Team Dynamics

Every group works its way through a series of stages as it struggles to become a team.  The progress is not linear and backtracking frequently occurs.  Knowing the stages can help you expedite team growth.  There are a wide variety of models but this one is simple and explains the process well enough.

Stages:

1.  Polite.  Getting acquainted.  Everyone is getting to know each other and there is a strong desire to avoid controversy or conflict.   People tend to stereotype in order to find their place and establish a pecking order.  Cliques may form.  People who have something, however trivial, with someone else may gravitate toward them to avoid conflict and gain personal acceptance.

2.  Why are we here?  Individual group members need to define their objectives.  Why am I here, why are you here, why are we here?  The basic question is “Do I want to belong to this group?”  This question must be answered affirmatively for team growth to continue.  Individuals must see a profit in their participation.  Individuals begin to seek group approval as the value of the overall group competes in importance with that of cliques.

3.  Bid for power.  Who is in charge of what?  Individuals seek to determine their role in the group.  Individual opinions are aired and you may discover a “class clown.”  This stage involves resolution of conflict and the establishment of a pecking order.  Groups with complex goals may have a many roles and an equally complex pecking order.  Roles are defined and compromise can be valuable.

4.  Constructive.  Team spirit begins to develop.  Team members actively listen to others.  There may be shared leadership as members determine who is best at various tasks.  Group identity becomes important and there is a growing tolerance for individual differences.

5.  Esprit.  Very high group morale and intense group loyalty.  No cliques.  No need for group approval.  This is a rare stage of team development.  A team at the 4^th stage may periodically find itself at this level.  At this level, the success of the team is far more important than individual success.  High risk and high reward are almost essential in arriving at this stage.  Projects that literally have lives at stake are much more likely to arrive at this level than those that don’t.

When groups are forming, they are typically open, allowing new members to join and some to leave without a major impact.  As the group turns into a team, membership begins to close.  The addition or loss of a team member can cause the entire group to fall back into lower stages of development.  Being aware of this development challenge can help members minimize that time.  An entire team working at a highly constructive level has little patience for a new member who wants to spend time in the “polite” or “why are we here” stage.  Understanding his need to work through the stages can increase tolerance, determine the new member’s role in the group and get back to that high level of constructive effort more quickly.