TEAMWORK IN BUSINESS: A CRUCIAL SKILL

Writer: Jess Schultz

Forming

I think a lot of us expect for teamwork in business settings to be something that comes naturally to us when, in truth, it’s a skill that requires time and energy to develop.

Psychologist Bruce Tuckman coined a memorable phrase in a 1965 paper he published where he identified 4 stages of developing a high performance team He said the stages were “forming, storming, norming, and performing” (1) These four stages are a good example of the fact that effective teamwork requires cultivation and effort

True to its name, the forming stage is where team members begin to find their place in the project or group It’s normal for this stage to create feelings of anxiety or nervousness in team members as they strive to understand their role and the way that the team will function together

Storming

This is where the rubber hits the road This is where people’s personalities, styles of working, and personal boundaries begin to show up and, understandably, there is often some tension as team members clash. This is a totally normal and expected stage of developing a new team, so don’t give up!

Norming

The “norming” stage is where people begin to settle into their roles, lean on each other’s strengths, and help out where others might not be as experienced. This is where the groundwork you developed during “forming” and “storming” begins to pay off.

Performing

Your team has become acquainted, identified their preferences, settled all their differences, established roles, shown their strengths and accepted the areas they may not excel in, and they have begun to work together as, well, a team! This is where you will begin to see more rapid and significant progress, too

MOURNING (the late addition)

Tuckman later added a fifth stage, “mourning” or “adjourning” This typically comes about naturally as a project ends, but for some people it can be a difficult transition

For me, these stages are encouraging Sometimes in the beginning of a project or new working relationship it can feel disheartening if you don’t “click” right off the bat These stages give me hope that this difficulty to integrate is very natural and actually to be expected, and it’s something that you can work to improve So take heart and keep at it, teams!

Resources: (1) Tuckman, B.W. (1965). 'Developmental Sequence in Small Groups,' Psychological Bulletin, 63(6).