The classic stages of a team
Engineering ability alone does not determine the performance of a team. Team dynamics is a broad term to describe the collective behaviors and psychological processes that occur within a team. Engineering managers must explore concepts within team dynamics in order to understand why team performance is the way it is.
One of the most commonly used ways of looking at teams is through Bruce Tuckman’s four stages of team development: forming, storming, norming, and performing. Developed in the 1960s, understanding these stages can give you a frame of reference as to why a team may be behaving in a certain way. Even without a deep knowledge of these stages, it is useful to be aware that a major contributor to team performance is where they fall on the path to team familiarity and acceptance. Keep this in mind as you work with and assess teams of your own. Let’s look at the four stages in more detail:
- Forming teams are recently assembled...
