People start to resolve their differences, appreciate one another's strengths, and respect your authority as a leader. Gradually, the team moves into the norming stage. If roles and responsibilities aren't yet clear, individuals might begin to feel overwhelmed by their workload or frustrated at a lack of progress. Left unchecked, this can lead to face-to-face confrontations or simmering online tensions. Conflict or friction can also arise between team members as their true characters – and their preferred ways of working – surface and clash with other people's.Īt this stage team members may challenge your authority or management style, or even the team's mission. In the storming stage, people start to push against the established boundaries. This may take some time, as people get to know their new colleagues and one another's ways of working. However they feel, they'll be looking to the team leader for direction.

They may be anxious, curious, or excited to get going. In the beginning, when a new team forms, individuals will be unsure of the team's purpose, how they fit in, and whether they'll work well with one another. Later, he added a fifth stage, 'adjourning' (also known as 'mourning') to mark the end of a team's journey. Psychologist Bruce Tuckman came up with the memorable phrase 'forming, storming, norming, and performing' in his 1965 paper, 'Developmental Sequence in Small Groups.' It describes the path that teams follow on their way to high performance. Where Does Forming, Storming, Norming, and Performing Come From? Click here to view a transcript of this video.

Performing a seance