FORMING: LAYING THE FOUNDATION

The initial forming stage is your opportunity to establish team identity and build the psychological safety necessary for future success. Harvard Business School research reveals that 76% of teams that invest significant time in clear goal-setting during the forming stage report higher satisfaction and cohesion throughout the project lifecycle.

“Great teams don’t start out great—they grow into greatness when everyone is willing to both teach and learn.” — Amy Edmondson, Professor at Harvard Business School

Easy Win (15 min): Create and distribute a one-page “Team Charter” template where each member can document their communication preferences, working styles, and expectations. Have everyone submit before your next meeting.

Potential Pitfall: Rushing through introductions and “getting to know you” activities to focus immediately on tasks. This undermines trust-building and creates fragile team connections that falter under pressure.

STORMING: NAVIGATING PRODUCTIVE CONFLICT

The storming phase is characterized by conflict and competing perspectives, but teams that address this constructively build stronger foundations. Data from the Center for Creative Leadership shows that teams who actively manage conflict during the storming stage are 67% more likely to meet or exceed their key deliverables.

“Conflict is the primary engine of creativity and innovation. People don’t learn by staring into a mirror; people learn by encountering difference.” — Ronald Heifetz, Leadership expert

Easy Win (15 min): Implement a 10-minute “Conflict Reflection” at the end of meetings where teammates can share: “What tension did I notice today?” and “What might be underneath that?” This normalizes productive conflict.

Potential Pitfall: Allowing dominant personalities to overshadow quieter team members during storming. Research from Cloverpop found that teams where all members contribute to discussions make better decisions 87% of the time.

NORMING: ESTABLISHING PRODUCTIVE RHYTHMS

In the norming phase, teams develop processes and workflows that enable smooth collaboration. A Boston Consulting Group study found that teams with clearly established norms increased productivity by 25% and reduced time to decision by 20%.

“Culture is simply a shared way of doing something with a passion.” — Brian Chesky, Co-founder of Airbnb

Easy Win (15 min): Create a “Team Operating Manual” Google Doc that captures agreed-upon communication channels, meeting protocols, and decision-making processes that everyone can access and refine.

Potential Pitfall: Confusing artificial harmony with true alignment. Teams that skip addressing underlying tensions during norming often regress to storming when facing pressure. Regular retrospectives prevent this backsliding.

PERFORMING: UNLOCKING PEAK PRODUCTIVITY

High-performing teams in the performing stage demonstrate remarkable results. According to research from MIT’s Human Dynamics Laboratory, top-performing teams communicate differently – exhibiting patterns that include frequent informal interactions, equal contribution from all members, and active information seeking outside the team.

“Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence win championships.” — Michael Jordan

Easy Win (15 min): Institute a weekly “Wins Roundup”. Team members highlight one personal achievement and recognize a contribution from another team member, reinforcing both individual excellence and team interdependence.

Potential Pitfall: Becoming complacent once performing is reached. Even high-functioning teams need to continually evolve their practices. Schedule quarterly “team effectiveness” assessments to maintain momentum.

ADJOURNING: CELEBRATING AND TRANSITIONING

The often-overlooked adjourning phase is crucial for organizational learning and team member growth. Research from the Project Management Institute shows that teams that conduct formal project close-outs report 31% higher satisfaction and are 28% more likely to collaborate effectively in future projects.

“Coming together is a beginning, staying together is progress, and working together is success.” — Henry Ford

Easy Win (15 min): Create a simple “Team Learnings” document. Each person captures their top three insights from the project and one way they grew professionally.

Potential Pitfall: Rushing into new projects without proper closure. This robs team members of valuable reflection time and prevents organizational learning from being captured and shared.

RESOURCES

Book Recommendation: “The Culture Code” by Daniel Coyle

Key Takeaway: Belonging cues—small signals that show team members they’re valued—dramatically increase psychological safety and team performance. Implement three belonging cues in your next team interaction.

App Recommendation: Miro

Use Case: Create visual team journey maps that showcase progress through Tuckman’s stages. The collaborative whiteboard makes team dynamics visible and actionable for remote and hybrid teams.

Learning Opportunity: “Radical Candor” podcast by Kim Scott

Value Proposition: Learn how to balance caring personally with challenging directly—essential skills for guiding teams through the storming phase productively.

THIS WEEK’S CHALLENGE

Within the next 5 business days, identify which of Tuckman’s stages your team is currently in and schedule a focused 30-minute discussion with your team about the specific challenges and opportunities this stage presents. All in all, share the stage characteristics beforehand and ask each person to come prepared with one idea to help the team progress effectively.

Remember: Team development isn’t linear. Even high-performing teams cycle through these phases as membership, goals, or external conditions change. Your role as a leader is to recognize where your team is and provide the appropriate support for that stage.

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