When managing a team, it is essential to understand and be able to recognize the team’s dynamics and evolution. Just as any sports team or collaborative project group, IT teams go through distinct phases, and recognizing where your team stands is the key to moving them toward the best performance.
These phases, articulated by Bruce W. Tuckman, are a foundational framework for team development: forming, storming, norming, and performing.
1️⃣Forming:
✨Behaviors: As a new project/initiative kicks off, members often feel a mix of excitement and uncertainty. They're eager to know where they fit into the grand scheme.
💫Actions: Begin with clear, comprehensive meetings. Define project goals, assign roles, establish internal processes, and set expectations for the end product. Clearly communicate all these ideas to the team, not just capture them on paper.
2️⃣Storming:
✨Behaviors: Once the work begins, the team's focus may shift from project goals to concerns about progress and challenges.
💫Action: To navigate this storm, break the project into manageable milestones. Demonstrate tangible progress step by step. Engage in one-on-one sessions with team members to address concerns and listen to the ideas team members have.
3️⃣Norming:
✨Behaviors: In this phase, team members start feeling like a cohesive unit. Their individual expectations align with the project's goals, creating an atmosphere where ideas flow freely and good solutions emerge.
💫Action: Keep the positive momentum going by scheduling regular team meetings. Recognize achievements and collaboratively explore ways to enhance the team's overall performance.
4️⃣Performing:
✨Behaviors: At the performing stage, the team experiences the satisfaction of a job well done. Confidence abounds, and individual roles become less distinct as a collective "can-do" attitude takes hold. Team members support one another in resolving challenges.
💫Action: It's time to assess and celebrate the project's accomplishments. Continue to invest in the team's development, refine skills, and foster a culture of continual improvement.
In team management and product development, the path through these team dynamics isn't always a linear path. However, by identifying your team's current stage and taking purposeful actions, you can guide them toward peak performance and help your team deliver the best results.
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