Stages of Team Development

As teams develop and grow, they pass through four stages of development. The stages of team development are forming, storming, norming, and performing.

Forming the first stage of team development, in which team members meet each other, form initial impressions, and begin to establish team norm. Storming the second stage of development, characterized by conflict and disagreement, in which team members disagree over what the team should do and how it should do.

Norming the third stage of team development, in which team members begin to settle into their roles, group cohesion grows, and positive team norms develop. Performing the fourth and final stage of team development, in which performance improves because the team has matured into an effective, fully functioning team.

De-norming a reversal of the norming stage, in which team performance begins to decline as the size, scope, goal, or members of the team change. De-storming a reversal of the storming phase, in which the team’s comfort level decreases, team cohesion weakens, and angry emotions and conflict may flare.

Understanding team development helps managers ensure effective teamwork.