The Four Stages In Tuckman's Team Development Process

As a business management and information technology student it is important to learn , know, understand, master project management, as a prospective manager, one will be required to be involved in a project as a team member or project leader. In this assignment the writer is going to describe the team development process also highlighting the role of a project leader in each process stage. Therefore it is of paramount importance to understand how to form and manage a team in a project in order to reach the desired project goal at the end of the project.

There are different types of models for forming teams for projects. There is the Tuckmans model which originally had four stages but now has five stages which are forming, storming, norming,

In the forming stage, this is the stage were team members are getting to know each other, their strength and weaknesses, exchanging information and also testing each other. Team members at this stage are trying to figure out and understand how they fit in to the team who will lead and coordinate them. They are usually looking to the project manager for clarity and direction. Raluca Zoltan and Romulus Vacea say that “The duration of the first stage of group development is uncertain, but it depends on a series of factors related to the group composition, to management accountability and to task which group has to carry out. Leader qualities are a factor that can shorten or, conversely, may extend substantially the duration of forming phase. If the leader is an extrovert that exhibits consideration for group members and creates a pleasant interaction environment within the group, the duration of forming stage can be reduced, the leader acting as a “binder” for the group.” The role of the project leader at this stage is to be very clear about the projects goals and provide a clear direction for the project. The project leader at this stage has to work with the team to establish team norms for working

At this stage the individuals in the team are beginning to see how they form a team, how to work together effectively and have set rules and group norms to work by. They have learned how to resolve their differences of opinion and are becoming much more comfortable with each other, trusting each other to get the job done. This stage usually takes 4 – 12 months. For example a most European football teams have individuals from different nationalities and when they are at this stage that’s when they start linking together and understanding each other’s unique skills they bring to the game of football hence leading to a well organized and efficient running team. The project leader’s role at this stage is being less involved in the everyday team decision making and problem solving since the team members are now working well together and take on responsibility in these areas. The project leader just has to continue ensuring that the team resolves conflicts quickly and continues to work united, stepping in as needed to ensure the team keeps moving in the right direction.

Performing being the fourth stage in the process, at this stage the team is performing consistently at a high level. The team is now focused on reaching the project goals as a team. The individual does not exist, the team members are interdependent. They can solve problems on their own and do not rely on the project leader for day-to-day oversight of the team. The