Sebastian Perrier

Form, Storm, Norm, Perform

When teams come together, they typically go through 4 developmental stages. This process can take a few days or stretch over a much longer period. It can easily take six months for a team to settle down.

Form

Forming happens when people first come together. They are initially polite and the conversation is mostly exploratory, finding out about one another and the work that is to be done. People here are typically in the ‘honeymoon’ period and are quite excited about the newness and potential of being in the team. Some also may be more fearful and timid, whilst others are less gregarious, observing from the sidelines more than getting in there and exposing themselves

Storm

As the initial politeness fades, people start to get more into the work and their roles and so start to argue about things that were left unsaid or not realized when they first met. Storming can be fiercer if one or more conditions exist: more than one dominant person who wants to be the leader (formal and/or social); unclear formal roles; unclear objectives; little or large external threat; among other.

Norm

As roles and personal conflicts are sorted out, the focus turns towards the task and what needs to be done. Objectives are clarified and the detail of work is laid out. Feeling more as a team, people start to help one another more. Socially, group rules develop and are refined. People begin to feel like they are members of the same team and form a clear sense of identity. Internal conflict may be replaced with external conflict as the human focus turns to ‘us and them.’

Perform

Finally, a steady-state is achieved, where the team reaches and optimal level of performance. A good team will feel like a happy family whilst other teams reach working agreements where personal differences are managed and largely kept under control.