Tuckman's Stages

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As we have been chosen to head up our department in a company merger, we have described how we will become a team through the stages of growth as well as how we will resolve conflict.
The first four stages of team growth were developed by Bruce Wayne Tuchman. This was published in 1965. “Tuckman’s Stages” were formed because Tuckman believed “that these stages are inevitable in order for a team to grow to the point where they are functioning effectively together and delivering high quality results.” Forming, storming, norming and performing are all crucial steps in making a team successful. In 1977, Tuckman and Mary Ann Jensen added a fifth stage, the adjourning stage. (P) Just because there are several talented people in a group together …show more content…

As a team they learn what the challenges will be and what is expect of them. As a newly formed team, the members will decide on roles and ground rules. As this stage, the leader needs to be direct and understand the goals for the team to move through each stage successfully (The Team Building Directory). During this times deadlines, member’s skills, backgrounds, and interests should be discussed. Team members should familiarize themselves with each other. “During this stage, the team will probably not be very productive yet because this stage focuses more on the people than the task at hand” (5 STAGES OF TEAM DEVELOPMENT). This is where the team leader or the management staff that will be overseeing the team, start looking for team members to add to the team. It isn’t as easy as just selecting random people from within the organization or just asking people to sign up and allowing those people to start. The leader must select individuals who have a specific background or experience level that will allow for the team to be effective and collaborative. The leader plays their biggest role in this stage as well once the team is formed. The team members are still getting to know each other and are learning about the project. The leader must be able to push the team forward and help the members of the team figure out their roles. This stage could take some time because it could take longer for some members …show more content…

The team is in unison with the goals that are set. There are still problems but when the team comes together to express the differences and work toward resolving the issue, it is certainly leading to the next step in team development. Dysfunctional conflict will hinder the team development: goals will not be reached, thus making the team split because consensus is not obtained. Dysfunctional conflict, if not resolved immediately, will hinder the team performance. There are 2 types of conflicts. Task conflict occurs during brainstorming, which is where most conflicts begin. The team comes up with ideas and then everyone agrees or disagrees with the idea. The person whose idea is rejected may have hurt feelings or may still feel the rejected idea is still the best answer. This type of conflict can be resolved easily by openly discussing the issue involved. The relationship conflict involves personality clash. This is termed a dysfunctional conflict. This type of conflict is not as easily resolved. Two personality clash, for example both trying to take control of the meeting, both personalities are aggressive. The third step is the Process conflict which involves who is responsible for what part of the project and how it will be done. The process conflict should be easy to resolve and contain once brainstorming is

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