The "Low-Down" on Team Development, Part II
In last month's artic
le we looked at the four basic adverse reactions to people
performing together. The psychological classifications we looked
at are called: mobs, gangs, committees and groups. We learned
that in any of these adverse groupings people may appear to
function well, but as compared to an interdependent team they
are like an eight cylinder engine firing on only two or three
cylinders.
With striking predictability, a group of individuals progress
through a developmental process while maturing as an
interdependent team. Dr. Bruce W. Tuckman first described this
process over 40 years ago, and even today his model is the best
method of describing and documenting team maturation. One of the
most important team leader responsibilities is to facilitate and
guide the team through this process by being aware of the
symptoms and reactions of each of the four team developmental
stages.
Stage One. In Stage 1, personal relations are
characterized by feelings of dependency, and the primary task
functions concern being oriented to the team's purpose. In the
beginning of a team's life, individual members depend on the
leader to provide all structure: they want the leader to set
ground rules, establish the agenda, and to do all the leading.
Team members expect an explanation of the issues or problems to
be explored. The team's purpose itself has to be discussed so
there can be a common understanding of what the team has been
organized to do. Common behaviors at this point include
questioning why are we here, what are we supposed to do, and
what are our goals.
Stage Two. Stage 2 is characterized by conflict in the
personal relations dimension and a need to be organized in the
task-functions dimension. Interpersonal conflict (differences of
opinion) inevitably ensues as a part of small group interaction.
It may be that the conflict remains hidden, but it is there
nonetheless. We bring to team activity a lot of our own
unresolved conflicts with regard to authority, dependency,
rules, roles, agenda, and we experience interpersonal conflict
as we organize to get work done. Common questions in stage two
include: who will be responsible for what; what are the work
rules; what are the limits; what are the rewards; what are the
criteria. The variety of organizational concerns that emerge
reflect interpersonal conflict over leadership, structure,
power, and authority.
Stage Three. Personal relations in Stage 3 are marked by
cohesion and group identification, and the major task function
is communication. In Stage 3 team members begin to experience a
sense of groupings, a feeling of catharsis at having resolved
interpersonal conflict and of having "gotten together." They
begin sharing ideas, feelings, giving feedback to each other,
soliciting feedback, exploring actions related to the task, and
sharing information. This becomes a period during which people
feel good about what is going on; they feel good about being a
part of the team, and there is an emerging openness with regard
to the task. Sometimes during Stage 3 there can be a brief
abandonment of the task and a period of play that is an
enjoyment of the cohesion that is being experienced. The team
leader can employ two methods of leading a Stage 3 team into
Stage 4. The first is to identify for the team a significant
"pinch or hurt" for the organization that needs to be resolved.
The second method is to identify a "threat" to the organization.
When a Stage 3 team clearly sees a pinch or hurt, or a threat,
it will leap into Stage 4 to solve the problem. Afterward, it
may revert back to Stage 3 once again until a new threat is
uncovered.
Stage Four. Stage 4 is marked by interdependence on the
personal relations dimension and problem solving on the
task-functions dimension. Interdependence means that team
members have resolved their conflicts and have developed an
effective relationship with other team members. They can work in
sub-groups, or as a total team: it makes no difference. The team
becomes driven toward achieving its goal, but has equal concern
for the well being of its members. Members are both highly
task-oriented and highly people-oriented. The activities are
marked by both collaboration and functional competition. The
team's tasks are well defined, there is high commitment to
common activity, and there is support for experimentation with
solving problems.
Dr. Tuckman's model illustrates how people working together can
progress through the four stages of team
development. In Stage 1 people commonly ask "why" questions;
in Stage 2 they ask "what" questions; in Stage 3 it's common for
the team to be fairly noisy as they communicate; and in Stage 4
a team will literally insist on solving problems.
If you would like more information on team development, please
contact one of our team members at (888)262-2499. You can also
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and the multinational organizations we have served over the past
three decades.