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What are the stages of group development?

Have you ever wondered why it takes some time for a new team to hit peak performance? In this article, we discuss the different stages of team development and how leaders can guide their team through those stages to increase collaboration.

As a team leader, it's your goal to support and empower your team to help get their highest-impact work done. When your team members feel comfortable with each other, it’s easier to collaborate and work together. Alternatively, if your team is having challenges meshing, it may take them longer to get work done. To guide your team as it develops, it helps to understand the stages of group development.

Psychologist Bruce Tuckman was the first to document the different phases that teams go through as they develop. In this article, we discuss the different stages of group development and how you can guide your team through them to optimize collaboration.

The stages of group development were first described by psychologist Bruce Tuckman in his 1965 essay titled, "Developmental sequence in small groups." The paper discusses how team members start as strangers and flow through five different stages before they become a high-functioning team.

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Tuckman’s 5 stages of group development

The five stages of group development, according to Bruce Tuckman's model, are forming, storming, norming, performing, and adjourning. 

Stage 1: Forming stage

The first stage of group development is the forming stage. In this stage of group development, individual members are just getting to know each other and don’t have a group process yet. As a result, they're unsure of how they'll interact together. At this stage, the group isn’t very productive, as they're still getting acclimated and figuring out the role that each person will play on the team. 

Stage 2: Storming stage

The next stage of group development is the storming stage. In this stage, team members are in the process of learning how to work together. As team members begin collaborating, conflicts may arise, whether that’s from clashing personalities or opinions on how a project should progress. Without a clear understanding of what role each individual plays on the team, relationships can get tumultuous as team members struggle to find a role that’s right for them.

Establishing group collaboration early on can help reduce the impact of—or even prevent—this stage of group development. This doesn’t necessarily mean that conflicts won’t happen. In fact, disagreement is critical to effective team collaboration. So when conflicts do arise, it’s important to resolve them with effective problem-solving as they come instead of avoiding them. Having a team with already existing collaborative skills can help resolve conflicts more easily and faster.

Stage 3: Norming stage

This is the stage when things begin to settle down as your team finds their groove. As they grow more comfortable working together, team members are more comfortable asking for help completing a task or getting constructive feedback . Your team starts to increase their productivity at this stage as they become more familiar with their teammates and their working styles .

Stage 4: Performing stage

At this stage, your team has reached cohesion with team processes and team members are working together at their highest potential.Your team follows established workflows to achieve the team’s goals and group members feel as if they have a common goal to reach together. This is the ideal stage of group development. As a team lead, it’s your goal to get your team to this stage as quickly as possible. We discuss more about how to get your team to this point below.

Stage 5: Adjourning stage

The fifth stage of group development, also known as the mourning stage, is the final stage a team will go through. After a project is over or if a team is disbanded, team members who worked together will go into a small mourning period. Group members may have a hard time working with other groups as they had strong group dynamics with their previous team.

This is also the time in which teams can celebrate everything they have achieved together. Take the time to reflect on your achievements and remind your team why they’re doing what they do. This is also a great opportunity to recognize and praise the talents of specific team members.

How to help your team through the stages of group development

As you build a new team, keep the stages of team development in mind so you can help individual team members reach their full potential and collaborate together effectively. While there’s no one right way to support your team, try these four strategies to boost your team's cohesiveness. 

Establish your team's mission early

Whether you’re building a new team or working on a specific project with cross-functional partners , it’s important to establish your team’s mission early on. Setting a goal , even before you start working together, establishes some ground rules to focus on and ensures that everyone is on the same page and moving towards the same goal.

Depending on your team, set:

A general mission statement. For example, a content team’s mission statement might be, “To create content that engages and educates our target market.” 

A project goal. For smaller, cross-functional teams, use your main project objective for your team’s mission statement. For example, a cross-functional team between web development and marketing may have a project goal of decreasing page load time to 1.5 seconds. 

Team roles. For example, if you’re working cross-functionally , the individuals from one team are assigned the role of reporting back to their team what they’re working on. Another individual may be responsible for managing status updates. 

In addition to establishing your team’s mission or goal, it’s also important to set roles for individual team members. As you add people to the team, pay attention to what qualities and skills you’ll need to complete the project. As roles solidify, it’s important to make those responsibilities clear and distinct so that everyone knows who is doing what by when. If you haven’t already, consider creating a RACI chart to let each team member know who’s responsible, accountable, contributing, and informed for a specific initiative.

Clearly set expectations for communication

In the earlier stages of your team’s formation, establish a clear communication plan . A communication plan is an outline of how your team is going to communicate important information to key stakeholders. Clarity on the various avenues of communication allows team members to effectively get work done, understand their roles, and know where to find the information they need about work. Establishing a communication plan can help you do all of these things in a way that’s easy for your team to follow. 

Should a conflict ever arise, your team will also know what steps to take to get this conflict resolved. Strong communication skills are the backbone of conflict resolution. With a clear communication plan in place, your team will know how to discuss their issues with the rest of the team in a constructive manner. 

Play to your team members' strengths

The individual roles your team members play are incredibly important to team performance. These roles could be the official title they were hired to do, or the role they fit into naturally within the group dynamic.

As the team leader, delegate responsibilities and assign roles and responsibilities based on each team member’s strengths.Some people are natural leaders, while others may take a backseat on leadership but have strong ideas when it comes to strategy and project management. The individual strengths each member brings establishes a sense of teamwork, as everybody plays a part. If you notice a few team members not participating, the easiest thing to do is to prompt them for their thoughts and ideas. 

Confront conflict in a healthy manner

It can be tempting to avoid conflict, but doing so doesn't help team building. A team that works together to resolve issues will trust each other more. They can rely on each other to do the hard work they were hired to do, despite any differences that arise. 

Conflict resolution is a way to establish an honest and judgment-free workplace. As a leader, it’s your responsibility to set the standards for how your team will work together to resolve conflicts. An easy way to do this is to regularly give candid feedback in a 1:1 setting and offer suggestions on how team members can improve. If you need to address larger conflicts, make sure that the issue stays between as few people as possible to prevent gossip from spreading amongst the rest of the team.

Help your team reach their goals with strong leadership

A strong team leader is the backbone of every high-performing team. Without strong leadership, teams may struggle reaching the performing stage. By developing your own leadership skills, you can model collaboration best practices and help your team reach their fullest potential. 

Read more about how you can become a strong leader with Asana's leadership resources .

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The Stages of Group Formation for Team Development

Written by Heather Harper

Jul 4, 2018  - Last updated: Feb 1, 2023

The forming stages in teams can be a daunting team development process for both you, and your employees. It is unpredictable, unreliable and a big risk for any company to take. You will ask yourself many questions, will the team succeed? Will the people ‘click’? Do I have the right people to do the task well? Will they make it?, or _will the fall at the first hurdle?

In 1965, Psychologist Bruce Tuckman proposed five stages of team development: Forming, Storming, Norming, Performing and Adjourning. Tuckman's stages describe five stages that every team goes through during its development. By understanding Tuckman's model, it can help take away the unpredictability of forming teams and allow you, and your team, a better chance at team success.

Let's look at the 5 stages that can help you build a high-performing team.

Stage 1. Forming

This is the first stage of a team coming together; a group of people have come together to accomplish a shared purpose and the results can be unpredictable. At the beginning, anxiety is high, people are uncertain and they are overly polite and pleasant.

This stage can last a while as people get to know each other and the team's success. That's because this stage depends on their familiarity with each other's work styles, their experience with prior teams and clarity of assigned tasks. In this earlier stage, take time to establish or re-establish ground rules and roles in the team. Realign on the team's purpose to so everyone knows how to maximize their strengths and trust in other's strengths in times where they need help.

As the team leader, you should:

Play a dominant role at this stage to help your employees recognise whos the leader

Establish the team's goals and objectives clearly for the whole team and individual members

Allow for open communication so that your team members can get to know each other

Stage 2. Storming

This is the hardest stage in the development of any team, and undoubtedly your team will be at its least effective here. This stage is marked by conflict and competition as personalities and working styles begin to evolve and the group members of your team are unfamiliar on how to communicate with each other. Teams may also disagree on the common goal and subgroups or cliques may form. Many teams often fail at this stage so it is important to reduce and address this conflict so that problems do not occur later on.

As the leader, you should:

Be specific and clarify goals

Remain positive

Ensure that you don’t overload the members with work

Ensure that you support your team members, and ensure that they support each other; building trust is crucial at this stage.

Explain the forming, storming, norming, performing and adjourning model to your team so they know what to expect.

Use personality tests, such as the ones outlined in the article, to aid the understanding of each others personality and work styles.

The effectiveness of the team at each stage

Stage 3: Norming

The team will begin to resolve their interpersonal differences, appreciate others and form working relationships during the norming stage. There is a sense of cohesion and unity and this allows for the team to work functionally together towards the end goal. At this point, performance increase as the team begins to cooperate and focus on the goals.

Provide feedback, both positive and negative.

Step back and allow your team to take responsibility towards the goal; you could even begin to work on other tasks - perhaps even forming new teams!

Incorporate team building exercises to strengthen the unity and trust within the team.

Stage 4: Performing

At the performing stage, relationships are formed and there is a clear and stable structure. The team is mature, organised and has a sense of consensus and cooperation. Problems and conflict, of course, do still arise, but they are dealt with effectively. The prime focus of the team is on problem solving and meeting goals; effectiveness is at its peak.

*Delegate work evenly and fairly

*Focus on the development of individual team members

*Allow people to join, or leave, as it won’t affect group performance.

Stage 5: Adjourning

The fifth stage is called Adjourning or Mourning stage. This final stage is the point where the project comes to an end and the team separates and goes their separate ways. Some team members may find the adjourning stage hard because they liked the routine of the group, have made close friendships or if the future, after leaving this team, looks bleak and unpromising.

As a leader, you should:

*Allow for celebration

*Recognise and reward

*Allow for reflection: what went right? What went wrong?

*Give guidance and support about future plans

Another tip for group success: Belbin and Tuckman

16 years later, in 1981, Meredith Belbin introduced 9 team roles that every successful team needs: shaper, co-ordinator, plant, completer finisher, monitor evaluator, resource investigator, teamworker, implementer and specialist.

In the first three stages of Tuckman’s five stages of group development model, the roles you use from Belbin’s Team Role Inventory could make a massive difference to that teams success and effectiveness.

In the first stage, storming, it is good to have co-ordinators to bring the group together and create a sense of cohesiveness. If this team was comprised of too many plants in its storming stages, these people could be completing for their idea to be heard. A plants ideas and energy may decrease quickly if there are too many monitor evaluators as these people will motivate the plants by constantly pointing out the flaws in their ideas.

In the first two stages of Tuckman’s model (storming and forming), shapers are a good addition to the team because they provide a good balance and ensure that discussion are turned into results. However, shapers should be applied with caution as they may become too competitive and this could lead to them becoming aggressive and confrontational; which needs to be addressed or bad relationships will form. These bad relationships will cause problems and affect the groups performance later on.

In the second stage, there is also a need for plants to come up with new ideas and for monitor evaluators to analyse those ideas. Teamworkers are also a good addition to the team as they can help build constructive working relationships at this point

In the in the third stage, norming, co-ordinators are still needed to facilitate the groups decisions. The addition of some implementers to the team is also a good idea to make plans for progress and team development. Finally, a resource investigators is needed to go outside of team and look at competition.

After these first three phases, Belbin would argue that the team needs a balance of all nine team roles to become successful and effective!

About the author

Heather Harper is a psychology student from the University of Lincoln. She currently works as an intern for WorkStyle and is studying a Masters in Occupational Psychology at the University of Manchester.

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The 5 Stages of Group Development

Last updated on: July 11, 2023

No team is able to hit the ground running with a project at their first meeting. Instead, they go through a complex process that involves the 5 stages of group development , including:

• Forming, 
• Storming, 
• Norming, 
• Performing, and 
• Adjourning.

In fact, your team could consist of the best talent in the world. But, this means little if they don’t have a framework for working together — and that’s where the 5 stages of group development come into play.

In this blog post, you’ll learn everything you need to know about creating a high-performing team, including:

• What group development stages are,
• How this team development model increases cohesion,
• Which illustrative examples you can use every day, and more!

Without further ado, let’s get rolling!

Table of Contents

What are the 5 stages of group development?

The stages of group development in organizational behavior and management comprise the theory of team development. In other words, it’s a group-forming model that consists of 5 distinct phases.

According to these stages of group development model, each group or team is likely to go through the following interconnected 5 phases during their joint work, including:

• The Forming Stage — characterized by team orientation,
• The Storming Stage — characterized by a power struggle,
• The Norming Stage — characterized by cooperation, integration, and unity,
• The Performing Stage — characterized by overall synergy, and
• The Adjourning Stage — characterized by a sense of closure.

Now, these 5 stages are vital to help you anticipate your team effectiveness . Simply put, that’s your ability to be efficient and productive with your work, both as individuals and as a group.

The diagram shows that the effectiveness of a team or group fluctuates over time. 

In other words, the energy levels reach their ultimate low in the Storming Stage because the struggle to find the leader and build some structure creates frustration and mood fluctuations. That’s why this stage is often called The Power Struggle Stage . 

In turn, the level of effectiveness reaches its peak in the Performing Stage, when team members use well-oiled workflows and communicate feedback effectively to make the project smooth sailing. This stage is sometimes dubbed The Synergy Stage .

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Who invented stages of group development?

The renowned Bruce W. Tuckman — a researcher at the American Psychological Association — established a 4-step model in 1965 in his landmark paper titled Developmental sequence in small groups .

In Tuckman’s words, the listed stages are obligatory for a team to:

• Grow and progress,
• Face challenges and problems,
• Find solutions for challenges and problems,
• Plan and tweak their individual and group workflows, and
• Reach their expected project goals.

Yet, this model was initially known as the “Forming-Storming-Norming-Performing Model.” Experts often refer to this original model as the 4 stages of group development .

In fact, Tuckman only added the fifth, Adjourning Stage, together with another expert, Mary Ann C. Jensen, in 1977. The newly crafted review paper was titled Stages of Small Group Development, Revisited — and it became what we today refer to as the Tuckman model of team development.

What industries benefit from Tuckman’s model

Anyone can harness the power of the 5 stages of group development in pretty much every scenario, including:

• Tech companies, 
• University projects, and
• Home refurbishment.

Interestingly, the 5 stages of group development model can even be useful in the theater. 

For example, a 2019 paper by an adjunct assistant professor at Queen’s University, Rebecca Stroud Stasel, found that some people feel a strong attachment to leadership . In fact, she argues that theater team members can “discover facets of themselves through leadership processes.”

Furthermore, Rebecca Stroud Stasel cites that people have natural, deeply seated tendencies for either leadership or following leaders.

In other words, any team setting that requires high performance can benefit from using this model.

As a result, we can conclude that the Tuckman model spans culture, politics, and any other social sphere of our lives. 

The stages of group development with examples, explained

By implementing the 5 stages of group development, teams can reap vast benefits due to the clear-cut structure and step-by-step approach.

In fact, each phase plays a critical role in the team’s progress — whether in short, medium, or long-term goals . That’s where Tuckman’s stages of group development yield immense results.

Here, I’ll provide plenty of helpful examples for each of the 5 stages of group development, including:

• Performing, and

Let’s get going with the Forming stage.

Stage #1 — The Forming Stage

The Forming Stage is about team orientation. 

Everyone is just getting to know one another. Likewise, they are overly polite to each other because they are looking to be accepted among this new group of people.

For the same reasons, they may also be a bit uncertain and anxious.

They are also overly positive about the project because it’s new — and new is always exciting.

At this initial stage, a glimpse of a future project leader may emerge. For illustration, the person with the largest knowledge about the project’s subject takes unofficial charge.

Yet, the position of this unofficial leader may also be occupied by the strongest authority figure in the team.

So, here are a few signs your team has entered the Forming Stage:

• You understand the purpose of the group,
• You understand the project goals,
• You’re talking about team members’ skills,
• You’re assigning tasks, responsibilities, and individual roles,
• You’re laying down ground rules about team management ,
• You’re laying down some ground rules about team workflow, and
• You’re discussing team time management and project timelines.

In fact, a 2022 article published in the International Journal of Technology and Design Education has uncovered a few interesting aspects that can help any team on their journey from the Forming Stage to the Performing Stage.

For example, the same article’s author — Pınar Kaygan from the Art Academy of Latvia — has found that positive social relations and humor can play a major role in team success during all stages of group development. 

Similarly, she has established that teams should use warm-up activities — like physical exercise and mind games — to ensure a smooth transition from the Forming Stage to the Norming Stage.

Now, let’s explore an example of a Forming Stage.

Example for Stage #1 — Forming 

To illustrate the 5 stages of team development, let’s look at the example of Daisy, Adam, Daniel, and Stella. The 4 comprise a group of marketing-savvy professionals assigned to tackle a content production project. They have to write, edit, optimize, and publish 10 long-form articles on the topics that matter to the company’s bottom line.

The deadline? 3 months! 

Daisy is an experienced SEO specialist, Adam and Daniel work as longtime writers, and Stella brings to the table her editing skills. 

The group — not yet a team — needs to work together to make their content rank high on the first page of Google. It’s part of an attempt to draw thousands of new readers to the company’s website. 

At the start, SEO specialist Daisy is unsure if she needs to ask editor Stella about the keywords she wants to suggest for the content. But Stella gives direct guidance about the direction the team needs to go — and she sticks to it.

Due to her rank as the editor, Stella takes the lead and suggests the outline for the content plan. Yet, writers Adam and Daniel think they should take a different angle. At this point, Adam and Daniel form a clique against Stella — although everyone’s excessive politeness makes it seem as though nothing’s wrong.

At the same time, SEO specialist Daisy takes the backseat as she thinks it’s unnecessary for her to get involved in this discussion.

Everybody on the team is all ears, and they exchange opinions — but do their best to avoid direct confrontation.

Overview of the Forming Stage 

To make things more tangible, here’s a brief overview of the behaviors, feelings, group needs, and leadership needs in the Forming Stage.

Stage #2 — The Storming Stage

The Storming Stage brings about a power struggle.

So, team orientation is over — and team members are likely to forgo the politeness they exercised in the first stage.

Instead, they adopt an open exchange of ideas and opinions and learn about what it’s like to work together. This can lead to conflict, disputes, and competition, depending on their:

• Expectations, 
• Workflows, 
• Ideas, and 

Sometimes, subgroups may form around particular opinions or authority figures. In fact, all these are clear signs that team cohesion has not happened yet. Unless the team is patient and tolerant of these differences, the team and project can’t succeed.

Now, here’s where you may wonder — well, if it’s such an unpleasant affair, can the Storming Stage of group development ever be avoided?

In all honesty, some teams may skip this step altogether, hoping to avoid unpleasant conflict and the clash of ideas.

However, you won’t get far with your project by sweeping vital questions and potential problems under the rug.

So, let’s list a few signs that suggest your team has entered the Storming stage:

• Dominant team members emerge,
• Less dominant team members find their way to the background,
• Questions about leadership and authority emerge,
• Concerns about rules, policies, and norms emerge, and
• Questions about evaluation and review emerge.

With that in mind, this is probably one of the most unstable of the 5 stages of group development.

To clarify how this step could develop, let’s explore a real-life example of the Storming Stage.

Example for Stage #2 — Storming

Now, this is where things get tense for Adam, Daisy, Daniel, and Stella as they set their plan into motion — and find their opinions and personalities are at odds with each other.

Writers Adam and Daniel confront the editor Stella head-on, expressing their frustration with the way she handled their ideas in the previous stage. Luckily, Stella sees she has taken unnecessary control over the process and tries to course-correct by establishing clearer expectations.

At this point, everyone agrees on the direction articles need to go to better resonate with a larger audience.

SEO specialist Daisy waits for the first drafts written by Adam and Daniel to check them against SEO rules. 

Once the first drafts arrive, problems arise once again.

Editor Stella expresses her frustration because she thinks the content is far from what the audience expects to read. The comments section of the first drafts gets lengthy, as Adam and Daniel get defensive because of some of Stella’s suggestions — they go back and forth a couple of rounds, leaving Daisy with nothing to do for a whole day.

Eventually, Adam and Daniel agree to accept most of Stella’s suggestions — and they continue writing.

Once the first articles are finished, the review process brings a couple of more disagreements. Daisy has a couple of notes on the sources and anchors used — this time, Adam agrees, but Daniel gets defensive again.

Finally, revisions are made, and Stella is happy with the first articles — she tells the writers to continue along similar lines in the future. Yet, she also asks them to try to be less witty as they are writing for a serious B2B audience.

Sure, moods ebb and flow, but everyone is slowly getting on the same page.

Overview of the Storming Stage

To make the story more concrete, here’s a brief overview of the behaviors, feelings, group needs, and leadership needs in the Storming Stage.

Stage #3 — The Norming Stage

The Norming Stage brings about a sense of cooperation, integration, and unity.

Of course, you can only move on to this more pleasant stage if you’ve addressed and answered all the vital questions from the previous, Storming Stage.

The team is already used to each other’s workflows, and most future disputes and conflicts generally become easier to overcome. The official (or unofficial) team leader takes a back seat much more than in the previous stages. As a result, the individual team members are given their chance to shine.

In some cases, the Norming Stage may often be intersected by the Storming Stage. It may even revert to it unless the team makes the effort to communicate problems — and then learn from these interactions.

Here are a few signs that show your team has entered the Norming stage:

• Group interaction becomes easier,
• The team becomes more cooperative on the whole, and
• Team productivity and group performance increase.

To facilitate the transition from the Storming Stage to the Norming Stage, I suggest incorporating team management software into your team workflow. Here’s a list of the best tools:

• 20+ Best Team Management Software

Example for Stage #3 — Norming

Adam, Daisy, Daniel, and Stella are now mostly satisfied with where things are headed.

The team — no longer just a group — learns about each other’s strengths and weaknesses. More importantly, they realize how to harness their strengths and work arround their weaknesses.

Writers Adam and Daniel start to feel confident about their work and align well with Stella’s and Daisy’s guidelines for writing SEO-optimized content that resonates with their audience. In turn, the whole team is more open to:

• Feedback, 
• Criticism, 
• Opinions, and 
• Ideas. 

For example, Stella allows the rest of the team to suggest topics and angles for new articles more often. 

At the same time, strict team structure diminishes.

For example, when a few typos emerge, although it’s not her job, Daisy corrects them in WordPress without accusing the writers or the editor of the mistakes. 

Similar problems arise occasionally — but the way the team handles them creates an atmosphere of trust and confidence. It’s no longer a game of cat and mouse where team members try to catch each other’s errors and criticize them.

Everyone starts acting more amicably, as they are now used to each other’s work styles and points of view. 

Their routine now includes a team lunch every day at 2 p.m. During one lunch on an especially productive day, everyone even gets an adorable nickname – for example, Adam becomes the Godly Scribe, and Daisy becomes their SEO Wizard.  

On another occasion, Daniel invents the team’s anthem — which reflects everyone’s tendency to arrive to meetings 2 minutes after the agreed time and then apologize about it too much.

Everything seems to be going well — both with how the team members interact and what they manage to accomplish.

Overview of the Norming Stage

To provide a better summary of the behaviors, feelings, group needs, and leadership needs in the Norming Stage, check out the table below.

Stage #4 — The Performing Stage

The Performing Stage is what your team is after. In this stage, you and your team get to enjoy synergy — a state where work flows smoothly.

If your team has reached this level, you’re on a clear path to success. You have a mature, well-organized group now fully focused on reaching the project goals established in the Forming Stage.

So, team members have grown fully accustomed to each other’s workflows. They respect and acknowledge each other’s skills, talents, and experience. In fact, they trust that everyone involved will do their share of the work.

Bear in mind that not all teams reach this stage. Some may falter at the earlier stages, due to the inability to properly address differences between team members or address problems as they emerge.

Here are some signs that show your team has entered the Performing Stage:

• The organization in your team is now well-established,
• The structure of roles and responsibilities is clear, and
• The team has a tested, mature, and calm way of handling issues.

To get to the bottom of things, I sat down with Brian Townsend , a former Drug Enforcement Administration agent, who was in charge of supervising and overseeing large teams. He claims that psychological safety is the number 1 marker of a group of people who make great things happen: 

“A high-performing team is one where its members feel safe, can freely contribute, share opinions or concerns without judgment or fear of reprisal, can ask for help, report mistakes, and be themselves. Morale is higher, productivity is higher.”

With that said, let’s continue with our story.

Example for Stage #4 — Performing

With everything planned out, Daisy, Adam, Daniel, and Stella get to serious work.

At this stage, the 4-strong team makes things happen with plenty of empathy. 

Adam and Daniel edit each other’s articles, while Stella expresses her want to learn more about SEO best practices from Daisy.

In turn, Daisy helps with content ideas. Her ideas are sometimes different from Stella’s — to everyone’s delight, as this only helps when the writers reach a creative dead end.

Work starts to flow almost seamlessly. Sure, their opinions still clash from time to time, but they appreciate each other too much to let small disagreements get in the way.

Going forward, the team expands on their inside jokes, enjoys long sessions of deep work , and creates the perfect working environment.

Everyone’s pouring their heart and soul into the content production project. 

Yet, sometimes they have trouble tracking who does what — just because everybody is so involved.

At one point, Daisy, Adam, Daniel, and Stella make task tracking with an app an inseparable part of their workflow — they track the time they spend on separate tasks to see how better to organize their time on the project as they near its completion.

Finally, the team reaches the last 2 articles in the 10-piece series. 

The 3-month deadline is quickly approaching. 

The rest of the team gets feedback from SEO Wizard Daisy about the high performance of most articles, helping the company rank for the most relevant keywords. Everybody gets a bonus.

However, something’s not quite right, and everyone can sense it — unexpectedly, tension builds as the final stage looms large.

Overview of the Performing Stage

To make things more tangible, here’s a quick overview of the behaviors, feelings, group needs, and leadership needs in the Performing Stage.

Stage #5 — The Adjourning Stage

The Adjourning Stage triggers a sense of closure.

The project is completed, with most or all project goals reached.

And, it’s probably time for the team members to go their separate ways.

Now, if the team members have grown close and accustomed to working with each other, they may mourn that it’s now time to move on and work with other people.

In fact, they may even mourn the fact that the project is ending and that they need to move on to work on other projects.

The Adjourning Stage is usually associated with short-term projects, where team members are expected to disband over time. However, even “permanent” teams working on long-term projects may get gradually disbanded — as a result of a company’s organizational restructuring.

So, here are a few signs your team has entered the Adjourning stage:

• Workload slowly diminishes,
• Most of the project goals are completed,
• You’re working on leftover tasks, and
• Some team members are gradually allocated to different teams and projects.

Interestingly, a management lecturer at the University of Adelaide, Ankit Agarwal, published a 2022 paper on a phase that precedes the Forming Stage. But how does the Forming Stage relate to the Adjourning Stage?

In a nutshell, the author of the said paper argues that people often harbor negative or positive attitudes toward other group members before even a conversation has started group-wide. In fact, he asserts that the Adjourning Stage from a previous group plays an active role in the Forming Stage of a new group. 

That’s why, he says, managers or team leaders must discover sources of conflict or discomfort at the outset. 

With this interesting detail in mind, let’s continue our real-life example of the Adjourning Stage!

Example for Stage #5 — Adjourning

In this stage, the team feels a dip in productivity — because there isn’t much left to do. 

The 3-month content project is mostly done, and everyone’s focus dissolves. They recently published all 10 articles and received praise from upper management.

With little left to do, Daisy, Adam, Daniel, and Stella decide to throw a party for good times’ sake. They’re all radiantly happy — but also feel sad that their project is ending. 

They also grieve that they won’t get to see each other regularly — because they’ve grown quite close.

As luck would have it, Adam finds a senior writing job abroad, and Daisy’s manager gets her relocated to a different city. So, they both need to move on from their current office.

In the meantime, the team quickly makes a few edits that seem useful for ranking the articles even better. The project is officially completed.In the end, Stella, Adam, Daniel, and Daisy go their separate ways, capping off the project as a complete success in every way. It feels like the end of an era.

Learn more about how to analyze, estimate, and prepare for future projects with our guide on project management:

• Project Management: 31 best techniques, practices, and tools

Overview of the Adjourning Stage

To sum up, here’s a quick overview of the behaviors, feelings, group needs, and leadership needs in the Adjourning Stage.

Why are the 5 stages of group development important?

Now, what is the importance of group development we just talked about?

Well, Tuckman’s model teaches us that teams are:

• Ever-moving and vibrant, and 
• Governed by unspoken norms and a natural order of events.

At first, people are led by their natural desire to be liked by others and accepted among their peers. After all, when you have to cooperate with someone for a longer period, it’s easier to do it if you get along well — and that’s what the stages of group development get right every single time.

As time goes by, sub-groups form within a team, opinions, and personalities clash somewhat. In fact, some teams may even get stuck in the Storming Stage, unwilling to talk about their problems.

Get a handle on working with people with different personalities in our in-depth blog post:

• Productivity tips for 16 personality types based on MBTI  

But stagnation is always worse than conflict. Instead of maintaining a facade of politeness, the 5 stages of group development can help you: 

• Identify your problems, 
• Analyze your problems, and 
• Talk about your problems. 

In addition to handling conflicts, thanks to group development, you’ll need to determine workflows, follow them, and constantly tweak and improve them as you go.

As a natural consequence of it all, your project is bound to progress at a steady rate. In contrast, mismatched, uncompromising teams can only produce incomplete, confusing projects — if they produce anything at all.

Speaking of ends, the Adjourning Stage is the bittersweet cherry on top of each team and project, and it will happen whether you want it or not. It’s a great opportunity to reflect on your accomplishments and think about what you learned.

Powerful tips on how to facilitate proper group development

Now that you understand the “What?” and “Why?” behind the stages of group development, here’s the “How ?”  

I assembled a list of quick tips of my own and advice from experts that will help managers, leaders, and teams ensure that each stage plays out as it should. 

Forming Stage tips

Let’s start from the beginning! 

Here are a few powerful pieces of advice on how to approach the Forming Stage:

• Clarify the expected stages of group development right from the start. This approach helps you highlight that conflicts and problems throughout the project are normal — not a sign of failure.
• Set clear and attainable objectives for individuals, to help direct them towards their individual goals within a project.
• Establish clear and attainable objectives for the team, to help direct them towards their ultimate project goal.

In fact, the Chief Marketing Officer at SplitMetrics.com, Olga Noha , told me that navigating the 5 stages of group development can pose tremendous challenges. But she said that we should try to be open to whatever’s coming our way.

“Welcome the uncertain. It might be unsettling not to have a clear idea of how the team will evolve, but it’s equally a chance to try out diverse dynamics and roles.”

To learn how to best set and manage the right goals for your team, check out our previous blog posts:

• How to set SMART goals (+ examples and templates)
• Objectives and Key Results (OKR): everything you need to know

Storming Stage tips

As soon as you get the basics out of the way, you are entering the Storming Stage. To help you out on this bumpy road, here are some insightful tools to handle this stage:

• Address and resolve conflicts and problems as soon as they arise.
• Coach all team members to be assertive, and stand up for their ideas and opinions in a positive and calm way.
• Provide extra support and guidance to help team members — who are less secure about voicing their opinions and ideas — stand their ground.
• Build trust among team members, by encouraging honesty , transparency, and accountability.

Since the Storming Stage can be infused with power struggles, I sat down with a leadership coach, Alexis Haselberger , to dive deeper. She told me that we must do our best to name the problems and address them properly — especially at this point, where we risk getting stuck in this stage.

“It can be very helpful to simply call out what’s happening. What stage are we in? What does that mean for us? This places the blame for any friction on the stage and not on individuals.”

Norming Stage tips

Next up, the Norming Stage can be a tricky phase as your team could slide into the previous, Storming Stage. So, tread carefully!

On that note, let’s look at a few tried and tested tips to ease your way into the Norming Stage:

• Arrange at least 1 team-building activity per week or month (or whatever works best), to help people grow closer as a team.
• Encourage off-work get-togethers to inspire group cohesion.

The former DEA agent turned team development expert, Brian Townsend, had some nuggets of wisdom to share on this point as well. He said that nothing trumps accountability:

“Everyone should be encouraged to take personal responsibility and ownership — and openly address any concerns they have. By this time, the team leader should have developed this type of safe environment. If mistakes are made, members should be encouraged to report them so solutions can be developed and everyone can benefit from lessons learned.”

Speaking of accountability in teams, read our all-encompassing guide on this topic:

• How to create transparent and accountable teams

Performing Stage tips

The most productive of all, the Performing Stage yields immense benefits for the tasks and goals you established in the first 3 stages. 

In the Performing Stage, your team — well — performs at its optimum level, creating near-unshakable harmony and consistent teamwork.

Now, let’s explore a few tips to skyrocket your Performing Stage:

• Delegate tasks appropriately and in line with the skills, experience, and interests of individual team members.
• Track the time you spend on individual tasks to build daily and weekly reports of the time you spend on the project. You can then further analyze your reports to see how much time you need to finish individual project tasks and whether there is room for improvement in that time.

Surprisingly, leadership coach Alexis Haselberger told me that spending lots of time in this stage is, actually, not an issue.

”There’s no problem getting ‘stuck’ in this stage. If you’re here, that’s great!”

All stages of group development have their fair share of challenges, and the same applies to the Performing Stage. So, grab your chance to learn more about how to phrase and delegate assignments in our blog post:

• How to give assignments to team members

Adjourning Stage tips

Last but not least, the Adjourning Stage — often called the Mourning Stage for obvious reasons — ends the whole project cycle. Depending on the leader of the group, the Adjourning Stage can either be a leeway into future endeavors or it could impact future collaboration. 

In any case, it’s the saddest of all the 5 stages of group development.

With that in mind, here are a few time-tested tips on how to make the Mourning Stage less about mourning and more about optimism toward the future:

• Recognize and celebrate the team’s achievements to make sure your work as a team ends on a positive note. This is important considering that at least some of you may work together in the future once again.
• Share your thoughts and feelings with all team members to make sure no underlying issues remain unresolved. It’s critical to have everyone on the same page at the very end of the project.

To help make the transition from the Adjourning Stage to the next project’s Forming Stage painless, here are a few time management exercises you can try out:

• 40+ Best time management games & activities (2022)  

Wrapping up: Developing a thriving team requires constant feedback and effective listening 

Working in a team or group is a complex process that takes time and effort — and plenty of patience. 

To develop a thriving, effective team, follow the 5 distinct stages of group development:

• Forming — marked by team orientation,
• Storming — marked by power struggles,
• Norming — marked by cooperation, integration, and unity,
• Performing — marked by synergy or smooth sailing, and
• Adjourning — marked by a sense of closure and dissolution.

The last stage was added only in a later review paper. Still, we can clearly see how the Forming-Storming-Norming-Performing model is deficient without the final, Adjourning Stage.

Anyhow, I recommend that you use each stage to learn and understand something new about your teammates and work on improving your workflows. Finally, use this knowledge to help you overcome problems and reach your project goals with success.

Tuckman’s stages of group development can do wonders for you personally and professionally — I promise!

✉️ What are your thoughts on the 5 stages of group development, and do you plan to implement this framework in your work or life? Drop us a line at [email protected] for a chance to be featured in this or one of our future articles. And, if you liked this blog post, share it with someone who might find it useful.

Stefan Veljkovic is a work optimization aficionado who writes at the intersection of tech, self-help, and mindfulness. With a long-lasting career in editing, writing, and translation, he thinks of himself as a word-lover. As a productivity author and researcher, Stefan has crafted countless articles on improving habits and soft skills. A life enthusiast to his bones, he has spent many years in the quest for the perfect optimization software and time management strategies — and has found them.

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The 4 Stages Of Group Development: Forming, Storming, Norming, And Performing

Imagine you’re standing at the base of a mountain, gazing up at its towering peak. You can’t help but wonder how a group of individuals could possibly conquer such a monumental challenge together.

Well, just as climbing a mountain requires careful planning and strategy, so too does navigating the stages of group development. In this article, we will explore the four key stages that groups go through: forming, storming, norming, and performing.

At the forming stage, it’s like you’re taking those first steps towards the summit. This is where individuals come together and establish trust and belonging within the group. It’s a time of introductions, getting to know one another’s strengths and weaknesses, and setting initial goals for what needs to be accomplished. As you navigate this stage, you’ll begin to understand each other’s perspectives and start building the foundation for effective collaboration.

But just as with any journey up a mountain, challenges are bound to arise – which brings us to the storming stage.

In the storming stage, it’s like encountering unexpected obstacles along your climbing route. Conflict may surface as different ideas clash or power struggles emerge within the group dynamic. It can feel like an uphill battle as tensions run high and emotions flare up. However challenging it may be though, this stage is crucial for growth and progress. By openly addressing conflicts and finding ways to work through them constructively, groups can learn from their differences and gain new insights that propel them forward on their journey towards peak performance.

Table of Contents

Key Takeaways

• The four key stages of group development are forming, storming, norming, and performing.
• Conflict can be beneficial if managed properly.
• Cohesion building activities and collaborative decision making are important in the norming stage.
• Leveraging individual strengths and talents contributes to group success in the performing stage.

Forming Stage: Establishing Trust and Belonging

You’ll quickly discover that in the forming stage, it’s all about building trust and creating a sense of belonging within the group. This stage marks the initial phase of group development, where individuals come together and start getting to know one another.

Establishing rapport among members is crucial during this stage, as it sets the foundation for effective communication and collaboration throughout the group’s lifespan.

One important aspect of establishing trust in the forming stage is fostering inclusion. It involves creating an environment where everyone feels valued and respected for their contributions. This can be achieved by encouraging active participation from all members, regardless of their background or expertise. By doing so, individuals are more likely to feel a sense of belonging and become invested in the group’s goals.

Additionally, building trust requires open and honest communication. Group members should feel comfortable expressing their thoughts, ideas, and concerns without fear of judgment or retribution. Active listening plays a significant role in this process as it shows respect for others’ perspectives and helps develop mutual understanding. Trust is not built overnight; it takes time to develop strong relationships within a group.

As you transition into the subsequent section about the storming stage: navigating challenges and conflict, remember that while establishing trust lays a solid foundation for a successful group dynamic, conflicts may arise as individuals begin to assert themselves within the group. These conflicts are normal and provide opportunities for growth if managed effectively.

Storming Stage: Navigating Challenges and Conflict

Unfortunately, navigating the storming stage is like trying to navigate a maze while blindfolded. This stage of group development is characterized by conflict and challenges as members vie for power and influence within the group. It is during this phase that differences in opinions, values, and working styles become apparent, leading to potential clashes among group members.

Navigating conflict becomes crucial at this stage as it can either make or break the group’s ability to move forward effectively. Managing challenges during the storming stage requires effective communication and conflict resolution skills. Group members must learn to express their concerns and disagreements openly while also being respectful of others’ perspectives.

Conflict can actually be beneficial if managed properly, as it allows for different ideas to be shared and considered. However, if not handled well, conflicts can escalate into destructive arguments that hinder the progress of the group.

Transitioning into the subsequent section about the norming stage: developing cohesion and collaboration, it’s important to note that successfully navigating the storming stage sets the foundation for a cohesive and collaborative group dynamic. As conflicts are resolved and challenges are overcome, trust begins to build among group members. They start recognizing each other’s strengths and weaknesses, realizing that collaboration leads to better outcomes than individual efforts alone.

With effective conflict management skills in place, groups can transition smoothly into the norming stage where they focus on developing cohesion and working collaboratively towards their common goals.

Norming Stage: Developing Cohesion and Collaboration

Get ready to witness the magic of synergy as you and your fellow team members enter the norming stage, where cohesion and collaboration take center stage.

In this stage of group development, the focus shifts from navigating challenges and conflict to developing a sense of unity and mutual respect within the team. To achieve this, cohesion building activities play a crucial role. These activities can include team-building exercises, retreats, or even social events that encourage bonding among team members. By engaging in these activities together, individuals start to feel more connected and invested in the success of the group.

Collaborative decision making is another key aspect of the norming stage. As trust and understanding grow among team members, they become more comfortable sharing their ideas and opinions openly. This collaborative approach allows for a diversity of perspectives to be considered when making decisions, leading to better outcomes overall. It also fosters a sense of ownership and commitment to the group’s goals because everyone feels valued and heard.

As your team progresses through the norming stage, you will begin to notice an increased level of cooperation and productivity. The efforts put into building cohesion and practicing collaborative decision making will pay off as you move into the performing stage: achieving peak performance. With a strong foundation established during norming, your team will be well-equipped to tackle challenges head-on and work together seamlessly towards achieving your shared objectives.

Transitioning into the subsequent section about the performing stage: achieving peak performance, you can expect that all the hard work put into developing cohesion and collaboration during the norming stage will pave the way for even greater success.

Performing Stage: Achieving Peak Performance

In the performing stage, your group will reach its peak performance, displaying high levels of cooperation and productivity.

This stage is characterized by a sense of unity and shared purpose, where everyone works together towards achieving common goals.

To maximize success, it’s important to leverage each individual’s strengths and talents, ensuring that they contribute to the collective success of the group.

High levels of cooperation and productivity

You can explore the truth of a theory to create a visual representation of ideas, resulting in high levels of cooperation and productivity. When individuals in a group have a shared understanding and buy-in to the goals and objectives, it fosters a cooperative culture that promotes effective teamwork.

This cooperative culture is characterized by open communication, respect for different perspectives, and a willingness to collaborate towards common goals. As team members work together towards achieving their shared vision, they’re more likely to feel motivated and engaged, leading to increased productivity.

To achieve high levels of cooperation and productivity, it’s important for team members to establish clear roles and responsibilities. In this way, everyone knows what’s expected from them and how their contributions fit into the overall group dynamics. Additionally, having effective processes in place helps streamline workflow and ensures that tasks are completed efficiently. This can include establishing regular check-ins or meetings where progress can be discussed, issues can be addressed, and adjustments can be made if necessary.

Furthermore, creating an environment that encourages innovation and creativity can also contribute to high levels of cooperation and productivity. When team members feel empowered to share their ideas without fear of judgment or retribution, they’re more likely to take risks and think outside the box. This not only leads to better problem-solving but also fosters a sense of ownership among team members.

Fostering a cooperative culture within a group lays the foundation for effective teamwork, which ultimately results in high levels of cooperation and productivity. By establishing clear roles and responsibilities, implementing effective processes, and promoting innovation within the team dynamics, individuals are able to leverage their strengths for collective success without feeling restricted or confined by traditional norms or expectations.

Leveraging individual strengths for collective success

By harnessing the unique strengths and abilities of each team member, a collective success can be achieved. Individuals in a group bring their own set of skills, knowledge, and experiences that can contribute to the overall success of the team.

When each person’s individual contribution is recognized and valued, it creates an environment where collaboration and cooperation thrive.

Leveraging individual strengths for collective achievement involves identifying and understanding what each team member brings to the table. This can be done through open communication, active listening, and observing how individuals approach tasks or solve problems.

By recognizing these individual strengths, teams can assign roles and responsibilities that align with each person’s expertise. For example, if one team member excels at organizing information while another has strong analytical skills, they can work together to gather data, analyze it effectively, and make informed decisions as a group.

Furthermore, leveraging individual strengths encourages innovation within the team. Each person may have unique perspectives or ideas that can lead to creative solutions or approaches to challenges. By valuing these contributions and encouraging open dialogue, teams can tap into their full potential for problem-solving and decision-making.

By recognizing and utilizing individual strengths within a group setting, teams can achieve collective success. This requires creating an environment where each person’s contribution is valued and celebrated.

Through effective communication and role assignment based on expertise, teams can leverage their members’ unique abilities to foster collaboration and innovation leading to shared achievements.

In conclusion, the stages of group development, namely forming, storming, norming, and performing, are crucial in understanding how a group evolves and achieves peak performance. Each stage presents its own unique challenges and opportunities for growth.

By examining these stages objectively and analytically, we can gain valuable insights into the dynamics of groups and how they function.

One interesting statistic that adds a level of sophistication to this analysis is the fact that, according to a study conducted by Tuckman in 1965, it takes an average of 4-5 weeks for a group to move through the forming stage and establish trust and belonging. This highlights the importance of allowing sufficient time for initial bonding and relationship building within a group. It also emphasizes the need for patience and understanding during this stage as individuals may be hesitant to fully open up or trust their fellow members.

Moreover, another intriguing finding from Tuckman’s research is that the storming stage typically lasts longer than any other stage in group development. On average, groups spent around 6-7 weeks navigating challenges and conflict during this stage before moving on to norming. This indicates that conflict resolution plays a significant role in shaping group dynamics and determining its success or failure. It underscores the importance of effective communication and conflict management skills in order to overcome obstacles during this critical phase.

By delving into research-based studies like Tuckman’s work on group development stages, we can gain valuable insights into how groups evolve over time. Understanding these stages allows us to better navigate challenges within groups while fostering cohesion, collaboration, and ultimately achieving peak performance.

With this knowledge at hand, individuals can make informed decisions regarding team formation strategies or intervention techniques when needed. Overall, studying group development provides us with invaluable tools for enhancing teamwork effectiveness across various domains ranging from business organizations to community initiatives.

eSoft Management Consultants, a team of seasoned professionals with vast expertise in business strategy, operations, leadership, and management, are devoted to empowering businesses to evolve and thrive. Their well-researched, meticulous content offers invaluable insights on management principles, leadership styles, and industry trends. Upholding strict editorial guidelines, they ensure accurate, relevant, and timely knowledge dissemination. As trusted advisors, they not only provide insights but also act as partners in growth, helping organizations unlock their full potential through strategic understanding and action.

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Forming, Storming, Norming, and Performing

Tuckman's model for nurturing a team to high performance.

By the Mind Tools Content Team

You can't just switch on teamwork. It takes time for a new team to "gel" and work to its full potential. What's more, team members go through stages as they move from strangers to co-workers.

Bruce Tuckman's Forming, Storming, Norming, and Performing model describes these stages. When you understand Tuckman's model, you'll know how to help your new team to become effective – faster. Let's look at how.

Where Does Forming, Storming, Norming, and Performing Come From?

Psychologist Bruce Tuckman came up with the memorable phrase "forming, storming, norming, and performing" in his 1965 paper, "Developmental Sequence in Small Groups." [1] It describes the path that teams follow on their way to high performance. Later, he added a fifth stage, "adjourning" (also known as "mourning") to mark the end of a team's journey.

What Happens at Tuckman's Forming Stage?

In the beginning, when a new team forms, individuals will be unsure of the team's purpose, how they fit in, and whether they'll work well with one another. They may be anxious, curious, or excited to get going. However they feel, they'll be looking to the team leader for direction.

This may take some time, as people get to know their new colleagues and one another's ways of working.

What Did Tuckman Mean by Storming?

In the storming stage, people start to push against the established boundaries. Conflict or friction can also arise between team members as their true characters – and their preferred ways of working – surface and clash with other people's.

At this stage team members may challenge your authority or management style, or even the team's mission. Left unchecked, this can lead to face-to-face confrontations or simmering online tensions.

If roles and responsibilities aren't yet clear, individuals might begin to feel overwhelmed by their workload or frustrated at a lack of progress.

How Do I Recognize the Norming Stage?

Gradually, the team moves into the norming stage. People start to resolve their differences, appreciate one another's strengths, and respect your authority as a leader.

Now that they know one another better, your team members will feel more comfortable asking for help and offering constructive feedback. They'll share a stronger commitment to the team's goals, and they should make good progress toward it.

What Does the Performing Stage Look Like?

Now your team is in flow and performing to its full potential. With hard work and structured processes, the team is likely to achieve its goals efficiently.

Judith Stein, from MIT's HR department, says of this stage, "Roles on the team may have become more fluid, with members taking on various roles and responsibilities as needed. Differences among members are appreciated and used to enhance the team's performance." [2]

What About Tuckman's Adjourning (or Mourning) Stage?

Many teams reach this stage naturally. For example, projects come to an end, or permanent teams are disbanded and people redeployed.

People who like routine, or who have developed close working relationships with colleagues, may find this time difficult.

Using the Forming, Storming, Norming, and Performing Tool

Follow the steps below to ensure that you're doing the right thing at the right time:

• Identify the stage that your team is at from the descriptions above.
• Consider what you need to do to move on to the next stage.
• Schedule regular reviews of where your team is at, and adjust your behavior and leadership approach accordingly.

Tuckman's model isn't a one-way street – teams may go back and forth between stages. When you hit the performing stage, keep observing your team's progress in case it slips back. For example, a new team member can disrupt the group dynamic, or a new business direction might mean you have to reevaluate your team roles and goals.

Leading Through the Forming, Storming, Norming, and Performing Stages

Forming to storming.

To establish clear objectives for the group at this first stage, create a team charter . And help team members to set personal goals so that they can see how their work will fit with the bigger picture.

The forming stage is also about people getting to know one another. If you're working remotely, try virtual onboarding exercises to forge a group bond and establish buy-in to your vision.

Storming to Norming

Storming can make or break a team, so it's essential that you establish processes to track the progress and success of tasks.

The group must also feel safe putting forward ideas. To build team trust , try asking for help on tasks. That way you'll encourage people to reflect on what they can offer and what they need from other team members.

Don't leave team conflict unchecked, but remember that a little friction can be a good thing – it might reveal inefficiencies for the group to fix together and, ultimately, lead to innovation.

But you may have to help quieter team members to have their say. To avoid louder individuals dominating face-to-face or virtual team meetings , ask for, and hear, everyone's point of view.

Norming to Performing

Get your team to bond further with face-to-face or virtual team-building exercises . These social connections are especially important right now, as more of us work from home. So, keep them up through the norming period and beyond.

Use your regular one-on-ones to encourage individuals to step back, review their goals, and take responsibility for them.

Performing to Adjourning

When the team has settled into the performing stage, you can focus on other goals and new areas to benefit the business. Free up more time for yourself – and boost team engagement – by delegating tasks and projects.

You should also make time for the group's personal development. Discuss with your team what opportunities and resources are available to them.

Adjourning (or Mourning)

Take the time to celebrate the team's achievements – having positive shared experiences will make it easier if you work with some of the same people again in the future.

If any team members feel uncertain about what's ahead, boost their confidence and career prospects by praising them at company meetings. And offer to provide LinkedIn recommendations and references if they're moving on.

You can also ask the group for 360-degree feedback to reflect, learn, and better manage future teams.

Psychologist Bruce Tuckman described how teams move through stages known as forming, storming, norming, and performing, and adjourning (or mourning).

You can use Tuckman's model to help your team to perform better. First, identify the stage your team is at, then use our tips to move them through the stages.

Remember, teams can slip back a stage, too. Use Tuckman's model to continually review where you team is at – and make any necessary changes to get back on course.

[1] Tuckman, B.W. (1965). 'Developmental Sequence in Small Groups,' Psychological Bulletin , 63(6). Available here .

[2] Stein, J. Using the Stages of Team Development  [online]. Available here . [Accessed 30 October 2020]

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3.1.1: 5 Stages of Group Development

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Stages of Team Development

This process of learning to work together effectively is known as team development. Research has shown that teams go through definitive stages during development. Bruce Tuckman, an educational psychologist, identified a five-stage development process that most teams follow to become high performing. He called the stages: forming, storming, norming, performing, and adjourning. Team progress through the stages is shown in the following diagram.

Most high-performing teams go through five stages of team development.

Forming stage

The forming stage involves a period of orientation and getting acquainted. Uncertainty is high during this stage, and people are looking for leadership and authority. A member who asserts authority or is knowledgeable may be looked to take control. Team members are asking such questions as “What does the team offer me?” “What is expected of me?” “Will I fit in?” Most interactions are social as members get to know each other.

Storming stage

The storming stage is the most difficult and critical stage to pass through. It is a period marked by conflict and competition as individual personalities emerge. Team performance may actually decrease in this stage because energy is put into unproductive activities. Members may disagree on team goals, and subgroups and cliques may form around strong personalities or areas of agreement. To get through this stage, members must work to overcome obstacles, to accept individual differences, and to work through conflicting ideas on team tasks and goals. Teams can get bogged down in this stage. Failure to address conflicts may result in long-term problems.

Norming stage

If teams get through the storming stage, conflict is resolved and some degree of unity emerges. In the norming stage, consensus develops around who the leader or leaders are, and individual member’s roles. Interpersonal differences begin to be resolved, and a sense of cohesion and unity emerges. Team performance increases during this stage as members learn to cooperate and begin to focus on team goals. However, the harmony is precarious, and if disagreements re-emerge the team can slide back into storming.

Performing stage

In the performing stage, consensus and cooperation have been well-established and the team is mature, organized, and well-functioning. There is a clear and stable structure, and members are committed to the team’s mission. Problems and conflicts still emerge, but they are dealt with constructively. (We will discuss the role of conflict and conflict resolution in the next section). The team is focused on problem solving and meeting team goals.

Adjourning stage

In the adjourning stage, most of the team’s goals have been accomplished. The emphasis is on wrapping up final tasks and documenting the effort and results. As the work load is diminished, individual members may be reassigned to other teams, and the team disbands. There may be regret as the team ends, so a ceremonial acknowledgement of the work and success of the team can be helpful. If the team is a standing committee with ongoing responsibility, members may be replaced by new people and the team can go back to a forming or storming stage and repeat the development process.

Team Norms and Cohesiveness

When you have been on a team, how did you know how to act? How did you know what behaviors were acceptable or what level of performance was required? Teams usually develop  norms  that guide the activities of team members. Team norms set a standard for behavior, attitude, and performance that all team members are expected to follow. Norms are like rules but they are not written down. Instead, all the team members implicitly understand them. Norms are effective because team members want to support the team and preserve relationships in the team, and when norms are violated, there is peer pressure or sanctions to enforce compliance.

Norms result from the interaction of team members during the development process. Initially, during the forming and storming stages, norms focus on expectations for attendance and commitment. Later, during the norming and performing stages, norms focus on relationships and levels of performance. Performance norms are very important because they define the level of work effort and standards that determine the success of the team. As you might expect, leaders play an important part in establishing productive norms by acting as role models and by rewarding desired behaviors.

Norms are only effective in controlling behaviors when they are accepted by team members. The level of  cohesiveness  on the team primarily determines whether team members accept and conform to norms. Team cohesiveness is the extent that members are attracted to the team and are motivated to remain in the team. Members of highly cohesive teams value their membership, are committed to team activities, and gain satisfaction from team success. They try to conform to norms because they want to maintain their relationships in the team and they want to meet team expectations. Teams with strong performance norms and high cohesiveness are high performing.

For example, the seven-member executive team at Whole Foods spends time together outside of work. Its members frequently socialize and even take group vacations. According to co-CEO John Mackey, they have developed a high degree of trust that results in better communication and a willingness to work out problems and disagreements when they occur. [1]

• Jennifer Alsever, Jessi Hempel, Alex Taylor III, and Daniel Roberts, “6 Great Teams that Take Care of Business,” Fortune, April 10, 2014,  http://fortune.com/2014/04/10/6-great-teams-that-take-care-of-business/   ↵

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• Stages of Team Development.  Authored by : John/Lynn Bruton and Lumen Learning.  License :  CC BY: Attribution
• Five Stages of Team Development.  Authored by : John/Lynn Bruton and Lumen Learning.  License :  CC BY: Attribution

Mastering the key stages of group development

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Reading time: about 7 min

Tuckman's stages of group development

• Forming: Team members first meet, learn their roles and responsibilities, and are cautious with their behavior as they try to assimilate with the group.
• Storming: Tensions rise as team members start to speak their minds and solidify their places within the group.
• Norming: Conflicts start to resolve, team members appreciate each other’s strengths, and respect for authority grows.
• Performing: The group functions together as a cohesive unit and without as much direction from the team leader.
• Adjourning:  The original goals of the team have been completed, and everyone can move on to new projects.

Think back to your high school days when you were assigned a group project in one of your classes. You were given a task to complete and then challenged to complete that task with other people (one of whom was definitely going to slack off and let the rest of the group handle the entire project). So many issues arose when the team started working together, and it seemed more trouble to function as a unit than as an individual.

That arrangement, with all its frustrations and triumphs, resembles the way teams function in business. In the worst cases, business teams can be as dysfunctional as miscreant teenagers, but in the best cases, they can go on to produce some of the most revolutionary ideas and world-changing products.

So how can you set your team up for the best case scenario?

In 1965, Dr. Bruce Tuckman published the Tuckman model, in which he detailed the stages of team development. Whether you are a manager or are simply one of the team, once you understand these stages of group development, you can help your group push past challenges and become a high-performing unit.

What are the stages of team formation?

Dr. Tuckman identified four (and later, five) stages of group development:

Each stage has its own characteristics and challenges ranging from the emotional to the logistical. Review what you can expect from each stage of team development.

The forming stage is marked by a mix of anxiety and hesitation (and potentially excitement for the work ahead). After all, this is the stage at which your team will first meet each other—they’ll be given a task and then faced with completing that task with near-perfect strangers.

During this stage, team members will be cautious with their behavior as they try to assimilate with the group. The real personalities of the team won’t be revealed until later; in the beginning, getting along with the rest of the team members is of primary importance.

Along with learning more about their colleagues, team members are also introduced to their roles and responsibilities. Managers or team leaders should help establish what the team is trying to accomplish and how they will work together. Typical outcomes are likely to include:

• An overview of the team’s purpose
• A review of team organization and accompanying responsibilities
• A rough project outline and schedules
• General group rules (how the team should communicate and how often they should meet)
• An investigation of available resources

Team leaders may want to use visuals, such as swimlane diagrams and process flows, with everyone’s roles and responsibilities clearly outlined. Such visuals can be easily distributed to the group and can prevent arguments and confusion.

Once the group members become more familiar with one another, the next stage of group development begins.

This stage is aptly named, as it is here that tensions first arise. The storming stage is marked by competition and conflict. Here, team members are starting to speak their minds and solidifying their places within the group, which means that power struggles may arise and cliques may form within the group. And, if team members don’t feel their responsibilities are clearly defined by this point, they may feel overwhelmed and stressed.

In order to withstand the storming stage, it’s important for the team to remain focused on its goals and desired outcomes. Otherwise, the group is likely to become mired in relationships and emotional issues and never progress to completing the actual task.

If you’re a manager, you can help the storming stage resolve and progress by negotiating compromises among team members. Compromising during the storming stage resolves conflict and pushes the team to forward. Facilitate team discussions and remind team members to be respectful of others’ opinions and comments.

If you’ve visualized team hierarchy and processes during the forming stage, you can use those visuals to reiterate how team members should be working together.

The norming stage is the quiet after the storm. During this stage, conflicts start to resolve, team members appreciate each other’s strengths, and respect for authority grows. Team members are also less dependent on the team leader to provide direction and make decisions—they start working together and helping each other to achieve the team’s goals.

It’s important to note that, since you’re dealing with humans, there’s no way to fast-forward to this stage because your team needs time to become comfortable with each other. Trust takes time, and often bonds arise out of conflict, so the storming stage is actually necessary to develop the kind of cohesiveness that propels successful groups forward.

The group development stages aren’t as linear as they appear on paper. After all, it’s not like the group shows up to the office one day and decides unanimously to peacefully progress to the norming stage. Sometimes your group may revert back to behavior from the storming stage. Sometimes there’s overlap between the storming and norming stage. And sometimes the storming stage seems to last for much longer than is necessary. Keep to the project’s timeline and keep referring to the organizational tools you’ve developed.

This is where the real alchemy happens. At the performing stage, the group is functioning together as a cohesive unit. The team has a shared vision and can function without the leader’s interference. It’s here that the group has learned how to resolve conflicts when they arise, and if changes need to occur, they’re implemented well. Structures and processes are now second nature.

As a team manager, you can delegate your work without having to micromanage its completion. This stage is more about fine-tuning and development.

What’s this—a fifth stage?

In 1975, Bruce Tuckman added a fifth stage to his Forming Storming Norming Performing model. Adjourning is the natural break-up of the group. This stage occurs when the original task of the group is completed and everyone can move on to new goals.

This fifth stage gives rise to a kind of mourning. By this time, the group has worked closely with one another and has developed relationships; it’s natural for feelings of insecurity to arise and for some to even feel threatened by the change.

As a team leader, it’s your job to help the group navigate through these insecurities and emotions and prepare for the next group formation and leadership successor. No matter what, it’s important to celebrate the team’s achievements and give them the opportunity to say good-bye to each other.

Helpful hints

As a manager, you’re now familiar with the 5 stages of group development, but your team likely isn’t.

Prepare your team for each stage, and use tools like Lucidchart to outline their roles and responsibilities throughout the journey. Keeping visual guidelines throughout the process is vital for maintaining the integrity of your team and avoiding conflict and confusion. Since Lucidchart is a cloud-based platform, you can easily update the progress of your project as it changes so everyone stays on the same page.

The best groups have an innate understanding of their processes and structure, but that innate understanding only comes after the processes and structure have been articulated. Lucidchart is the perfect solution, as flowcharts and other visuals are easily understood and can be immediately accessed by anyone in your group.

It’s one thing to be given a task and quite another to get a group to successfully complete that task. However, the stages of group development can show you how to navigate the dynamics of group projects, so you can successfully guide your team to becoming an autonomous, functional unit that produces beautiful work.

Lucidchart, a cloud-based intelligent diagramming application, is a core component of Lucid Software's Visual Collaboration Suite. This intuitive, cloud-based solution empowers teams to collaborate in real-time to build flowcharts, mockups, UML diagrams, customer journey maps, and more. Lucidchart propels teams forward to build the future faster. Lucid is proud to serve top businesses around the world, including customers such as Google, GE, and NBC Universal, and 99% of the Fortune 500. Lucid partners with industry leaders, including Google, Atlassian, and Microsoft. Since its founding, Lucid has received numerous awards for its products, business, and workplace culture. For more information, visit lucidchart.com.

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