In this chapter, we will examine the evolution, forming, storming, and norming of high performing teams. There are a number of things we need to be aware of with respect to project team dynamics. The first is that team member dynamics will change over time. Different people can assume different roles. Some people can emerge over time to be strong team leaders or facilitators. People will get to know one another better, particularly as they move into the norming phase of team development. The other thing that happens is that the nature of the work evolves over time, and things may get more challenging as our project progresses. Strong leadership is very important and critical for high performance. The manager’s role is not to manage, but to consciously lead the process by guiding people, managing performance, and ensuring that we have good stakeholder communication. The manager also helps to resolve breakdowns in communication, and addresses any conflicts that might arise in our groups as well. We are going to explore each of the stages of team development a bit more closely, starting with the forming phase. As we put people together for the very first time, we’re not confident, right? Many of us may be anxious, not sure why we’re here. Or maybe even upset we’ve been asked to drop other work or add new tasks to the work we’re already doing. It’s during this phase that we begin to formalize team roles and define the responsibilities of the team members. The team leader or facilitator is critical at this stage, because their leadership is important to how successfully the team is going to come together. The facilitator and the team leader need to pay attention to the process, make sure that the structure is clear, and act in a directive manner at the beginning of the team building process. Over time, their behavior can change as a team dynamic begins to evolve.
The storming stage is highly creative, and we may start to experience some friction. We may have some disagreements. People are trying to figure things out, and we may begin to encounter differing work styles and different ideas. This is where conflicts are likely to arise. If we don’t have careful facilitation by the team leader to move things forward and keep everything on the same page, we have a risk of failure. While storming is a normal step in the progression of team development, we need to avoid stagnating in this area of low productivity and high conflict. The team leader’s role is absolutely critical here. They must coach and guide the team. Ground rules should be established, a code of honor that includes how we are going to treat each other and talk with one another in a productive and supportive way. The team must remain focused on the endgame, and the common goals and objectives. If we do those things, we can move out of storming and begin moving on to the important norming stage. In the norming phase, things really begin to gel. Collaboration comes together. We begin to see each other’s points of view and become more cohesive. We begin to understand our purpose as individuals and as a team. The norming phase includes higher productivity as conflicts are resolved and the team members become more comfortable with each other. It’s during this phase that the team leader can finally take a little breath and take a little step back, and let the team members take more responsibility for the process and the resulting actions.