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A team passes through stages as it evolves. Productivity and satisfaction of the team changes with this evolution. As members join and leave the team, stages can be revisited.
The stages are:
Forming |
Creation of the team. Getting to know each other. Feeling enthused and excited at future prospects. Establishing team boundaries. Establishing personal behaviour within context of the team. |
Storming |
Sorting out roles, power and methods of working. Questioning the task at hand as challenges become exposed and weaknesses are identified. Individuals find their place and purpose. The team's purpose starts to unfold. Disagreement occurs. Boundaries and rules of the team are tested. Teams stuck in this stage will ultimately fail. |
Norming |
Reconcile differences. Accept team rules as a norm. Agreeing on a common purpose, working towards it. Complementing skills throughout the team members are recognised. |
Performing |
Support within the team working with individual strengths and weaknesses so the team works as strongly as possible. Individual members work well and interdependently, team outcomes are apparent. |
Additions to the model that I've come across:
De-forming |
Disbanding the team. Lessons learned. Celebrations. |
Re-forming |
If a team is brought back together for some reason after disbanding a shortened forming stage (re-forming) can also take place. |
If a team reorganises and has new members join it may re-form or form (depending on the extent of the changes).
After forming or re-forming the cycle of stages starts again which a second storming stage.
Ken Blanchard has written an excellent little book about them called "The one minute manager builds high performing teams". There is a paperback version and a revised edition in hardback [Publisher: William Morrow; Rev edition (January 1, 2000) ISBN: 0688172156] (see contents page on amazon).
There are many interpretations of this work available on the internet.
