How do you grow and develop a team?
Our professional inquiry into theoretical models of team formation and development will allow us to identify the style of leadership that will support growth at each stage of the team’s development.
Central to the effective performance of teams is the development of a well articulated and jointly owned 'culture'. You will be given the opportunity of reflecting on the culture of teams you belong to.
We look at the constitution of teams by looking at the roles of individual members and their contribution to the effectiveness of the team as a whole. Do team members have the functional skills and personal characteristics needed to fulfil their roles effectively?
How do you form, grow and develop a team?
Activity 1: Reflecting on teamwork
Think of a recent experience where you were leading a team. This might be a time when the team was functioning very effectively or you may wish to reflect on a situation where the team did not seem to be working very well.
- What was the situation and who was involved?
- How did you handle things, e.g. what did you say, do, think about?
- What effect did your actions have on the others involved?
- What made this a successful or unsuccessful incident?
In order to become really effective, all teams move through stages in their development. By looking at the theoretical model of team formation and development provided by Bruce Tuckman team leaders can identify the ‘stage’ that their team is at in order to maximise performance and adopt the most appropriate leadership style.
In 1965, Dr. Bruce Tuckman published his four-stage model of team development. The stages are progressive but in reality this is not a linear process, so for example, if a new member joins the team then the team may go back to stage 1. Individuals within the team can be at different stages. Groups do not generally skip stages, although some start at stage 2, particularly in high pressure situations.
Dr Bruce Tuckman published his forming – storming – norming – performing model in 1965. He added a fifth stage, adjourning, in the 1970s. The forming – storming – norming– performing theory is an elegant and helpful explanation of team development and behaviour.
Tuckman’s model explains that as the team develops maturity and ability, relationships establish, and the leader changes leadership style. Beginning with a directing style, moving through coaching, then participating, finishing, delegating and almost detached. At this point the team may produce a successor leader and the previous leader can move on to develop a new team. The authority and freedom extended by the leader to the team increases while the control of the leader reduces.
Tuckman’s forming –storming – norming – performing model (original model)
The progression is:
- Forming
- Storming
- Norming
- Performing
Features of each phase:
Forming (stage 1)
High dependence on leader for guidance and direction. Little agreement on team aims other than that received from leader. Individual roles and responsibilities are unclear. Leader must be prepared to answer lots of questions about the team’s purpose, objectives and external relationships. Processes are often ignored. Members test tolerance of system and leader. Leader directs.
Storming (stage 2)
Decisions don’t come easily within the group. Team members vie for position as they attempt to establish themselves in relation to other team members and the leader, who might receive challenges from team members. Clarity of purpose increases but plenty of uncertainties persist. Cliques and factions form and there may be power struggles. The team needs to be focused on its goals to avoid becoming distracted by relationships and emotional issues. Compromises may be required to enable progress. Leader coaches.
Norming (stage 3)
Agreement and consensus is largely formed among the team, who respond well to facilitation by the leader. Roles and responsibilities are clear and accepted. Big decisions are made by group agreement. Smaller decisions may be delegated to individuals or small teams within the group. Commitment and unity is strong. The team may engage in fun and social activities. The team discusses and develops its processes and working style. There is general respect for the leader and some of the leadership is shared by the team. Leader facilitates and enables.
Performing (stage 4)
The team is more strategically aware; it knows clearly why it is doing what it is doing. The team has a shared vision and is able to stand on its own feet with no interference or participation from the leader. There is a focus on over-achieving goals, and the team makes most of the decisions using criteria agreed with the leader. The team has a high degree of autonomy. Disagreements occur but now they are resolved within the team positively and necessary changes to processes and structure are made by the team. The team is able to work towards achieving the goal, and also to attend to relationship, style and process issues along the way. Team members look after each other. The team requires delegated tasks and projects from the leader. The team does not need to be instructed or assisted. Team members might ask for assistance from the leader with personal and interpersonal development. Leader delegates and oversees.
Adjourning (stage 5)
Tuckman’s fifth stage, adjourning, is the break-up of the team, hopefully when the task is completed successfully, its purpose fulfilled, and when everyone can move on to new things, feeling good about what’s been achieved. From an organizational perspective, recognition of and sensitivity to people’s vulnerabilities in Tuckman’s fifth stage is helpful, particularly if members of the team have bonded closely and feel a sense of insecurity or threat from this change.
From: Leadership Pathways, The National College for School Leadership
Team Culture
What is the ‘culture’ of the teams you work in? What is the ‘culture’ of your leadership team? By culture we mean ‘it’s the way we do things around here’. As a leader, it is important to create the right conditions for successful team-working in your department or area of responsibility. In this short interview Dave Cane reflects on the characteristics of great teams, and the types of working culture that best inspire effective team-working.
A helpful distinction to use in assessing the culture of a team is to ask whether it is risk avoiding or risk taking.
Activity 2: What’s the culture of our team(s)?
Use the table below as a scaffold for assessing the culture of teams you belong to.
Team Roles
Dr. Meredith Belbin has identified nine different behaviors that individuals display in the work place. They are referred to as the nine Belbin Team Roles. For a team to be highly effective these nine roles need to be present. Belbin identified both the strengths and weaknesses inherent in each role. He suggested that a combination of roles is required, since if there is too much emphasis on one particular role it will delay or hinder the successful completion of the task in hand.
Activity 3: Which role do you play in a team?
Click here to visit the Belbin Team Roles website.
Consider each of the roles, their descriptions, strengths and allowable weaknesses.
You may like to complete the 'Belbin team inventory questionnaire' which can be accessed via the Belbin site. Just click here.
Mental models are "what we think" (Senge p.190). They are ‘deeply ingrained assumptions, generalizations, or even pictures and images that influence how we understand the world and how we take action’. They inform the culture of the school.
In a learning organization these models are continually challenged through the development of reflection skills and inquiry skills. Reflection and professional inquiry need to be built on an atmosphere of trust.
Learning organizations therefore need to be aware of their theories of action, of how they do things and bring about change. A starting point is the ability to look into the mirror as an organization and to see and understand your internal pictures of the world and hold them to scrutiny.
“Entrenched mental models… thwart changes that could come from systems thinking … Moving the organization in the right direction entails working to transcend the sorts of internal politics and game playing that dominate traditional organizations. In other words, it means fostering openness (Senge 1990)
In this TED talk Adam Grant draws attention to the need for teams to always examine their mental models. Grant borrows examples from his own life to illustrate how tunnel vision around our goals, habits and identities can find us stuck on a narrow path.