5 of February, 2025

In 1965, psychologist Bruce Tuckman established that work teams go through 5 stages: formation, storming, norming, performing, and adjourning. These stages occur from the start of the project to its end, and all are indispensable during the entire process, since each one plays a fundamental role in building a high-performing team.

We already discussed what each of those five stages of team development entail in a previous article, but why should we ensure proper group development? And what actions can we take to promote teamwork?

Why are the 5 stages of team development so important?

Team development is very important for improving productivity and achieving project goals. Groups are much more synchronized, they are much more effective, and their performance is higher.

You should know that gathering a group of talented people does not mean they will form a good team. No matter how good your company or project is, if there are no synergies and a good relationship between team members, the process will be much more tedious and reaching the objectives could be at risk.

That’s why understanding the process, made up of the 5 stages that Tuckman proposes, can increase the chances of achieving project goals.

How can you help your team advance in project development?

Business owners, managers, and entrepreneurs are often seen as team leaders, so they are the first to respond to failures. But they also receive praise! And, of course, they should perform all the pertinent actions in favor of project development.

The key is guiding the team through each stage of the process. To do so, you can use the following tips:

Set a clear purpose and mission and review them during the process

To do this, it’s best to ask yourself a series of questions such as: Why does this team or the company exist? What values are important? What problem needs to be solved? Why does it need to be solved?

Each and every one of these questions must be answered in order to achieve direction. Without them, it would be like steering towards nowhere. It’s important to remind yourself from time to time why you are doing something, this way you won’t lose sight of the overall goal. Teams need a clear mission, and they should be reminded of it often.

Establish basic rules and ensure they are followed

We know, that «rules» doesn’t sound very nice, but the truth is that they help clear up confusion. Without them, team members wouldn’t know what is considered acceptable behavior. Groups without rules or guidelines are more prone to generate conflicts and be less efficient.

Therefore, one of the first tasks that teams should do is to establish basic rules. These can range from how to interact as a team to how to efficiently complete tasks. Some examples of basic rules for teams could be:

Don’t use the phone during work meetings.
Don’t interrupt other team members while they are speaking.
Manage time transparently.
Create a weekly work plan and share it with the team.

Remember at all times that rules should be aimed at improving the productivity of the team, not controlling it.

When adapting team management to remote work, it’s important to have clear objectives and work methodologies, and digital tools.

Allow other members to take the role of leaders or facilitators

As a founder or manager of the company, you must understand that every work team should have the profile of the facilitator, a person who is in charge of leading the team and guiding it in meetings and discussions. This is someone who pushes the team towards a common goal.

The founder or manager can also be the leader of a team, but it should also be understood that they may not always be the leader. The task of a good leader is exhausting, and not everyone has the necessary skills to be one, so in some cases it is advisable to choose a person from the team to take on this role. If there are more prepared profiles or with better skills, why not count on them as leaders?

At times, high-performing teams work so well that the role of facilitator or leader can rotate as needed, without affecting their performance.

Don’t try to avoid conflicts

Sometimes conflicts are necessary. The benefit of having a work team is having diverse experiences, skills, and opinions that are not possible on their own.

When team members disagree on something, listen to them! Attend to all their concerns and proposals and look for common ground. Always try to find the positive side of team conflicts.

Once conflicts are resolved, focus on improving existing processes and keeping the team together.

Remind team members about the importance of listening to each other

All the people in the group are valuable to achieve the final goal, otherwise, they wouldn’t be there, right? Let them know! Remind your team to recognize the ideas of all members.

At first, focus on creating an open and nonjudgmental atmosphere. Conduct brainstorming sessions. Write down each proposed idea. For each brilliant idea, there are hundreds that don’t work, and even though they may seem ridiculous, sharing different opinions and ideas is key to finding “THE IDEA,” and to get enough inspiration and motivation.

End each meeting with constructive feedback

One of the most important functions of the team leader is: observing. And studying how the team functions as a unit and individually.

It’s important to give individual feedback to team members, as well as highlight areas of improvement and strengths as a team, without pointing fingers!

Don’t scold the team for results, rather show what went wrong, try to offer solutions and advice about the problems. Try to provide information on what is needed to improve.

However, being the leader doesn’t make you perfect, so you should understand that you also make mistakes, and ask your team for feedback on your work.

Ensure everyone participates and contributes

In a work team, members work together. Each person plays a crucial role. Therefore, if one person cannot complete a task, the rest of the team suffers. That’s why it’s important to reinforce the team’s sense of responsibility. To do this, remember to motivate members to keep them productive.

To do this, software for human resources and project management can be ideal, all team members will be able to know transparently who is working on what and how much time they have dedicated to it. In addition, it allows seeing the general status of the project, and it’s ideal for teams that have remote workers.

If superhero teams like The Avengers have taught us anything, it’s that working with others increases strength and facilitates the path to success, especially because there are tasks that are impossible to face alone. However, creating a team is not easy, it’s a whole process. That’s why knowing each stage of team development and understanding how you can positively influence it is essential.

Professional with over 20 years of extensive experience in various areas of Human Resources (Recruitment, Training, Occupational Risk Prevention, and Personnel Management). Experience in the Management Department: Broad understanding of the company and HR.

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cristinamartin

HR Content Specialist

The importance of team development and its stimulation