Process of Team Development / Steps of Team Development

Team is a group of members that works for common objectives. The objectives may be organizational or personal that generates synergistic efforts. Each and every members of the team are responsible for the achievement of the common goal.

Establishing a team is the leader's prime task. Effective and efficient team setting develop the capabilities of employees as well as organization as a whole. For the effective development of team, a manager should try to analyze different aspects from the multiple angles. A manager should remember following points in developing of proper team: 

  • All team members need to agree on a precise definition of what they are working towards.
  • Goal should not be set until management has discussed all possible approaches to the task.
  • Although team members are needed to finalize team goals, the objectives of the team can also dictate membership. 
  • For best results, targets should be challenging with a combination of general and specific goals. 

A lot of research has been done on team formation and development and different theories of team development have been suggested. According to Tuckman, summarizing various theories suggested five stages of team developments:
  • Forming
  • Storming
  • Norming
  • Performing
  • Adjourning
Similarly, Kormanski and Mozenter integrated various theories and suggested following five stages of team development:
  • Commitment
  • Clarification
  • Involvement
  • Achievement
  • Recognition. 
In general, the process of team development are:
Process of Team Development / Steps of Team Development

1. Projection into Future 

The team may prepare a common vision of its desirable future. Members, individually or in small groups, may prepare a picture of their team as they see it in the next five or seven years. A specific future scenario will help to inspire individuals to move towards it. The future is a better diagnostic device than an analysis of the past. 

2. Linkage with Individuals Goals 

The vision of the team's future should be linked with the individual's aspirations and goals. Individuals may discuss in small groups how their own aspirations and goals in life can be achieved through the ideal of the team's future developed by the group. 

3. Force Field Analysis 

The team may identify the forces that are positive and are helping the team to move towards the desirable future and the forces that are likely to hinder its progress towards that future. Such analysis is helpful in selecting the next step. 

4. Strengthening Positive Forces 

The team may explore ways of reinforcing the positive aspects that can help the team achieve its desirable future. They can take each positive force and work out plans to strengthen in future. 

5. Reducing Negative forces 

The team can take up all the restraining or inhibiting forces and can plan specific actions steps to reduce, if not eliminate. 

6. Monitoring 

After decisions are taken to work on strengthening positive forces and reducing negative forces, a plan can be prepared to monitor the action being taken. The responsibility of monitoring can be taken up by one or two members and the team may meet from time to time to review the progress.


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