Many teams, and I’m sure you have been on a few, never make it past the storming stage. It’s typical with teams that as new tasks and goals present themselves, the team may lapse back into the storming stage. However, with intentional steps in the right directions teams can eventually make it over the Storming hurdle, and begin to gel into a cohesive unit.

STAGE 3: NORMING

WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE:

Teams in this stage begin to work out differences, recognize strengths of their team members, and begin to respond to the leader. Teams at this point may be more open to constructive feedback from one another as they know each other better. As team members have more clarity of purpose they may be more committed to their goals as they start seeing forward momentum and progress. Teams in the norming stage are also more readily able to make group decisions by consensus.

ROLE OF THE LEADER:
Allow the team members to take ownership over tasks. Praise team members freely and set a culture which encourages team members to give one another positive feedback. Serve as the “head cheerleader” for your team to continue maintaining their enthusiasm.

MOVING FROM NORMING TO PERFORMING:

• Arrange for teambuilding for the group.
• The leader should intentionally share leadership responsibilities with group members.
• Set increasingly challenging goals to stretch the team’s abilities.
• Be selective when choosing new members for the team.
Next week: Stage 4: Performing!