Key Takeaways
- Every successful team progresses through five (fifth was added years later) distinct developmental stages: forming, storming, norming, and performing—understanding these stages helps leaders anticipate challenges and guide their teams effectively.
- The forming stage is characterized by politeness and uncertainty, while the storming stage involves necessary conflict that, when managed properly, strengthens team relationships and clarifies roles.
- Teams in the norming stage develop stronger bonds and establish effective workflows, while performing teams demonstrate high autonomy and exceptional productivity.
- Team regression between stages is normal and often triggered by organizational changes, new members, or shifting priorities—having strategies to address these setbacks is essential.
- TeamBuildr's collaborative platforms and coaching services can help accelerate your team's journey through these developmental stages with specialized tools for each phase.
Understanding how teams develop isn't just academic knowledge—it's the secret weapon that separates exceptional leaders from average ones. When you can recognize which stage your team is in, you can adapt your leadership approach to meet their exact needs at the right time. Think of team development stages as a map that guides you through the territory of human collaboration.
In 1965, psychologist Bruce W. Tuckman introduced a model that has since become a cornerstone in understanding team dynamics: the Forming–Storming–Norming–Performing model. Tuckman proposed that teams go through these four distinct stages as they evolve, each with its own challenges and milestones. Understanding these stages can help leaders and team members navigate the complexities of collaboration more effectively.
At TeamBuildr, they've helped thousands of teams navigate these critical developmental phases, and we've seen firsthand how awareness of these stages transforms struggling groups into high-performing teams. Our research shows that leaders who understand these stages can reduce team conflicts by up to 30% and increase productivity by as much as 25%.
The model we're discussing was first developed by psychologist Bruce Tuckman in 1965, but its relevance has only increased in today's complex and often virtual work environments. Let's explore each stage and discover practical strategies to help your team reach its full potential.
Why Team Development Stages Matter for Your Success
Imagine building a house without understanding the construction process. You might eventually end up with a structure, but it would take longer, cost more, and likely have serious structural problems. The same applies to teams. Without knowledge of how teams naturally develop, leaders often make critical mistakes: pushing for performance before building trust, avoiding necessary conflicts, or failing to adjust their leadership style as the team matures. For more insights on effective leadership strategies, explore sustainable value creation for leaders.
Teams that successfully progress through all development stages report 50% higher engagement levels and 35% better retention rates. This isn't surprising when you consider that humans crave both psychological safety and meaningful progress—elements that properly navigated team development provides.
Understanding these stages also helps normalize the challenges teams face. When a new team experiences its first major disagreement, team members who understand the storming stage recognize this as normal rather than a sign of failure. This awareness alone can prevent unnecessary escalation and keep the team moving forward.
The Forming Stage: When Your Team First Comes Together
The forming stage marks the beginning of your team's journey together. During this initial phase, team members are typically polite, somewhat reserved, and focused on making good first impressions. There's an atmosphere of excitement mixed with uncertainty as everyone tries to figure out their place within the group and understand what's expected of them.
In this stage, team members tend to rely heavily on the designated leader for direction and answers. They're searching for clarity about goals, roles, and how decisions will be made. It's common to see members sharing professional backgrounds and some personal information, but discussions generally remain surface-level as trust hasn't yet been established.
AKA The Honeymoon Phase: This is the stage of orientation and introduction. Team members are polite, positive, and often a bit anxious. They’re figuring out their roles, the team’s purpose, and how they fit in. Leadership is crucial here to provide structure, set expectations, and establish trust.
Key behaviors: curiosity, cautious optimism, dependency on leadership.
I've observed that forming lasts anywhere from a few days to several weeks, depending on how frequently the team interacts and the complexity of their work. Remote teams often spend longer in this stage, as building connections virtually requires more intentional effort than face-to-face interactions. The longer this phase is the stronger the team will be and can muster through the storming phases.
Key Behaviors to Watch For During Forming
Recognizing that your team is in the forming stage is the first step toward guiding them effectively. Look for these telltale signs: conversations remain polite and somewhat superficial; team members direct most questions to the leader rather than each other; there's minimal disagreement or challenging of ideas; and individuals are hesitant to take initiative without clear approval.
You'll also notice that team members are still operating largely as individuals rather than a cohesive unit. They might use phrases like “I think” rather than “we should” when discussing work. Decision-making tends to be slow as members are cautious about overstepping boundaries or appearing too dominant.
Pay attention to non-verbal cues as well. New team members often exhibit more formal body language, maintain professional distance, and may seem more guarded than they will be once relationships develop. In virtual settings, you might notice cameras turned off, minimal spontaneous conversation before meetings begin, or hesitation to speak up without being directly called upon.
5 Leadership Strategies to Navigate the Forming Stage
- Provide clear structure and direction – During forming, teams need more explicit guidance. Create and communicate clear goals, roles, and expectations. Document these in shared spaces where team members can reference them repeatedly.
- Facilitate meaningful introductions – Go beyond basic name-and-title introductions. Use structured activities that reveal working styles, strengths, and even appropriate personal information that helps humanize team members to each other.
- Establish communication norms early – Define how and when the team will communicate. Will you use Slack for quick questions? Email for formal communications? How often will you meet? Setting these expectations prevents misunderstandings later.
- Create early wins – Design small, achievable objectives that allow the team to experience success together. These early victories build confidence and begin establishing a team identity.
- Model vulnerability appropriately – As the leader, demonstrate openness to questions and willingness to share relevant experiences, including past challenges. This helps create psychological safety and shows that perfection isn't expected.
Common Pitfalls to Avoid When Teams Are New
The biggest mistake I see leaders make during the forming stage is rushing the process. They're so focused on getting to results that they skip the crucial relationship-building that makes sustained performance possible. Remember that time invested in proper team formation pays tremendous dividends later.
Another common pitfall is failing to address ambiguity. When roles overlap or objectives aren't crystal clear, team members waste energy trying to figure out what they should be doing rather than actually doing it. Don't assume that things that seem obvious to you are clear to everyone else. For leaders looking to improve clarity and efficiency, exploring continuous improvement strategies can be beneficial.
Finally, many leaders provide too little feedback during this initial stage. Team members are especially hungry for guidance when they're new, and regular, specific feedback helps them adjust quickly and gain confidence. Schedule brief check-ins with individual team members and provide balanced feedback that both affirms their contributions and offers direction for improvement.
The Storming Stage: Working Through Conflict and Resistance
After the initial honeymoon period of forming comes what many consider the most challenging phase—storming. This stage emerges as team members become comfortable enough to express their true opinions, question approaches, and push back on ideas they disagree with. The polite veneer begins to crack as different working styles, priorities, and personalities inevitably clash. To navigate this stage effectively, teams can benefit from relationship management best practices to foster better communication and understanding.
Storming isn't a sign that your team is failing—quite the opposite. It's a necessary step toward authentic collaboration. Teams that suppress or avoid this stage often remain perpetually underperforming, as they never develop the ability to work through differences productively. The key is not to eliminate conflict but to channel it constructively, much like how successful business relationships are managed through effective strategies and communication.
How to Recognize When Your Team Is Storming
Spotting the storming stage isn't difficult once you know what to look for. The most obvious indicator is an increase in open disagreements during meetings. Topics that might have passed without comment during forming now generate debate, sometimes heated. You'll notice team members challenging not just ideas but sometimes questioning the team's overall direction or purpose.
Another clear sign is shifting alliance patterns. Team members begin to find others with similar viewpoints or working styles and naturally gravitate toward them. Subgroups might form, which isn't necessarily negative if managed properly. You'll also observe more direct communication between team members rather than everything flowing through you as the leader.
Body language changes dramatically during storming. Team members may appear more animated, interrupting each other or showing visible frustration. In virtual environments, you might notice more cameras turning on during disagreements, stronger language in chat functions, or people unmuting to respond immediately rather than waiting to be called on.
The Reality Check: As the team starts to work together, differences in working styles, opinions, and personalities emerge. This can lead to conflict and tension. It’s a critical phase where many teams falter if not managed well. Constructive conflict resolution and open communication are essential.
Key behaviors: resistance, competition, frustration, questioning authority.
Turning Team Conflicts Into Growth Opportunities
The storming stage is actually a goldmine of opportunity for team development—if you approach it correctly. Start by normalizing the conflict itself. I often tell teams, “We're experiencing exactly what successful teams go through. This tension means we care about getting it right.” This simple reframing can reduce anxiety and defensiveness significantly.
Create structured ways to work through differences. When conflicts arise, use frameworks like “What's the problem we're trying to solve?” or “What would success look like for all parties?” to refocus discussions on shared goals rather than personal positions. Teaching basic conflict resolution vocabulary can also help—terms like “I need” versus “I want” help team members express their core concerns more effectively. For more insights, explore the team development stages and how they influence conflict resolution.
The most successful leaders find ways to surface underlying issues that fuel surface conflicts. Often what appears as disagreement about a process is actually uncertainty about roles or concern about individual recognition. Ask probing questions: “What's at stake for you in this decision?” or “What would addressing this concern make possible for your work?” These questions reveal the true needs beneath positions.
When to Step In vs. Let the Team Work It Out
Finding the right balance between intervention and autonomy during storming challenges even experienced leaders. As a general rule, allow the team space to work through functional conflicts—disagreements about approaches, decisions, or work products. These discussions build critical muscles for collaboration. Step in only when the conflict remains unresolved after good-faith efforts or when the team lacks the tools to move forward productively.
However, always intervene immediately with relationship conflicts—personal attacks, exclusionary behavior, or anything undermining psychological safety. These dynamics don't resolve themselves and can permanently damage team cohesion. Address them privately when possible: “I noticed that comment seemed to target Susan personally rather than addressing her idea. Was that your intention?”
The best interventions focus on process rather than content. Instead of saying “Here's how we should solve this problem,” try “Let's slow down and make sure everyone's perspective is understood before we decide.” This approach models collaborative problem-solving while still allowing the team to own the solution. For more insights on enhancing collaboration, explore technology for business relationship management.
Communication Techniques That Defuse Tension
The language you use as a leader during storming can either escalate conflicts or transform them into productive discussions. Start by modeling curiosity rather than certainty. Questions like “Help me understand your thinking on this” or “What information are you working with?” create space for differing perspectives without judgment.
Practice and teach reflective listening. Before responding to a position they disagree with, team members should demonstrate they understand it: “What I hear you saying is…” This simple technique prevents people from talking past each other and often reveals that disagreements are smaller than they initially appeared. For more insights on improving team dynamics, explore the stages of team development.
Finally, establish a shared vocabulary for discussing team dynamics. Terms like “calling a timeout” or “taking a balcony view” give the team ways to step back from heated moments without anyone losing face. When tension rises, you might say, “Let's take a balcony view for a moment. What's really at stake in this discussion for our overall goals?”
The Norming Stage: Building Team Cohesion and Trust
When your team successfully navigates through the storming stage, they emerge into norming—a phase characterized by increased harmony, clearer expectations, and stronger relationships. This transition doesn't happen overnight, but rather through a series of successful conflict resolutions and shared experiences that gradually build trust and mutual respect among team members.
Signs Your Team Has Reached the Norming Stage
You'll know your team has entered the norming stage when communication flows more easily and feels less forced. Team members begin to truly listen to each other, building on ideas rather than simply waiting for their turn to speak. Phrases like “Good point” and “Building on what Jamie said…” become more common in discussions.
Decision-making accelerates noticeably during norming, as the team has worked through enough conflicts to establish effective processes and understand each other's perspectives. You'll also observe an increase in informal interactions—conversations before meetings start, jokes shared in team chats, or spontaneous collaboration outside formal team structures. For leaders looking to enhance these interactions, exploring business relationship management best practices can be beneficial.
Perhaps most importantly, team members begin to express appreciation for each other's unique contributions and acknowledge diverse strengths. Rather than seeing differences as obstacles (as in storming), the team now recognizes how various skills and viewpoints enhance their collective capability. Comments like “Alex would be perfect for this task because of his experience with…” reflect this growing awareness.
The Alignment Phase: With time and effort, the team begins to find its rhythm. Norms are established, roles become clearer, and mutual respect grows. Collaboration improves, and the team starts to function more cohesively.
Key behaviors: cooperation, shared leadership, stronger commitment to goals.
Creating Team Agreements That Actually Work
The norming stage is the ideal time to formalize how your team will work together through explicit team agreements. Unlike rigid rules imposed from above, effective agreements emerge from the team's actual experiences working together. Start by facilitating a conversation about what's working well and what would make collaboration even better.
The most powerful agreements address the specific friction points your team experienced during storming. If meeting participation was uneven, create agreements about preparation and contribution expectations. If decision processes were unclear, establish criteria for when consensus is needed versus when designated individuals can decide. Focus on the behaviors that will most directly impact your team's ability to perform rather than trying to address every possible scenario.
Document these agreements clearly, but treat them as living documents rather than commandments written in stone. Schedule regular reviews (quarterly works well for most teams) to assess whether the agreements still serve the team or need adjustment. This approach recognizes that as the team continues to develop, their needs and optimal working patterns will evolve too.
How to Strengthen Team Identity and Purpose
The norming stage presents a perfect opportunity to deepen your team's sense of shared identity and purpose. Start by revisiting and refining your team's mission. Ask: “Given what we've learned about our strengths and challenges, how might we articulate our unique contribution to the organization?” This discussion helps connect daily work to meaningful outcomes.
Create opportunities to celebrate the team's journey and early successes. This doesn't require elaborate events—simply taking time in meetings to acknowledge milestones or sending messages that highlight collaborative achievements reinforces the team's growing capabilities. I've seen teams create simple rituals like starting meetings with a quick round of appreciations or keeping a shared document of “wins” that anyone can contribute to. For more insights on enhancing team performance, consider exploring evidence-based decision making strategies.
Finally, encourage boundary spanning—having team members represent the team to other parts of the organization. When individuals speak on behalf of the team rather than just themselves, it strengthens both individual commitment and collective identity. Assign rotating roles for cross-team meetings or presentations to distribute this opportunity widely. For more insights, consider exploring successful business relationships and their impact on team dynamics.
The Performing Stage: Achieving Peak Team Effectiveness
The performing stage represents the pinnacle of team development—the phase where your team operates with high autonomy, mutual accountability, and exceptional productivity. Reaching this stage doesn't happen by accident; it results from successfully navigating the previous stages and continuously reinforcing positive team dynamics. Not all teams reach performing, but those that do achieve results that far exceed what the same individuals could accomplish working separately.
What High-Performance Teams Actually Do Differently
Truly performing teams exhibit behaviors that set them apart from those in earlier developmental stages. First, they demonstrate remarkable flexibility—adapting quickly to changing circumstances without the drama or resistance that characterizes storming. They view challenges as interesting problems to solve rather than threats to established ways of working.
Decision-making in performing teams becomes notably more distributed. Members comfortably make decisions within their areas of expertise without constantly seeking approval. The team develops an implicit understanding of which decisions require full discussion and which can be handled by individuals or subgroups. This efficient division of cognitive labor dramatically increases the team's capacity to handle complex work.
The High-Performance Zone: At this stage, the team is fully functional and works toward shared goals with high efficiency and autonomy. Trust is strong, communication is open, and members are motivated. The team can now tackle complex problems and deliver high-quality results.
Key behaviors: synergy, innovation, mutual accountability, peak productivity.
Perhaps most importantly, performing teams engage in honest, real-time feedback exchanges. Rather than waiting for formal reviews or letting issues fester, team members address concerns directly and constructively. This continuous adjustment mechanism allows the team to maintain high performance even as conditions change.
Maintaining Momentum When Your Team Is Performing Well
The biggest risk for teams in the performing stage is complacency. Without consciously cultivating continued growth, even high-performing teams can stagnate or regress. Create appropriate challenges by periodically raising performance standards or taking on more complex work. The key is finding the sweet spot between comfort and overwhelm—challenging enough to maintain engagement but not so difficult that the team becomes discouraged.
Regularly infuse fresh perspectives by bringing in outside viewpoints. This might mean inviting experts from other departments to review your approaches, attending conferences together, or simply dedicating time to learning about innovations in your field. These external inputs prevent the team from becoming too insular in their thinking.
Sustain momentum by continuously connecting the team's work to its broader purpose and impact. When team members can clearly see how their efforts contribute to meaningful outcomes, motivation remains high even during routine periods. Share specific examples of how the team's work has positively affected customers, the organization, or other stakeholders.
How to Know If Your Team Has Truly Reached This Stage
Authentic performing teams can be identified by several distinctive markers. First, they demonstrate consistent delivery of superior results without heroic efforts or burnout. The work feels challenging but sustainable, with team members experiencing flow states rather than constant stress. Leaders can foster this environment by focusing on sustainable value creation and insights.
Another reliable indicator is how the team handles disagreement. In performing teams, differences of opinion are valued and explored rather than avoided or personalized. You'll hear phrases like “I hadn't considered that perspective” or “That's an interesting challenge to my thinking” rather than defensive responses. For more insights on fostering successful business relationships, check out these proven strategies and tips.
Perhaps the most telling sign is how the team operates when you're not present. Truly performing teams maintain their high standards, productive communication patterns, and focus on goals regardless of whether the formal leader is in the room. If you return from a week away to find that progress accelerated rather than stalled in your absence, you've likely reached the performing stage.
Adjourning: The Farewell Phase
Originally added by Bruce Tuckman in 1977, the Adjourning phase (sometimes called “mourning”) acknowledges the emotional and logistical process of disbanding a team after its goals have been achieved. This stage is especially relevant for project-based teams, task forces, or temporary collaborations.
As the project wraps up, team members may experience a mix of pride, relief, and sadness. There’s often a sense of loss as the close-knit group dissolves and individuals move on to new roles or initiatives. Leaders play a key role in helping the team reflect on accomplishments, celebrate success, and transition smoothly.
Key behaviors: reflection, recognition, disengagement, transition planning.
When Teams Move Backward: Handling Regression Between Stages
Team development isn't always linear. Even high-performing teams can regress to earlier stages when facing significant changes or challenges. Understanding that regression is normal rather than catastrophic helps you respond appropriately when it occurs.
Common Triggers That Send Teams Back to Earlier Stages
Several predictable events commonly trigger team regression. Membership changes—whether adding new people or losing established team members—almost always cause some degree of backsliding as the team recalibrates relationships and working patterns. The more central the departing or arriving member, the more significant the regression typically is. For insights on how organizations can adapt to changes, explore how evidence-based decision-making can boost team performance.
Organizational changes such as restructuring, strategy shifts, or new leadership also frequently push teams back to earlier developmental stages. Even when the changes ultimately benefit the team, they disrupt established norms and create uncertainty that must be worked through. Teams with unclear decision rights during transitions are especially vulnerable to regression.
Finally, performance pressure—particularly when coupled with resource constraints—can trigger regression as team members revert to self-protective behaviors under stress. The supportive behaviors that characterize norming and performing require psychological safety, which diminishes when people feel their individual performance is under intense scrutiny. For more insights on enhancing team performance, explore evidence-based decision-making strategies.
Quick Recovery Tactics to Get Back on Track
When regression occurs, acknowledge it directly rather than pretending everything is fine. Simply naming what's happening—”It seems we're revisiting some of the storming behaviors we worked through earlier, which makes sense given the recent changes”—reduces anxiety and positions the backslide as a normal part of team development rather than failure.
Temporarily increase structure and clarity to help the team regain solid footing. This might mean more frequent check-ins, restating goals and priorities, or revisiting team agreements. The goal isn't to permanently return to a directive leadership style but to provide the scaffolding the team needs to regain its equilibrium. For more insights, consider exploring the Tuckman stages of team development.
Accelerate re-norming by creating opportunities for authentic connection. When teams regress, relationship tensions often underlie operational issues. Schedule time specifically for rebuilding relationships—whether through structured team activities, informal social time, or candid discussions about how team members can support each other through the transition.
Engaging Management System Analogies
🚦 Traffic Light System
Forming: Green light – everyone’s eager to go but unsure of the road ahead.
Storming: Yellow light – caution! Conflicts and confusion may arise.
Norming: Back to green – smoother flow as rules and roles are understood.
Performing: Cruise control – the team moves efficiently with minimal intervention.
🧩 Puzzle Assembly
Forming: Dumping the pieces on the table – everyone’s present but disconnected.
Storming: Trying to force pieces together – tension as people figure out fit and function.
Norming: Edges and patterns emerge – collaboration improves as structure forms.
Performing: Full picture in view – the team works in sync to complete the vision.
🛠️ Construction Site
Forming: Laying the foundation – plans are drawn, roles assigned.
Storming: Hammering out issues – disagreements on design or execution.
Norming: Building upward – coordination improves, systems align.
Performing: Final touches – the team delivers a polished, functional result.
🎻 Orchestra Analogy
Forming: Musicians tuning – everyone’s getting ready, but not yet in harmony.
Storming: Clashing notes – early rehearsals reveal friction and misalignment.
Norming: Following the conductor – roles are clear, and coordination improves.
Performing: A symphony – the team delivers a seamless, high-impact performance.
Analogy: 🎓 Graduation Day
Just like students parting ways after years of shared learning and growth, team members in the Adjourning phase celebrate their journey, say their goodbyes, and prepare for what’s next.
Special Considerations for Remote and Hybrid Teams
Team development follows the same fundamental stages in virtual environments, but with unique challenges that require specific strategies. Remote and hybrid teams typically take longer to progress through the forming and storming stages due to reduced informal interaction and nonverbal communication cues.
Virtual Forming: Building Connection Without Face-to-Face Interaction
For distributed teams, intentional relationship-building becomes even more critical during forming. Create structured opportunities for team members to connect beyond the immediate work tasks. Virtual coffee chats, online team games, or designated time for personal updates in meetings can help bridge the distance gap.
Use technology thoughtfully to enhance connection rather than merely facilitate transactions. Video is nearly always preferable to audio-only for building relationships, especially in early team formation. Consider creating a digital team space—whether through collaborative platforms like Mural or Microsoft Teams or simpler solutions like shared photo albums—where team identity can develop through artifacts and interactions.
Pay special attention to onboarding new members to remote teams. The informal socialization that happens naturally in office settings must be deliberately created in virtual environments. Assign onboarding partners, create “how we work” documentation that includes both explicit and implicit norms, and schedule regular check-ins to ensure new team members aren't left to figure things out alone. For more insights on team dynamics, explore the team development stages.
Digital Tools That Support Each Development Stage
Different collaboration tools serve different developmental needs as teams progress through the stages. During forming and early storming, structured communication platforms with clear organization (like Asana for task management or well-organized Slack channels) provide the clarity and direction teams need. Video conferencing with features that support equal participation, such as round-robin check-ins or breakout rooms, helps surface diverse perspectives safely.
As teams move into norming and performing, tools that support more fluid collaboration become valuable. Digital whiteboarding platforms allow for real-time co-creation, while asynchronous video tools enable more nuanced communication than text alone. Look for solutions that combine synchronous and asynchronous capabilities, allowing team members to choose the right modality for different types of collaboration.
How to Fast-Track Your Team Through the Stages
While team development naturally takes time, strategic leadership can significantly accelerate the process. The key is not skipping stages—which typically leads to surface-level harmony that breaks down under pressure—but moving through them more efficiently by addressing core needs at each phase.
Team-Building Activities That Actually Work
Effective team building targets the specific needs of your team's current development stage rather than applying generic “fun” activities. For teams in forming, focus on structured activities that reveal relevant information about work styles, expertise, and values. Something as simple as having team members share their ideal working conditions or how they prefer to receive feedback builds foundational understanding.
The Right Way to Set Team Expectations
Clear expectations accelerate development by reducing the ambiguity that often fuels conflict during storming. Beyond basic role and goal clarity, the most helpful expectations address how the team will work together. Establish explicit norms around decision-making authority—who can decide what, when consensus is needed, and how disagreements will be resolved.
The most effective expectation-setting is collaborative rather than imposed. Ask questions like “What would make our work together most effective?” and “What commitments do we need from each other to succeed?” rather than presenting a predetermined list of rules. This approach not only produces more relevant agreements but also increases buy-in.
Communication Practices That Accelerate Development
Strategic communication rituals can dramatically speed progression through the developmental stages. Implement regular retrospectives where the team reflects not just on what they're doing but how they're working together. Simple prompts like “What should we start, stop, and continue doing as a team?” create space for continuous improvement of team processes and relationships.
Next Steps for Your Team Development Journey
Understanding the stages of team development gives you a map, but the journey itself requires consistent attention and effort. Start by assessing your team's current stage honestly. Look for the behavioral indicators described in each section rather than where you wish the team was operating. For insights on continuous improvement, consider exploring the executive blueprint for continuous improvement.
Once you've identified your team's current stage, implement the specific strategies recommended for that phase. Remember that leadership behaviors that work brilliantly in one stage may be counterproductive in another. Your ability to adapt your approach as the team develops is as important as the team's progression itself.
Document your team's development journey, noting key transitions, challenges overcome, and practices that have proven effective. This record not only helps you reflect and learn but also provides valuable context when new members join or when you need to help stakeholders understand the team's evolution.
Team Development Stage Assessment Tool
Rate your team on a scale of 1-5 for each statement below to ensure sustainable value creation in your organization.
1 = Rarely true | 3 = Sometimes true | 5 = Consistently true
- Team members openly express differing opinions without fear
- The team makes decisions efficiently without excessive debate
- Members provide support to each other without being asked
- The team adapts quickly to changing priorities or conditions
- Everyone understands their role and others' expectations
- Conflicts are addressed directly and resolved constructively
- The team celebrates successes and learns from failures together
- Members take initiative without waiting for direction
Scoring: 8-16: Forming | 17-24: Storming | 25-32: Norming | 33-40: Performing. Learn more about successful business relationships.
Frequently Asked Questions
As I've worked with hundreds of teams through their developmental journeys, certain questions arise consistently. The answers to these common concerns can help you navigate your own team's path more confidently. For example, understanding the proven ways for successful business relationships can be crucial in team development.
Here are the questions I hear most frequently, along with practical answers based on both research and real-world experience.
How long does each stage of team development typically last?
The duration of each stage varies widely depending on factors including team size, meeting frequency, task complexity, and member familiarity. As a rough guideline, forming typically lasts 2-4 weeks for teams that meet regularly, storming can extend from several weeks to months (and may recur periodically), norming generally emerges after 1-3 months of consistent work together, and performing may begin to appear around the 3-6 month mark. Remember that these timeframes represent averages—your team's progression may differ significantly based on your specific circumstances and leadership approach.
Can a team skip any of the four development stages?
Teams rarely skip stages entirely, though they may move through certain phases more quickly than others. What often appears as “skipping” storming is actually conflict being suppressed rather than addressed, which typically leads to limited trust and superficial harmony that breaks down under pressure. Rather than trying to skip stages, focus on moving through them efficiently by addressing the core needs and challenges of each phase. Teams with members who have successfully worked together before may progress more rapidly, but they still benefit from deliberately addressing each stage's developmental tasks.
What should I do if my team seems stuck in the storming stage?
Persistent storming usually indicates unresolved underlying issues that need direct attention. Start by checking whether roles and goals are truly clear—ambiguity often fuels ongoing conflict. Next, assess whether team members have the skills to resolve conflicts constructively; if not, targeted training in feedback and difficult conversations may help. Consider whether your leadership style might be contributing to the stalemate—either through avoiding necessary interventions or overcontrolling team interactions. Finally, address any organizational factors creating win-lose dynamics among team members, such as resource competition or recognition systems that pit individuals against each other.
How do I know which stage my team is currently in?
Identifying your team's current stage requires observing behavioral patterns rather than isolated incidents. Watch how decisions get made, how conflicts are addressed, how the team responds to challenges, and how members interact when you're not directly involved. The assessment tool provided earlier can help quantify these observations. For the most accurate picture, consider collecting anonymous feedback from team members about how they experience working together. Remember that teams may show characteristics of multiple stages simultaneously, especially during transitions, so look for the predominant patterns rather than expecting perfect alignment with any single stage description.
Is the fifth stage (adjourning) necessary for all teams to experience?
The adjourning stage—sometimes called “mourning” or “transforming”—becomes relevant primarily for project teams with defined endpoints rather than ongoing operational teams. However, all teams benefit from intentional closure when significant transitions occur, such as major membership changes, reorganizations, or shifts in mission. Properly acknowledging endings honors the team's accomplishments, provides emotional closure, and captures learning that can benefit future collaborations. Even for continuing teams, marking the completion of significant phases with reflection and celebration creates healthy transitions and reinforces team identity. The most effective teams treat endings as important as beginnings, regardless of whether the team itself is disbanding.
The journey through team development stages isn't always smooth, but it's invariably rewarding when approached with awareness and intention. Each stage presents unique opportunities to build the trust, clarity, and collaborative capacity that distinguish truly exceptional teams from merely functional ones. For insights on improving team dynamics, explore these strategies for successful business relationships.
Remember that team development is never “done”—even high-performing teams must continue evolving to maintain their edge and adapt to changing conditions. The investment you make in understanding and facilitating your team's development will continue paying dividends long after the initial formation period.
For customized guidance on accelerating your team's development or addressing specific challenges at any stage, TeamBuildr's expert coaches and collaborative platforms can provide the tools and support you need to unlock your team's full potential.
