Team Lifecycle

1. Forming

2. Storming

3. Norming

4. Performing

5. Adjourning

Forming

Typical actions

Team member introductions

State why they were chosen or volunteered for the team

State what they hope to accomplish within the team.

Members cautiously explore the boundaries of acceptable group behavior.

Transition from individual to member status

Testing the leader's guidance both formally and informally.

Storming

Typical Actions Transition from the "As-Is" to the "To-Be” Members emphasis own ideas about team process Personal agendas become important Realization that tasks that are ahead are different

and more difficult than they previously imagined. Impatient about lack of progress Rely solely on their personal and professional

experience Resist collaborating with most other team members

Norming

Typical Actions Reaches a consensus on the "To-Be" process Everyone wants to share the newly found focus Enthusiasm is high Tempted to go beyond the original scope of the process. Members reconcile competing loyalties and

responsibilities Emotional conflict is reduced Transition from competitive to cooperative relationships Accept ground rules, roles, and the individuality of fellow

members

Performing

Typical Actions Team settled its relationships and

expectations. Begin performing by diagnosing, problem

solving, and implementing changes. Discovered and accepted other's strengths

and weakness. Learned what their roles are

Adjourning

Typical Actions Team briefs and shares the improved

process during the this phase. Bittersweet sense of accomplishment Reluctance to say good-bye

Facilitation and Team Development

Professor Maja Husar Holmes

American University, Washington D.C.

Additional comments from Maja A couple of things to remember about the team lifecycle:

1) Most teams try to initially avoid the storming phase (out of fear or think they are too good to go through it), but I guarantee if individuals in the team have a stake in the process/outcome then they will have to successfully go through a storming phase to reach the stages. 

2) It is not necessarily a straight process, in other words, you may go through storming and norming and come back to storming (because you did not adequately storm)

3) The team lifecycle also highlights how the roles of the individuals change as they progress through the lifecycle.  For example, at the beginning they need more hand holding but towards the end they establish their own norms.