All teams go through a change process when they are first formed, and when significant events occur such as a new member arriving, a key member leaving, a change of scope, increased pressure from outside, or a change in organizational climate.
Tuckman (1965) is one of the most widely quoted of researchers into the linear model of team development. His work is regularly used in team building within organizations. Most people will have heard of it as the ‘forming, storming, norming, performing’ model of team development. His basic premise is that any team will undergo distinct stages of development as it works or struggles towards effective team functioning. Although we will describe Tuckman’s model in some detail, we have selected a range of models to illustrate the team development process.
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Tuckman (1965) |
Forming Attempt at establishing primary purpose, structure, roles, leader, task and process relationships, and boundaries of the team |
Storming Arising and dealing of conflicts surrounding key questions from forming stage |
Norming Settling down of team dynamic and stepping into team norms and agreed ways of working |
Performing Team is now ready and enabled to focus primarily on its task while attending to individual and team maintenance needs |
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Schutz (1982) |
In or out Members decide whether they are part of the team or not |
Top or bottom Focus on who has power and authority within the team |
Near or far Finding levels of commitment and engagement within their roles |
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Modlin and Faris (1956) |
Structuralism Attempt to recreate previous power within new team structures |
Unrest Attempt to resolve power and interpersonal issues |
Change Roles emerge based on task and people needs Sense of team emerges |
Integration Team purpose and structure emerge and accepted, action towards team goals |
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Whittaker (1970) |
Preaffiliation Sense of unease, unsure of team engagement, which is superficial |
Power and control Focus on who has power and authority within the team Attempt to define roles |
Intimacy Team begins to commit to task and engage with one another |
Differentiation Ability to be clear about individual roles and interactions become workmanlike |
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Hill and Gruner (1973) |
Orientation Structure sought |
Exploration Exploration around team roles and relations |
Production Clarity of team roles and team cohesion |
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Bion (1961) |
Dependency Team members invest the leaders with all the power and authority |
Fight or flight Team members challenge the leaders or other members Team members withdraw |
Pairing Team members form pairings in an attempt to resolve their anxieties |
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Scott Peck (1990) |
Pseudocommunity Members try to fake teamliness |
Chaos Attempt to establish pecking order and team norms |
Emptiness Giving up of expectations, assumptions and hope of achieving anything |
Community Acceptance of each other and focus on the task |