What is the group development framework?

The five stages of group development outline the main categories of how people create, resolve and overcome conflict. They were identified by psychological researcher Bruce Tuckman, who first published his team-building framework in the Psychological Bulletin journal in 1965.

Tuckman’s framework originally included four stages and was known as the forming–storming–norming–performing group model. However, he updated the framework in 1977 to add a fifth stage that represents how the ending phases of a project impact team members.

Why is team development important?

In the workplace, the stages of a team development framework are key elements of the onboarding process for new employees as they integrate with company culture. They can also impact departmental dynamics and project teams that develop in response to changing company initiatives. Managers can use this framework to anticipate challenges and create more effective management strategies.

Related: How to Manage Employees

The 5 stages of group development with examples

When starting out and during restructuring, teams naturally move through all stages of a team development process. Outlined below are each of those stages with examples of how they can manifest in the workplace:

1. Forming

The forming stage of group development occurs when a project begins or when a new team member is introduced into the workplace. In this stage, employees test the boundaries and dynamics of their new group while largely acting independently. They start to unify as a team by identifying opportunities, goals and issues and discussing possible ways of approaching their work. New team members can be optimistic and anxious about the outcome of the new venture.

Employers can facilitate the forming stage by planning introductions so that team members can get to know one another’s values, strengths and opportunities for growth. Structuring time for employees to learn about their team also makes it easier to assign tasks and organize project timelines logically and strategic way.

Example: The Greenbrier Public Library hires a new group of interns every year to help facilitate educational programs in the community. During an orientation day, library staff members explain onboarding procedures, meet supervisory staff and conduct icebreaker activities for the interns. Each intern has the opportunity to discuss their background in information science and education and express what they want to learn from the internship. This allows team members to start relating with one another and thinking about possible ideas for future collaboration.

In addition to social familiarization, the interns receive their first assignment and instructions on the library’s policies and expectations. Librarians and educators regularly check in with each intern and host weekly meetings where they can discuss their progress and ask questions.

2. Storming

After setting expectations and establishing goals, the team must test its new relationships during the storming stage. In this stage, team members are comfortable enough to start bringing up conflicts and disagreements, and they recognize where their personalities and working styles merge and clash. During storming, people are less concerned with making a good impression and fitting in and more concerned about accomplishing their goals and producing good work.

The storming stage of group development is the most challenging because it involves getting everyone to work together effectively. To progress past this phase, managers must have conflict resolution skills and recognize issues head-on. Some disagreements are normal, but they need to be managed to avoid impeding production and causing workplace hostility. The storming phase allows employees to learn how they can adjust their behaviors and expectations to create a mutually beneficial situation for everyone on their team.

Example: The Greenbrier Public Library interns are planning a weekly science story time event and spend a lot of time together in the library office. The outreach intern has become irritated that the teaching intern submits their lesson plans at the last second, which forces the outreach intern to have to rush to contact the teachers. These issues cause a period of tension and arguments until the team members are able to communicate and find the middle ground.

Related: Five Management Tips You Can Try Today

3. Norming

The norming phase is when patterns, habits and workplace rituals start to form within a team. Social norms in the workplace become the accepted behaviors and performance indicators that all members of the team agree to. The biggest defining factor in the norming phase is that each team member must have respect for one another and know the best strategy for approaching and overcoming disagreements.

As teams develop norms and level out their expectations, they clarify each person’s role on a team and their position on the team hierarchy. While they discover different kinds of challenges, some teams may move back and forth between the norming and storming phases.

Example: The outreach intern approaches the research intern, explaining that they have been struggling with not having enough time to do their work well. Together, they communicate and determine a new schedule that works for both of them. Each member of the team recognizes that their group dynamic and collective success can only be achieved when everyone adapts and compromises.

4. Performing

Once a team has established healthy and sustainable ways to carry out tasks as a group, it advances to the performing stage. In this stage, the team is efficient, organized and mature. The members appropriately direct workflow and are able to bring up potential issues, reliably resolve conflicts and embrace creative or unconventional ideas. During the performing stage, the team has high levels of commitment and dedication to both their individual roles and the overall purpose of their team.

Employers and business owners can generally be more hands-off during the performing phase because their team has a proven record of successful collaboration. Team members are confident and can quickly align their actions with the well-being of the team to help complete its mission. Encouraging team members during the performing phase and helping them celebrate their accomplishments and contributions can drive consistent success for the entire duration of a project.

Example: The library interns have become comfortable with the workflow and know exactly what they need to accomplish and when. They decide to work together on a new pilot program for senior citizens and are able to independently plan the project and present it to the manager for approval. When events go well, the interns feel a collective sense of pride; when their projects don’t go as planned, they are progress-oriented.

5. Adjourning

Once a project ends or a company restructures to dissolve a group working together, teams enter the adjourning stage, also known as the mourning stage. Employees have completed most of their objectives and are reorganizing their responsibilities to prepare for a new team or goal. When people know that their work is coming to an end, they can experience a change in productivity as a result of the impending change to their workflow.

Staying organized is especially important during this phase when each team member is finishing all outstanding projects and deliverables. Employees should complete evaluations to guide their professional development and take note of the lessons they have learned so they can apply them to future projects. This allows you to turn their expertise as a team into best practices for new teams to follow.

Example: At the end of the year, the library internship ends and each intern prepares a report on their experience. They present the highlights of their programming at an end-of-year meeting where they recognize the biggest lessons they learned and their most successful events. The intern manager creates a report on how this group of interns made an impact on their overall goals and what they want to encourage or change for the next group.

Strategies to improve team development

Regularly check in with your team to identify what phase of development it is in and when the members start to transition into the next phase. Use the stages of team development to inform your leadership style and cultivate the strongest team possible by following these tips:

• Revisit your mission. Remind your team why they were assigned to work together and encourage them to share common goals.
• Be consistent. Set ground rules and be consistent in enforcing them to guide a good standard of behavior.
• Prepare to mediate. Team members may not be able to resolve conflict on their own, so prepare to act as a facilitator during challenges.