In 1965, Bruce Tuckman proposed four stages of group development. After his research collaboration with Mary Ann Jensen, Tuckman and Jensen added a fifth stage. According to Tuckman and Jensen (2010), group leaders should be aware of the following stages in order to understand the common changes within the lifecycle of groups.
• Forming Stage - Members get to know each other, learn the tasks of the team and define group rules.
• Storming Stage - Members deal with tensions as they try to define the group tasks.
• Norming Stage - Members begin to work together as they strive to maintain a positive balance.
• Performing Stage - Members' relationships mature and they are now able to manage disagreements and complex tasks successfully. At this stage, the group is referred to as a well-functioning team.
• Adjourning Stage - Members complete the project and celebrate the accomplishment. (Tuckman and Jensen, 2010)
What skills would a manager need to be able lead a team from the forming stage, where team members are just getting to know each other, to the performing stage, where the team members operate as a well-functioning organised team? Within each stage, teams and their leaders will face different challenges and levels of effectiveness.
Consider the characteristics that a team would need to possess to reach the performing stage successfully.
In this Shared Activity, you will analyse the characteristics and processes of effective teams, as well as the issues related to team development and management.