5 Stages of Team Growth & Development

While this model has been around for a long time, it still holds up today.

Forming. Team members become acquainted with one another. Ground rules are established and tasks assigned. Everyone is typically very polite.

Storming. Members start to express their own views, needs, and perspectives. Leadership struggles and interpersonal conflict begins. Conflict can be healthy at this stage. 

Listening and finding mutually acceptable resolutions to the conflict is important.

Norming. Team members make an effort to find out what standards of performance are acceptable and to reconcile their differences. The team is able to concentrate more on work and make significant progress.

Performing. Team members have discovered and accepted each other’s strengths and weaknesses, and learned what their roles are. Team meetings are more animated and everyone can present their own views and feel respected and heard.

Adjourning. At some point almost all teams are disbanded, whether their task is completed or a team member leaves. In this stage there is a celebration and recognition of the group achievement. For continuous work teams, higher performance levels may be developed. Continuous work teams may revert to prior stages when new people are added to the team.