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The first four stages of team growth were first developed by Bruce Wayne Tuckman and published in1965. His theory, called “Tuckman’s Stages” was based on research he conducted on team dynamics. He believed (as is a common belief today) that these stages are inevitable in order for a team to grow to the point where they are functioning effectively together and delivering high quality results. In1977, Tuckman, jointly with Mary Ann Jensen, added a fifth stage to the4 stages: “Adjourning.” The adjourning stage is when the team is completing the current project. They will be joining other teams and moving on to other work in the near future. For a high performing team, the end of a project brings on feelings of sadness as the team members have effectively become as one and now are going their separate ways.
Stages of Team Development Model
Forming: a group of people come together to accomplish a shared purpose.
Storming: Disagreement about mission, vision, and approaches combined with the fact that team members are getting to know each other can cause strained relationships and conflict.
Norming: The team has consciously or unconsciously formed working relationships that are enabling progress on the team’s objectives.
Performing: Relationships, team processes, and the team’s effectiveness in working on its objectives are synching to bring about a successfully functioning team.
Transforming: The team is performing so well that members believe it is the most successful team they have experienced; or
