The 4 Stages Of Team Growth & Human Factor

In the performing stage, you’ll notice fluidity with communication and overall conversations. This is demonstrated through high morale, productivity and engagement. It’s an ideal state for any manager to witness their team’s growth and ask reflective questions. This is because your team recognizes how they can trust you and each other in order to complete tasks, move towards their objectives and rely on each other for help.

They’ll look to you for guidance and support, and when you establish a trusting two-way conversation, you’ll pave the way towards their professional growth. What did you learn about yourself and one another so far? This gives them an opportunity to recognize their abilities as well as those of their https://globalcloudteam.com/ teammates. Employees rely on each other, collaborate effectively and there’s a more lighthearted feel to the group. This way, they’ll remain high-performing while re-establishing trusted connections. In this meeting, you take notes from each team member and apply these to your team principles.

Stage Two Of Team Development: Storming Stage

The forming stage is truly a honeymoon phase in teamwork—productivity is low, but the team members are too newly acquainted to encounter conflict. Sandra had initially taken a side role during these exchanges, hoping that the team would work it out for themselves. However, she understands from past experience managing many project teams that it is important for her to take control and guide the team through this difficult time. She made some decisions since the team couldn’t come to an agreement.

You’ll need a copywriter for your content, an analyst to track and interpret the data you collect, a designer for website and app updates, and possibly a product manager. Have an all-hands meeting to introduce all of these players, including remote team members , so everyone knows where to go for answers. Make sure you schedule the meeting at a time that’s as close to business hours as possible in each time zone. This is also a good time to clarify which times zones everyone works in so people don’t have to wait an entire day for an answer to important questions.

Stage Five Of Team Development: Adjourning Stage

As new tasks emerge, the team may start having conflicts or disagreements again. But because the team has experience dealing with conflicts before, all of you will be better at managing them this time. At the end of the project, set up an online meeting where team members come together to discuss the entire project, from the successes to the frustrations.

• This way, you can prepare for conversations that build trust while supporting your team and leading through each team development stage.
• Use a collaboration tool like Teamwork Spaces to organize and store your documentation.
• They’re working slowly, because they’re diverting a lot of energy to power struggles, and each member’s efforts aren’t always aligned with the direction the team needs to be moving in.
• The conclusion of a project can be very discouraging for a high-performing team.
• Though a team leader’s first instinct may be to play peacekeeper and sidestep an argument, navigating conflict resolution is an essential step in a team’s growth.
• Not only do the five stages rhyme well together, but each stage is also appropriately named and plays an important role in the development of a high-functioning team.

They are working effectively as a group – supporting each other and relying on the group as a whole to make decisions on the project. They can brainstorm effectively to solve problems and are highly motivated to reach the end goal as a group. The more junior members – Donna and Sarah – have really developed their skills with the support and help of the others. They have taken on leadership roles for some components of the project.

Allow Other Members The Opportunity To Facilitate Or Lead Discussions

Over the next few weeks, Sandra noticed that arguments/disagreements were at a minimum and when they did occur, they were worked out quickly without her involvement being necessary. Still, she monitored how things were going and held regular virtual meetings to ensure the team was moving in the right direction. On a monthly basis, Sandra brings the team together for a face-to-face meeting.

The skills of each member are fully optimized, supervision is almost never needed, and members feel a strong sense of trust in one another. As the real work kicks in, the project may present both technical and interpersonal challenges. Individual work habits, leadership decisions, or lapses in communication can cause tension within a team. Annoyance, frustration, and anxiety commonly arise in response. It is important to remember that every team – regardless of what the team is working on – will follow these stages of team development.

Alignment Get your people in the same mindset with OKR goals and 1-on-1 meetings. They are joined by the project sponsor and some other executives who are extremely pleased with the end result. Sandra checks in with the team – praising them for their hard work and progress.

This gives them insight into the bigger goal but also breaks down the timeline into smaller increments. Project scheduling is a critical and crucial part of project management and planning. It’s the yellow-brick-road that, when followed, will lead you to the gleaming project closure right on time. The performing stage is a clear indication that your team is in a state of alignment. They not only understand how to ask for help, but they’ve also developed a gauge for when it’s an opportune moment to speak up, and involve you. Not only are you proud of the team development they’ve exemplified, but you’re also proud of their individual capacity to stay in integrity with the quality of their work.

Stage 2: Storming

After all, their ability to overcome obstacles and achieve their goals is a reflection of a management job well done. Here’s the thing, the line between certain stages can get blurred since team members evolve at different times. As you learn about their progress, you ask them questions about their processes and notice how they collaboratively provide constructive answers. How they trust each other to remain accountable for their tasks without dropping the ball. In fact, momentum doesn’t only seem high, it feels favourable. After the storming stage, they recognize behavioural patterns, strengths and develop foresight for upcoming roadblocks.

Ben can then compile the findings and analysis into a presentation and present it to his boss. Sometimes a more qualified team member can facilitate a particular discussion better than you. So, you should give them the opportunity to lead those sessions. Most people don’t like rules, but they are here to help remove any uncertainty and improve the quality of work.

Stage One Of Team Development: Forming Stage

She is great at compiling and analyzing large data sets to uncover patterns and trends. Users will also receive a status update or overview of the projects your team is currently working on. If you can’t find something, you may take advantage of this software’s excellent search engine to find your files.

You book 1-on-1 meetings with team members to learn about each of their experiences. As you do this, you recognize clear and consistent points with each team member and the benefits of hosting a team retrospective. Your team will experience obstacles in the storming stage. While originally things had been going according to plan, roadblocks crop up during this stage. As a result, you’ll establish yourself as a leader of a team rooted in transparency and trust while you communicate clear expectations and team principles.

She has been honored by PMI® as one of the Power 50 and has served as Chair of PMI®s Global Corporate Council Leadership Team. She has presented at various conferences on topics ranging from general management and leadership topics to project management software. Gina received her MBA from Simmons Graduate School of Management. The adjourning or mourning stage of team development is where the group parts ways. The project has reached its natural end, and group members acknowledge that while the group has found success, it is time for the team to split and move on to new challenges.

Individual members of a team learn more about their personal potential, duties, and work dynamically within the team. Conversely, team development acquaints each member with the talents and roles of other members. This combination of internal and external reflection strengthens communication, productivity, and well-being within the team. Team development sets businesses up to thrive—not just survive. This article will guide you through the significance of team development, its stages, and action steps business professionals can take to orient their teams toward a development mindset. Your team needs to communicate clearly and, rely on one another rather than turn on each other.

However, those contents do not necessarily represent the policy of the U.S. Department of Education or the Center, and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government. Some resources on this site require Adobe Acrobat Reader. This website archive includes content and external links that were accurate and relevant as of September 30, 2019. You’ll find that team members are more tolerant of each others’ foibles and less likely to trample boundaries.

Remote teams A simple platform that tells you how remote teams really feel, and fosters action-oriented 1-on-1 conversations. During the Ending Stage, some team members may become less focussed on the team’s tasks and their productivity may drop. Alternatively, some team members may find focussing on the task at hand is an effective response to their sadness or sense of loss.

Strength And Honor: Essential Team Values Part

Team learning is often necessary to execute healthy team development and providing your team with the tools they need to thrive is good for them and your organization. These tools may include team development discussions, training, or workshops. This is the perfect team development stage to learn about how your team overcomes obstacles and bonds through shared experiences.

Every team should have a leader who is responsible for leading and guiding meetings. They are in charge of making sure everyone is motivated and working efficiently toward a common goal. Without rules, teams become disorganized team growth stages and susceptible to conflicts. Thus, establishing ground rules should be one of the first tasks for any team. During the conclusion of the project, you can discuss the whole project journey with your team members.

Sandra has worked on projects with Sarah and Mohammed, but has never worked with the others. Sandra has been given a very tight deadline to get this project completed. Team members “throw work over the wall” to other team members, with lack of concern for timelines or work quality.