Stages of Team Development and Creating High-Performance Teams
Knowing the stages of team development is imperative for project managers when they want to work on shaping team dynamics and the successful outcome of the project. Let’s look at these stages and then suggest possible strategies for fostering close, high-performing teams with real examples.
Stages of Team Development
1.Forming:
This is the stage wherein a team has started collaborating: It is composed of members who have now come to know each other, established initial connections, and already understood their goals for the project. Their level of politeness is usually high at this stage. Team members are polite but may lack clarity regarding their roles.
Example:
A newly formed software development team meets for the first time. Each introduces themselves and communicates some early ideas, but there is little collaboration because roles and responsibilities are not yet defined.
2. Storming:
In this stage, team members begin to express their ideas and opinions; they usually get into disagreement. The conflict might occur when one tries to gain influence over others or when individuals try to thrust their method of execution.
Example:
During the execution of the project, the software development team had arguments about the programming language to be used. Debates on choosing among various options lead to intense exchanges among members trying to champion their choices.
3. Norming:
The teams in the norming stage resolve their conflicts and create norms for themselves in order to work towards being one. Cooperation improves, and each member aligns the shared goals toward collective unity.
Example:
After resolving the conflict, the team members agreed on a programming language and established common coding standards, after which they collaborated in forming guidelines for everyone.
4. Performing:
The team is now at the stage where it operates coherently and efficiently in pursuit of its goals. Roles are made clear by members being able to use their skills fully to achieve project objectives.
Example:
The software development team now collaborates and shares together about their continuous code reviews along with achieving milestones at the right time.
5. Adjourning (or Mourning):
The team now bids farewell to one another after having concluded the project. Each member takes some time to reminisce on the success brought by this group and may also process the notion of loss, now that they are headed into different assignments.
Example: “The last meeting held after the successful completion of a software project would be for the person, the team, to bask in achievements and say goodbye.”
Strategies for Constructing Cohesive and High-Performance Teams:
1. Given clear roles and responsibilities:
Let each of the different roles that each team member can play be known from the beginning on their responsibilities to have accountability from the start.
Example:
There are various roles within a construction project assigned by the project manager, such as site managers, architects, and quality control super, that have detailed responsibilities for every person.
2. Model Open Communication:
Encourage a true free-flowing communication environment, which entails the kind of environment the team members will feel valued and comfortable sharing their ideas and concerns.
Example:
A marketing team often meets to place and strategize ideas on a collaborative effort for all members in giving raw and all-in assessments of their contributions.
3. Promote Conflict Resolution:
Equip teams with the skills they need to constructively handle conflicts that arise and intervene immediately so they can mediate disagreements.
Example:
When two design team members argue over creative direction, the project manager arranges a discussion to come up with a compromise that is appropriate for the project’s objectives.
4. Team Building Happening:
These activities put the team together in workshops and simulations aimed at trust and collaboration building.
Example: A project manager organizes a retreat with trust-building exercises and problem-solving challenges so that team members can improve their teamwork skills.
5. Recognition and reward for contributions:
Celebration of successes and an attempt to raise morale and motivation levels in the team.
Example: The project leader after reaching a major milestone in the project early, praises the team for this achievement and also rewards them with a bonus.
6. Act on feedback and continuous improvement:
Foster a culture of feedback and reflection through which one learns to improve processes and enhance performance.
Example: the project team conducts retrospectives at each phase, determining areas needing improvement to provide incremental changes aimed at optimizing workflow.
Final Words
Understanding the different stages of team development empowers the project manager to define the applicable strategies, which would encompass all the definitional processes aimed at binding the teams cohesively and exerting performance in them. All these combined would contribute toward improved collaborative activities, smoother flowing activities, as well as finally effective realization of project goals.
