Editorial

Citation

Wing, L.S. (2001), "Editorial", Team Performance Management, Vol. 7 No. 1/2. https://doi.org/10.1108/tpm.2001.13507aaa.001

Editorial

In the last issue of Team Performance Management (Vol. 6 No. 7/8, 2000), I discussed Tuckman's "stages" of team development, describing how team behavior changes over time. To refresh your memory, Tuckman (1965) described five stages of team development: forming, storming, norming, performing, and adjourning. We began our review of Tuckman's seminal work by describing the "forming" stage in team development theory.

In these first issues of 2001, the authors included here describe behaviors characteristic of the "storming" and "norming" stages. The "storming" phase is characterized by the emergence of conflict. The conflict may be related to the mission, goals, other members and leadership, as members begin to question the team charter and to find ways to demonstrate their points of view. According to Gilbertson and Ramchandani (1999), there are actions that a team leader can take to help a team during the storming stage:

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  Watch for fight, flight, and submission. Of the three, try to encourage direct conflict, because it is easier to manage in the long run.

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  Draw all members into the conversation.

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  Seek opposing views.

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  Listen carefully.

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  Clarify and paraphrase positions.

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  Summarize to determine areas of agreement.

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  Allow for compromise.

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  Use a coaching style of leadership.

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  Be able to clarify the team's mission, tasks and goals.

The creation of team ground rules at this stage in team development will assist in the creation of a framework for handling those conflictual issues which inevitably arise.

The "norming" stage is characterized by co-operation and attempts to achieve maximum harmony by collectively avoiding conflict. Gilbertson and Ramchandani (1999) suggest that during this "norming" stage team leaders should:

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  Watch for conflict avoidance or agreement for the sake of agreement.

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  Confront conflict in private.

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  Check in with members individually to get viewpoints that may not be reflected in the group; remember that individuals behave differently when influenced by the group.

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  Give rewards and recognition to encourage task accomplishment.

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  Have accurate, up-to-date information on external conditions affecting the work of the team.

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  Use a supporting, non-directive leadership style.

Communicating between meetings to be sure that communication channels are working will assist in the "norming" stage. Updating and otherwise revisiting team project plans will ensure that the plan the team has agreed to is current, useful and understood.

When working with team development, an objective assessment of where the team is in its development will help the team leader choose the leadership techniques necessary to help the team move through its task. The team leader who is mindful of the needs of the team at any point in its development will enhance the team's ability to accomplish its goal.

Linda S. WingEditorlwing@usinternet.com

References

Gilbertson, B. and Ramchandani, V. (1999), Developing Effective Teams, Amherst H. Wilder Foundation, St Paul, MN.Tuckman, B.W. (1965), "Development sequence in small groups", Psychological Bulletin, No. 63, pp. 384-99.