop subgroups with others who have similar ideas and concerns

·     Disclose personal feelings but may not use appropriate interpersonal skills consistently

·     Worry about making mistakes

·     Aren’t certain they can rely on each other

·     Feel confident that other members will represent their ideas accurately when absent

·     Freely propose unusual or uncon­ventional ideas

·     Have not need for external controls to ensure attendance or timeliness of work

·     Live up to their agreements

·     Incorporate new mem­bers easily into the team’s operations

·     Request feedback from the organization on their performance

·     Are able to keep sensi­tive issues confidential

·     Can comfortably and hon­estly talk about any team-related perform­ance problems

PROCESS

Is the established methods, systems, and procedures a team uses to accom­plish its work.  It can be a series of actions, steps, or operations that help a team reach a goal or complete a project.  Or, it can refer to the methods used to identify a problem, develop a solution, analyze data, or reach agreement

 

·     Has not apparent procedures for allocating responsibilities and making decisions

·     Doesn’t successfully identify the causes of problems before acting on them

·     Doesn’t use data to make deci­sions

·     Neglects to ensure that follow-up procedures are used to check the progress of assign­ments

·    Identifies the information it needs to make decisions

·    Begins to consider causes of problems before acting on them

·    Considers how to best allocate its time

·    Discusses plans for completing tasks and achieving goals

 

·     Uses data and an agreed-upon process to make decisions

·     Ensures that follow-up dates are used to check the progress of team tasks

·     Uses a systematic approach for getting work done and for communicating needed information

·     Uses data to anticipate demands

·     Uses data to find ways it can meet customer requirements

·     Develops and uses proc­esses to select new team members and to appraise team member perform­ance

INVOLVEMENT

Means all team mem­bers participate.  Involvement gives the team the opportunity to benefit from the individual talents, experiences, and skills of its members.  It means including all members in decisions and activities

 

·     Has members who are unfamiliar with each other’s tasks or jobs

·     Isn’t concerned about uneven participating in meetings and activities

·     Begins to identify, but not use, each member’s unique skills and abilities

·     Relies mostly on the team leader for performance

·    Begins to notice uneven participation by team members

·    Has members who are confused about how their roles fit in with other team members’ roles

·    Doesn’t make the best use of mem­bers’ differences, even if duties are evenly distributed

·    Has an informal leader emerge from its members

·     Has members who are familiar with each other’s tasks and duties

·     Has members who actively participate in team responsibilities

·     Sorts out responsibilities based on each member’s talents and skills

·     Starts to find ways to include all members in decisions and activities

·     Strives to improve each member’s performance by looking for additional training and feedback

·     Works to develop prod­ucts or service innova­tions with other depart­ments

·     Demands that it be involved in making deci­sions that affect it

 

High Performance Team Stages
Developmental Self-Assessment

Consider the your team.  Based on your opinion, indicate the current developmental stage for each of the six challenges and overall.  Below the table, provide a sentence or two explaining each of your seven responses.  Bring your written responses to the next meeting as a basis for discussion..

Stage:

Stage 1

Stage 2

Stage 3

Stage 4

Challenge:

 

 

 

 

Purpose

1

2

3

4

Communication

1

2

3

4

Commitment

1

2

3

4

Trust

1

2

3

4

 Process

1

2

3

4

Involvement

1

2

3

4

Overall

1

2

3

4