Forming the Team
The first stage involves assembling the team and defining the goals,
which should provide focus and be attainable. It is important that the
team leadership understands the strengths of each of the team members
in order to assemble a cohesive team. Often in the forming stage,
team members will be extremely polite to one another; they will be
feeling each other out.
An example of a goal that the team may set would be the project
schedule. For a construction team, for example, there are many stages
of the project that should be completed in a certain time frame to ensure
that the project is completed on time for the owner. The design
team designates the appropriate amount of time for the construction
phase in which the builder will make a profit. It is important to agree
upon and set this schedule from the beginning.
Storming Stage of Team Development
The second phase involves coordinating efforts and solving problems.
If the teamwork starts to slip because of a difficult problem, it
is necessary for the team members to get the project back on track.
Team members should be conscious of the team’s health and
whether the team is taking steps in the right direction to reach the
goals. It may be necessary to think creatively about approaches to
solving a problem.
Communication is extremely important to effective team performance
in the storming stage. Effective teams communicate clearly and
openly about problems. Ineffective communication can cause unnecessary
tension and stress to team members. It is important that communication
be relevant and responsive. Relevant communication is
task-oriented and focused. Responsive communication involves the
willingness of team members to gather information, to actively listen,
and to build on the ideas and views of other team members.
Establishing Team Norms
The project norms are an informal standard of conduct that guides the
behavior of team members. This stage involves defining team roles,
rights, and responsibilities. It is important to establish these norms at
the beginning of the team-building process in order to avoid problems
along the way. In addition to allocating responsibilities, it may also be
necessary to allocate the risk that is to be undertaken by each team
member. Each member of the team should have a sense of ownership
of the project.
Allocating responsibility also means establishing a team leader.
Team leadership should not be a top-down effort, but should be more
of a coaching role. The team leader must act as a cheerleader, encouraging
the team members to work together, providing ideas, and serving
as a role model.
There is often a period after the team has been formed when a
conflict of personalities or ideas will arise. Team members begin to
show their own styles; they are no longer worried about being polite.
At this stage, there will be pessimism on the part of team members in
relation to the project and there may also be confusion.
Team Performance Stage
By this stage, the team is working together effectively, problems have
been smoothed out, and achievements begin to become evident. A
great deal of work will be accomplished at this stage. The team will be
able to tackle new tasks easily and confidently. They will be comfortable
using creative means. It is essential at this point to evaluate and
report on progress that has been made.
Project Completion and Team Disbanding Stage
The last phase of the project is completion. Often at this time the team
will evaluate the results, debrief, and take time to learn and improve its
processes for use in future team-based projects.