Team development for high performance

Abstract

This article deals with the people perspective of project management. When different people must work together in a team different workflows, norms and challenges will occur. The team members will all have different views on tasks and how they should be solved. The traditional project management consists of methodologies revolving technical and procedural factors, but even with those very well-established frameworks, projects can be failures. The behavior of people in a team is one of the factors that drive successful project management.. If the people do not work effectively together, the chances for success and reaching the goals are extremely limited. To reach an effectively workflow and a high preforming team, it is important to consider the different types of personalities and how they affect each other. All members of a team, especially the team leader, should have in mind that different people have different characteristics and a preference for certain types of work and roles in the project..

The project management should follow the project team’s development through their time together on a project. As the team forms it will move through several stages as it changes from being a collection of random people into a team and eventually into a high performing team. The development can be described in five stages. Bruce W. Tuckman's work describes these stages as Forming, Storming, Norming, Performing and Adjourning.. These stages are essential in order to grow into a functioning effectively team, which can deliver high quality results. Although this is not a new way of thinking, it is still highly relevant and respected. Also, the model remains popular and useful to project management, as it provides valuable strategies to lead and develop the team. The theory can provide insight into what stage of development the team is at and how a leader should be able to manage the team and motivate them to be as high performing as possible.

Team development in relation to project management

The PMI Talent Triangle®. Project Management Institute. www.pmi.org

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Bruce W. Tuckman's model for team development can be applied for the role of the project manager according to the standard “A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge”, which is dealing with leaders and managers applying project management practices and tools to their work. The standard describes a framework for the skills needed by project managers through the use of The PMI Talent Triangle®. The talent triangle focuses on three key skill sets: Technical project management, Strategic and business management, and Leadership.

The model for team development is important to the leadership aspect. The project manager plays a critical role in the leadership of a project team in order to achieve the project’s objectives. A large part of the project management involves dealing with people. The project manager should study people’s behaviors and motivations to lead the team to obtain the goals. The leadership skills involve the ability to guide, motivate, and direct a team. These skills may include demonstrating essential capabilities such as negotiation, communication, problem solving and critical thinking. The team leader should be able to manage relationships and conflict by building trust, satisfying concerns, and developing personal and professional networks.

With these tasks to solve, fulfill and deliver, it is essential for the project manager to be concerned about the project team’s development through the project’s lifetime. The team leader should expect change and need to implement processes to manage the team members and keep the change in control.

Groups, Teams and High Performing Teams

The intention of developing the team is to reach the projects goals in the best possible way. When working in teams the overall performance and the final result will be improved. Some of the other purposes and benefits of working in a team are faster innovation, increase work flexibility, introduction of new technology and by motivation increase the members participation.

A group is identified by having individual goals and each member of a group is there to fulfil their own objectives. The members interact, exchange information, and share a common purpose, interest, or situation. The members of a group are not reliant on one another for their work, and so the final result is the sum of the work of each individual.

A team is organized and consists of individuals with competent skills and expertise, to achieve a common goal. Every individual in a team, is allocated specific roles to accomplish and together the members work as a single unit and take up the responsibility for the mutual project. Members rely on each other’s capabilities and skills and the collaboration is based on trust.

To reach the scope of the project it is important to form a team that can solve the task together. Often as quickly and with the lowest possible costs. To accomplish this, it will be easier if the team works well together and therefore can be as effective as possible. Therefor a team is more preferrable then a group.

Tuckman’s model for Team Development

The above issues seen in project work and in teams are described by Bruce Wayne Tuckman’s model for Team Development. In 1965 Tuckman published this theory in his article “Developmental Sequence in Small Groups” . At this time the theory consisted of only four stages: Forming, Storming, Norming and Performing. In 1977, Tuckman was invited to review his original work with Mary Ann Jensen. They validated the original work and added a fifth stage called Adjourning. Some practitioners and also Tuckman himself preferred to use the term “Mourning”, to fulfill the rhymes in the names of the stages, but also because it will remind the team about the emotional impact of separation when the project come to an end.

The theory can be used to identify issues in the team and understand why changes in the dynamic and the workflow occurs. The model for team development is a helpful theory to understand the team’s behavior during the process. When using Tuckman's model and then recognizing the stages, the leader will be able to help the team to become effective faster and reach the state of high-performance.

Forming

The first stage is the forming stage where team members meet and are introduced to each other. The individuals are both exited and curious for what the teamwork will bring, but also unsure of the purpose of the project and how they will fit into the team and workflow. Most people are positive and polite and makes an effort to get to know each other. Everyone shares information about their backgrounds, interests, and experience to form first impressions. This may take some time, for people to get to know their new team members and other's way of working. For the first meetings the projects goals will be discussed, and the members will think about their own role in the team. The team members will be looking to the team leader for direction. At this stage it is very important for the team leader to be clear about the common goals and provide clear direction regarding the project. No one knows their role or responsibilities yet, and the norms are not set. .

Storming

Most teams will go to the next stage. At the storming stage people start to push against the established boundaries. The members go from polite into conflicts around personalities and workstyles. This will lead to frustration about the different approaches and some members avoid taking tasks and some will even question the projects goal. For team members who avoid conflicts, this is a difficult stage to go through. The individual members might begin to feel overwhelmed by their workload or frustrated about the lack of progress, which can be caused by the not entirely set roles. Anyhow, this stage is not avoidable for a team who has never worked together before. The conflicts and disagreement are necessary for developing. With guidance of the team leader, the team will learn how to solve problems together and respect their differences and ideas. The team leader will have to coach some members to be more assertive and other to be less. However, some teams do not move beyond this stage. In that case the entire project is made during conflict and low morale and lack of motivation, which will make it difficult to get the project completed and reach the goals.

Norming

In the norming stage an increasing acceptance of the other team members are introduced. The team are recognizing that the variety of opinions and experiences makes the project greater. People start to resolve their differences and appreciate the members different strengths and qualifications. The team begin to trust each other and actively seek for assistance and input from the other members to work towards the common goal. Constructive criticism is now possible. During the norming stage, members shift their energy to the project's goals and show an increase in productivity. However, the team leader may have to step in if the team gets stuck. The team leader should always try to ensure that members are working collaboratively and can begin to function as supporting to the members of the team and thereby empowering the behaviors. Along this stage the authority as a leader is respected by the team.

Performing

When the team is in the performing stage, they are functioning at a very high level and the team makes significant progress towards its goals. The focus is on reaching the goal as a group and doing it without friction. Now the members trust and rely on each other. This means the team share insights into the project’s progress and are aware of their own and each other's strengths and weaknesses. The members do all feel satisfaction in the team's effectiveness. At this stage, the roles in the team can become more fluid, because the members take on various roles and responsibilities if needed. There is a high commitment to the project and the team. The high-performing team functions without oversight and the team members have become interdependent. The team is highly motivated to get the job done and can make decisions and problem solving effectively. Therefore, it now becomes easier for the project manager to take on other organizational tasks. The project manager is not anymore involved in decision making or other activities involving the day-to-day work. However, it is still important that the team leader continue to monitor the progress of the team and celebrate milestone achievements as well as setting new milestones to continue the development of the team.

Tuckmans five stages of team development.

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Adjourning

Often the team reach the last stage naturally when projects come to an end or permanent teams are separated. The people who like routine or who have developed close working relationships with colleagues, may find this time difficult. They may be feeling an uncertainty about their individual role or future responsibilities and even a sense of loss about the changes coming to the team. On the other hand, team members may feel deep satisfaction at the accomplishments of the team and reaching the projects goals. The team leader should ensure to celebrate the success of the project or if it was not a successful project, then evaluate what happened and capture lessons learned for future projects. The members will be looking back to the beginning of the project and noticing how far they have come and measuring what their contribution has been to the whole. At this stage there should be time for reflection and evaluation..

Attract, engage and integrate to develop the team

Before setting up a team and before the first meeting, this model can help the project manager to anticipate how the team may evolve. By knowing the different stages and what characterizes them, it is possible to use the leadership style that suits the current stage of the development. For a project manager the model is a helpful theory to understand the team’s behavior and helps to explain why conflicts arise. By understanding the root of the conflict, it is easier to solve the problem. If first the stages are recognized, the leader will be able to help the team to become effective faster and reach the state of high-performance. It is important to know that no team can be fully effective unless it reaches the performing stage.

The following dots can help the project manager to use the model and outlines the keys focus areas.

Steps for the project manager:

• Recognize the stages before setting up the first team meeting
• Identify the current stage
• Chose the right leadership style for this stage: e.g. direct, coach, support etc.
• Develop the team through the stages to reach a high preforming team

For developing the team, the project managers key focus areas are: Attracting, engaging, and integrating.

To do this the project manager should:

• Provide psychology safety for the people in the team. If this is achieved, the people will be willing to perform and to take risks in a team. The manager need to see the team member as people, and not only as resources. In that way people will be integrated as a team and feel free to ask questions, take responsibility and rely on the leader and each other.
• Secure strong impacts. The team member needs to be able to see their impact. Elsewise the motivation will decrease and the efficiency too.
• Create change. The members need to see the purpose of the project. The project needs strong and ambitious goals in order to see progress towards the goal.
• Provide personal rewarding. The people need to feel that the project and the team gives a meaning to themselves. It is important for them to be motivated.
• Structure and make clarity. Teamwork needs clear frames in order to make different people share information, collaborate and solve problems together.

Situational Leaderhips.

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To motivate the team, the project manager can:

• Include the team in planning activities
• Reward and acknowledge
• Show interest for the individual
• Celebrate achievements
• Show your commitment through words and action

According to the different stages, also different leadership should be applied. The model is a part of a growing awareness, that the project success depends upon the relationships between its people. The theory relates to Hersey and Blanchard’s well known Situational Leadership model and contributes towards team development and team building today.

For the individual person in the team, the leader can use Situational Leadership, which advises the manager to use telling, selling, participating, and delegating styles depending on the task, relationships, and employee readiness. A project manager can use one of four forms of leadership. The different situations are defined based on which task to be performed and how willing the person is to perform the task. In the early stages of a team, the leader will have to direct the team members. At the forming stage people want to be told what to do and what to concern about, because at this stage no one knows a lot about the project. When moving to the storming stage the leader will have to coach the team and show some people the goals of the project in order to reduce the frustration. In the norming stage people will need to be supported by their leader, but there is no longer need for a strict management. Finally, at the performing stage, the members manage the team and their work almost by themselves.

Limitations to the model for team development

It is found that Bruce W. Tuckman’s model for team development is important to the leadership aspect. From the existing theory presented in the standards, it is found that the project manager should provide direction and presenting the vision of success for the project. The project manager should use soft skills as interpersonal skills and the ability to manage people, for then to balance the conflicting and competing goals. The model for team development can be used to developing the team, but also to develop the project manager to be more aware of his or her abilities to develop a team and develop themselves as a leader with multiple tools and insight.

Although the model for team development has some limitations. The model is reaching for a high preforming team, but there are also some disadvantages of forming a team. First of all, it takes a long time to get to know each other and for then to perform very well. This means that if a project has a very short timeframe, the team will never get to the last stages. It may be worth considering whether you want a team or a group. A group will not spend time getting to know each other, but will work individually to get an overall project result eventually. A group takes much less time to design and get started with. Another disadvantages of a team, is when removing a person and taking a new one in the team, there will be a new synergy and the chance for staying in the performance stage decreases.

The development of the team is related to how high performing and how efficient they can be. Time and the ability to work together plays a role. Even if a competent team is formed it can be dysfunctional, which can be caused by a lack of trust, fear of conflict, low commitment, avoidance of accountability, inattention to results and/or personality clashes. The dysfunctionality can occur in some stages of a team’s development and can over time be turned into a good workflow and understanding between the members.

The model has not taken the time perspective into account and predict the stages as continuous. Although it is very difficult to say how long time the team will be at one stage or if the stages will be stretched over a longer period. Also, the stages are blur in reality and they tend to overlap and blend into one another. The stages of the team development do not always follow a linear progression. Some teams do not move to the higher stages of effectiveness and other are going back and forth in the stages. Some teams do even stop at the storming stage and will never develop from here. They adopt this way of working and it become the baseline for the hole projects lifecycle, although this may lead to unproductive work.

Even if the team is in the norming or performing stage, there is a possibility that the team may revert back to another stage. If there are significant changes in the project or in the team, it is possible to return to an earlier stage until they are able to manage through the change. It can be caused by one of the members starts working independently or if a new member joins the team. Also, large changes can occur in the external environment and can lead the team to cycle back to an earlier stage. While working as a high-performing team it is not the end of the team’s development. There is still a need for the team to focus on both process, product and setting new goals to maintain the efficiency. Lack of motivation or personal challenge for team members can cause a decline and will affect the team’s efficiency.

Conclusion and further work

The model for team development by Tuckman can be used to identify issues in the team and understand why changes in the dynamic and the workflow occurs. The theory is helpful for a project manager to understand the team’s behavior during the process. When using Tuckman's model and then recognizing the stages, the leader will be able to help the team to become effective faster and reach the state of high-performance. To make a high performing team there must be commonly defined and ambitious goals and values. The team must be motivated for a good work discipline in relation to the community. Both the individual efforts and the team achievements must be rewarded by the members. Only then a common synergy is achieved in the project team. This can be done by attracting, engaging, and integrating the team members. To do this motivation theory and the Situational leadership can be used and further investigated.

Annotated Bibliography

Andrzej Huczynski, David A. Buchanan (2017), Organizational Behaviour, Ninth Edition.

Organizational Behaviour is a textbook aimed at students and professionals who want a broad introduction to the field. Content about groups and teams in the organization, concerning group structure, individuals in a group and teamwork. It provides a wide range of features enable the reader to understand the dynamics of human behavior at work and encourage regular reflection on the theory and context of contemporary organizational life.

Gareth R. Jones & Jennifer M. George (2016), Contemporary Management Ninth Edition, Mc Graw Hill Education.

The book includes general concepts and real-life examples around management. It provides the most current and up-to-date account of the changes taking place in the world of business management. It consists of aspects of leading individual and groups and explains further the sources of motivation and performance as well as leadership and effectiveness of groups and teams.

Amber Yang, Review of tuckman's model by Denise A. Bonebrigh (2009)

The article describes 40 years of storming: a historical review of Tuckman’s model of small group development by Denise A. Bonebrigh (2009). The article put the theory in a time related context and looks at the development of the model through the different decades. It looks at the model in practice and in theory and discusses the further limitations.

Example of Moving Through the Five Stages of Group Development, Project-management.com (2020)

This site gives a clear example of how to recognize the different stages and how people with different roles and competencies affect each other. It is written by Gina Abudi, who has over 15 years consulting experience in a variety of areas, including project management, process management, leadership development, succession planning, high potential programs. Gina received her MBA from Simmons Graduate School of Management.

Developing and Sustaining High-Performance Work Teams, Society for Human Resource Management

This article explores the factors required for a high-performance work team. It describes the team though the content about the vary in duration, purpose and ultimate goals, organizations commonly and establish five types of teams to achieve work goals. One of the teams can be a virtual team, who never meet face to face. This section is relevant according to the COVID-situation.

Motivation, Situational Leadership, and the theory about dysfunctional teams

These theories provide hands on material for project managers.

Bruce W. Tuckman and Mary Ann C. Jensen, Stages of Small-Group Development Revisited