Building a Team

Working well together in a group is a process. Whether it's a club, a sports team, or an employee work group, the typical evolution of a team includes:

Forming
When a team is forming, members cautiously explore the boundaries of acceptable group behavior. This is a stage of transition from individual to member status, and of testing the leader's guidance both formally and informally.

Storming
Storming is probably the most difficult stage for the team. They begin to realize the task is different and more difficult than they imagined, becoming testy, blameful, or overzealous.

Impatient about the lack of progress, and perhaps new to group consensus, members argue about just what actions the team should take. They try to rely solely on their personal experience, resisting any need for collaborating with other team members.

Norming
During this stage, members reconcile competing loyalties and responsibilities. They accept the team, team ground rules (or "norms"), their roles in the team, and the individuality of fellow members. Emotional conflict is reduced as previously competitive relationships become more cooperative.

Performing
As team members become more comfortable with each other, and better understand the project and what is expected of them, they become a more effective unit with everyone working together.

By this stage, the team has settled its relationships and expectations. They can begin performing: diagnosing and solving problems, and choosing and implementing changes. Team members have discovered and accepted each other's strengths and weaknesses, and learned what their roles are.