Team Stages (Forming / norming /storming / performing / adjourning)

Forming Members will be asking who are these people? what is expected from me? what is our goal? how much work? etc Behaviours Silence, uncertainty, self-consciousness.

Forming –Team Leaders Give directions to move things along, such Introductions Facilitate discussion on Team goals for project Rules and procedures Any questions Aim is to create common knowledge & Understanding

Forming – all team members Focus on communication Ask and answer lots of questions Set a common work discipline Where & when will meetings take place Record keeping, etc Cover even small details which may not seem important Clear vision of project What it is, and how it will work

Storming Members will be asking How will we handle disagreements? Can we change the leader? Do I want to be here? How do I give negative feedback? Behaviours Competition in team, cliques, challenging rules etc, Disagreements.

Storming–Team Leaders Reinforce the need for the team Support win-win thinking (team & individual) Provide individual & team recognition Get public commitment from members Aim is to increase team cohesiveness, but allow personal differences to emerge.

Storming – all team members Take responsibility for your feelings. “When you - I feel” language is useful. Accept differences - these are good. Attack the behaviour – not the person. Remember you are going to work together later - so fight nice.

Conforming Members will be asking How much should I “be a team player”? What is my role in the team? Will I be supported? Team is now ‘real’, and members are finding their position in team.

Conforming –Team Leaders Keep unity and cohesion, but allow differences separate and clarify team roles show connection of various roles reinforce the team goals Important to be a supportive leader through this process

Conforming –all team members Try to balance task oriented roles and relationship focused roles Be an open communicator at this time Share information that might be useful

Task oriented roles (Doing the work) Direction giving Finding information Analysing information Coordinating team work for review Reality checks on ideas Summarising /checking progress / milestones

Relationship oriented roles (Being in a team) Supporting others in discussion Confronting poor behaviours Motivating & energising others Processing team feelings “ how we feel” Mediating differences between others Being inclusive – asking for input

Performing Members will be asking How can we continuously improve on this? How can we keep the team at a high level? How can we build on our core competence? Behaviours High trust, high commitment, mutual training, entrepreneurship.

Performing – team leaders Encouraging creative problem solving Communicating outside of team Support productive team members

Performing –all members New ‘team behaviours’ may emerge. Team culture Tacit knowledge (limited to the team) It is the new behaviours that make a team of four better than four individuals.