Bruce Tuckman's Stages of Group Development

 

In 1965, Bruce Tuckman, an educational psychologist, first described 4 stages of group development as Forming, Storming, Norming and Performing. He did this after he had observed many small groups in various environments and concluded that all groups went through certain "stages" before they became optimally effective. In 1977, Tuckman (this time working with Mary Ann Jensen), added a 5th stage, Adjourning.

This is how I would describe Tuckman's stages from my own experience of task-groups in many workplaces:

Forming
In this stage, the group is coming together. Individuals are still tentative and hesitant about their roles within the group and try to avoid conflict as much as possible. The driving need for individuals in this stage is to be accepted by the others.

Thus, in this stage, people stay away from serious subjects and controversies or conflicts and concentrate on getting along together.

This is also the stage where they try to organise themselves and their roles and routines and get comfortable in each other's company.

For the task-group, however, this means that nothing really gets done.

Storming
Once the group's members achieve a certain comfort level and sense of belonging, they begin to address some of the serious issues at hand. Thus starts the conflict or "storming" stage of the group's development.

This is the stage where confrontations happen and differences are thrashed out. The disputes may be task-oriented or personality clashes or even organisational or administrative (I don't like my role; I want that responsibility; I don't like doing this; I'm doing most of the work; I don't like your attitude; I don't think this is the way to go; Saturday mornings are impossible for me...).

Norming
Most of these skirmishes are generally dealt with, but the underlying conflict remains and sometimes the group may find itself almost polarised. It is at this point that members of the group may want rules or norms and begin looking for structural and procedural clarity. Here begins the norming, or the laying down of the group's norms.

In this stage, the scope of the group, its tasks or goals or character are clarified, its procedures laid out and agreed upon.

Group members have now had their arguments and disputes and have gone beyond the tentative stage of trying to please each other. They can now look at each other and be with each other and belong with each other as they are, not as they seemed to be. They now know each other's capabilities, talents, skills, defects and limitations.

The group has now passed from concept to reality. Its members can now really talk to each other and listen to each other and appreciate and support each other. It is only at this stage that the group is ready to become a cohesive and effective team.

Performing
Groups that become teams and perform efficiently are in a state of synergy and symbiosis.

Team members are high on trust and loyalty towards thier colleagues and very oriented and focussed on the task ahead.

Thus, morale is high and the goal can be achieved with roles and responsibilities changing as they need. The individuals that make the team can now work together with a great degree of flexibility and willingness to walk the extra mile for each other and the task.

Unfortunately, all groups don't reach this stage and remain in comfort at the "norming" stage. They don't want to go back to "storming" but are afraid to go forward to "performing." These groups resist any change.

On the other hand, some groups are doomed to switching back and forth between "storming" and "norming." Any change in the structure of composition of the group (a new member is introduced; a role is changed) may take the group back into "storming."

In order for a group to move to "performing," some of its members must recognise the stagnation and help to push it forward.

Adjourning (added in 1977)
After the task is completed, the team must disengage (both from the task and from fellow team-members).

A successful adjourning happens when members are proud of what they have achieved and happy to have belonged together but at the same time they recognise that it is time to move on.

They may feel a sense of loss and reminisce about the way it used to be, but the decision to disengage is conscious and positive.