Bruce Tuckman was an American Psychological Researcher who published a theory known as ‘Tuckman’s Stages of Group Development’ in 1965. In this theory, he explained how healthy teams form, grow, and evolve over time. Tuckman’s model identifies the five stages through which team development progresses: forming, storming, norming, performing, and adjourning.
Team development is made up of five distinct stages, each representing a crucial step along the team-building journey. These stages illustrate how individuals progress from being strangers into a high-performing team that works collaboratively toward a shared goal.
Tuckman’s stages are rooted in psychological research on how teams interact and function. Developing high-performance teams involves learning how to communicate, collaborate, and coordinate effectively, even across time zones or remote environments. In modern workplaces, this means not only using collaboration tools and communication platforms but also implementing systems like a vacation tracker to manage time off, maintain team availability, and support work-life balance throughout the team’s life cycle.
Research shows that understanding where a team stands in this five-stage framework helps leaders provide the right support, tools, and structure at the right time. Below, we explore each of Tuckman’s five stages, the challenges that often arise, and how leaders can guide their teams toward sustained performance and cohesion.
Forming Stage
Forming is the first stage of team development. It requires different people with different expertise. At this stage, the team members don’t know much about each other. It can be considered as the period of orientation when everyone is getting to know each other and becoming familiar. The forming stage is where the team discusses team goals, individual goals, ground rules, and strategy. The team should share its skills, backgrounds, and interests.
Team needs: Team mission and vision, establish objectives and tasks, identify roles and responsibilities of team members.
Leadership needs: Provide project guide and instructions, provide structure and task direction, allow for get-acquainted time, and active involvement.
Storming Stage:
This stage is the most crucial stage of team development. It’s inevitable, there’s going to be conflict. The clash arises between the team members when they all have their own individual personalities and work styles. At this stage, they come to know about the flaws of the team members. So they become frustrated with each other and may argue. The performance may decrease at this stage because the energy is spent on unproductive activities. It is the most difficult and critical stage to pass through. In order to get bottlenecked in the storming stage, the team has to work together and play to each other’s strengths to overcome obstacles and stay on pace.
Team needs: Effective listening, conflict resolution, interpersonal and intrapersonal relationships, clarifying and understanding the team’s purpose.
Leadership needs: Acknowledge conflict and suggest consensus amongst team members, offer support and praise, and the concept of shared leadership emerges.
Norming Stage:
The norming stage occurs when the team members become more comfortable working together. Team performance increases at this stage as the team members start focusing on team goals and being cooperative with each other. The team starts to notice and appreciate each other’s strengths and the team begins to settle into a groove. Everyone is talking together, helping to solve problems, and remembering to use nonverbal cues such as eye contact and facial expressions. The whole focus and energy of the team members are on the tasks. They have the freedom to express themselves and contribute to the activities.
Team needs: Offer ideas and suggestions, utilize all resources to support team effort, develop a decision-making process, and problem-solving is shared.
Leadership needs: Give feedback and support team decisions, promote team interactions, and ask for a contribution from all team members.
Performing Stage:
High performance is the name of the game. At this stage, the team is more organized, mature, and well functioning. The consensus and cooperation are well established at the performing stage. The team is now comfortable working together, has strong relationships built, and streamlined its processes. The team reaches peak productivity and quickly runs towards the end goal. True interdependence is the norm of this stage of team development. The team needs to be flexible as the team members adapt to meet the needs of the other team members.
Team needs: Maintain team flexibility, measure knowledge performance, move in the collaborative direction, and provide information and results.
Leadership needs: Observing, acquiring, and fulfilling team needs, offering positive reinforcement and support, and collaborative efforts amongst team members.
Adjourning Stage:
This is the final stage of team development. This stage occurs when the team has completed the project and the team members now have to move on to other endeavors. While employees generally feel accomplished at the end of a mission, they may also feel disappointed that the experience is over especially if they made close relationships with the team members. the project as a whole is being wrapped up, and final tasks and documentation are completed. The team members also debrief and discuss what went well and what could be improved on the projects in the future.
Team needs: Evaluate the efforts of the team, tie up loose ends and tasks, and recognize and reward team efforts.
Leadership needs: Help the team develop options for termination, and reflection, and carry forth collaborative learning to the next opportunity.
FAQ Section: Tuckman’s Stages of Group Development
What is the purpose of Tuckman’s model in team development?
Tuckman’s model outlines a clear, five-stage progression that teams typically go through as they develop and mature. The purpose of the model is to help team leaders, managers, and members understand that team dynamics are predictable, and that every team moves through a series of phases before reaching optimal performance.
The model highlights the fact that team development is a process, beginning with forming, where relationships are just beginning, to storming, where conflicts may arise, through norming and performing, where collaboration strengthens and productivity peaks, and finally adjourning, where the team dissolves after achieving its goal.
By understanding this framework, leaders can proactively manage each stage, anticipate challenges, and implement strategies to support growth and cohesion. Ultimately, Tuckman’s model enables teams to reach high performance faster and more effectively.
Why is the storming stage considered the most difficult, and how can teams navigate it successfully?
The storming stage is widely regarded as the most challenging phase because it’s when personalities, work styles, and expectations clash. During this period, team members are adjusting to one another’s differences, and disagreements or power struggles may emerge. Productivity often dips, as energy is focused more on conflict than collaboration.
To navigate this stage successfully, team leaders must:
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Encourage open, honest communication
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Acknowledge conflicts rather than avoid them
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Promote active listening and mutual respect
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Guide the team toward finding consensus and establishing ground rules
Team members must also be willing to reflect on their own behavior and work to build trust with others. When managed well, the storming stage leads to stronger relationships, clearer roles, and a more united team, setting the foundation for success in later stages.
How does leadership style evolve across Tuckman’s five stages?
Leadership plays a crucial and evolving role in each of the five stages of team development. As the team matures, the leader’s approach should shift to suit the needs of the group.
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Forming: Leaders are directive, setting clear goals and expectations. They guide and orient the team, providing structure.
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Storming: Leaders become facilitators, helping to manage conflicts and encourage collaboration.
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Norming: Leaders adopt a more democratic style, allowing the team to make decisions while providing support.
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Performing: Leadership becomes more hands-off. Leaders empower the team to operate autonomously, stepping in only to remove roadblocks or offer encouragement.
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Adjourning: Leaders focus on closure, helping members reflect on their work, celebrate achievements, and transition to future opportunities.
By adapting leadership styles appropriately, leaders can help their teams transition smoothly through each phase and reach high performance effectively.
What happens if a team gets stuck in one of the stages, particularly storming or norming?
If a team becomes stuck in a particular stage, especially in the storming or norming phases, it can hinder progress and prevent the group from achieving its potential.
In the storming stage, unresolved conflicts may escalate, leading to dysfunction or disengagement. Teams might struggle with trust, unclear roles, or constant friction. In the norming stage, a lack of clear processes or insufficient feedback might stall the team before they reach peak performance.
To move forward, the team (and especially the leader) should:
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Revisit the team’s goals and shared vision
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Offer training or coaching in communication and conflict resolution
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Reassess roles and responsibilities to ensure clarity
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Encourage regular check-ins and feedback loops
Facilitating open conversations, recognizing progress, and re-aligning expectations are essential steps to reignite momentum and get the team moving toward the performing stage.
Conclusion
Bruce Tuckman’s Stages of Group Development remains one of the most influential and practical frameworks for understanding team dynamics. It recognizes that high-performing teams don’t happen overnight, they evolve through a series of deliberate, predictable phases. Each stage, Forming, Storming, Norming, Performing, and Adjourning, plays a vital role in shaping the team’s success.
By identifying where a team is in its development journey, leaders and members alike can take purposeful action to support progress, resolve challenges, and build a cohesive unit. Whether you’re forming a brand-new team or seeking to enhance collaboration within an existing one, Tuckman’s model offers a roadmap for growth, resilience, and excellence.