For effective leadership, you should understand how teams develop through different stages. You might have heard of the Tuckman Ladder model, which explains team growth but not performance. This is where the Drexler/Sibbet Team Performance Model becomes useful.
It goes beyond team formation and focuses on what drives performance at each stage. This model helps leaders guide teams through key phases, from building trust to achieving results.
In today’s blog post, I will explain the Drexler Sibbet Team Performance Model and how it supports team development by identifying what teams need to succeed at every step of their journey.
What is the Drexler/Sibbet Team Performance Model?
The Drexler/Sibbet Team Performance Model, also known as the Team Performance Curve or Team Effectiveness Model, was developed by Allan Drexler and David Sibbet in 1970. Over the past decade, they refined this model to map the predictable stages that teams go through to build and maintain performance. It serves as a practical framework for understanding and improving team effectiveness.
The model is based on the concept of a bouncing ball, starting with openness, imagination, and shared aspirations. As the team evolves, members begin to understand their goals, roles, and constraints, which grounds their collaboration. Then, the team bounces back with stronger implementation, creativity, and innovation.
The model outlines seven stages: the first four guide team formation, while the last three focus on team performance and sustainability. Each stage builds on the previous one, helping leaders and teams identify where they stand and what they need.
This model provides a shared language to support a team-based culture and guide teams toward lasting success.
The Seven Stages of Team Development
The seven stages of the Drexler-Sibbet Team Performance Model are as follows:
1. Orientation – Why Am I Here?
This is the team’s formation stage, where members first come together and begin to explore their purpose. At this point, individuals may feel uncertain or anxious. There is a need for clarity on the team’s purpose, expectations, and how each person contributes to the group.
Key elements of this stage:
- Clarifying the team’s mission
- Defining individual roles
- Establishing expectations
- Encouraging open dialogue
As a kLeader, you should promote psychological safety and encourage questions. Addressing doubts early builds confidence and creates a strong foundation for team growth.
2. Trust Building – Who Are You?
At this stage, team members begin to establish relationships and get to know one another on both a personal and professional level. Trust is the cornerstone of collaboration. Without it, teams struggle to work together effectively.
Team members should:
- Share experiences and working styles
- Demonstrate reliability and honesty
- Communicate openly and listen actively
- Recognize each other’s strengths
As a leader, you must model trust-building behaviors and create a safe space for connection. As trust grows, team members feel more comfortable sharing ideas and taking risks.
3. Goal Clarification – What Are We Doing?
Once trust is established, the team refocuses on defining its goals and purpose more clearly. This stage ensures everyone understands what the team is trying to accomplish and how success will be measured.
Goals should be:
- Specific and measurable
- Aligned with team and organizational priorities
- Communicated and documented
Team members align their efforts, reduce ambiguity, and build a shared vision. Without clear goals, teams may experience confusion, misaligned priorities, or wasted effort.
4. Commitment – How Will We Do It?
Now that the goals are clear, the team works on developing a plan to achieve them. Members take ownership of their roles and responsibilities. This stage is about building commitment through clear agreements on how the team will work together.
Activities in this stage include:
- Defining processes and workflows
- Agreeing on timelines and deliverables
- Setting expectations for accountability
- Aligning on values and work norms
Motivation grows as team members commit to a shared path forward. The team gains momentum through cooperation and mutual responsibility.
5. Implementation – Who Does What, When, and Where?
The team begins executing its plan. Members coordinate tasks, manage timelines, and respond to challenges as they arise. This is the most action-oriented phase, where collaboration becomes tangible and practical.
Key actions:
- Delegating tasks based on strengths
- Tracking progress and solving problems
- Communicating regularly for updates
- Adjusting plans when needed
Teamwork is essential. Success depends on how well the team manages real-world variables and adapts to obstacles. Effective execution strengthens trust and moves the team toward peak performance.
6. High Performance – Wow!
At this point, the team operates at its highest level. Team members trust one another, communicate effectively, and consistently exceed expectations. Creativity, innovation, and productivity flourish.
What defines high performance:
- Synergy and flow in collaboration
- Constructive conflict resolution
- Shared leadership and accountability
- Consistent delivery of outstanding results
This stage resembles the “Performing” phase in Tuckman’s model. The team functions as a unified, confident, and capable group. As a leader, you now act more as facilitators than directors.
7. Renewal – Why Should We Continue?
Renewal marks a time for reflection, celebration, and future planning. The team evaluates past efforts, acknowledges accomplishments, and considers new goals or directions.
In this stage, teams:
- Reflect on successes and lessons learned
- Recognize individual and group contributions
- Celebrate milestones and closure
- Reassess purpose and set new goals
This stage helps prevent burnout and keeps the team energized for future work. Renewal also supports knowledge transfer and continuous improvement, making it a vital part of long-term team effectiveness.
How to Apply the Drexler/Sibbet Model in Your Leadership Practice
As a leader, utilizing the Drexler/Sibbet Team Performance Model enables you to guide your team through each development stage with clarity and purpose. To apply the model effectively, start by diagnosing your team’s current stage of development. Observe team behaviors, interactions, and performance to identify whether they are still building trust, clarifying goals, or working at a high level.
Next, align your leadership actions with each stage’s needs:
- In Orientation, provide purpose and role clarity. Communicate the team’s mission and individual expectations.
- During Trust Building, create psychological safety. Encourage openness, one-on-one connections, and respectful communication.
- For Goal Clarification, lead structured discussions to define objectives and shared success metrics.
- In the Commitment stage, help set processes, assign roles, and align on methods.
- During Implementation, support execution by removing roadblocks, enabling collaboration, and providing timely feedback.
- At High Performance, empower the team to self-manage, innovate, and refine their workflows.
- In Renewal, celebrate successes, lead reflection sessions, and facilitate goal resets or project transitions.
Use the model as a coaching framework to help team members understand their journey. It also provides a common language for discussing challenges and progress. By applying the Drexler/Sibbet Model, you build stronger, more resilient teams that grow through structure and shared understanding.
Drexler/Sibbet Vs Tuckman’s Model
The Tuckman Model and the Drexler/Sibbet Team Performance Model both describe how teams evolve, but they focus on different aspects of team development. Tuckman’s model outlines how relationships and team dynamics progress, while the Drexler/Sibbet model goes further by also addressing what drives team performance at each stage.
Tuckman’s stages—Forming, Storming, Norming, Performing, and Adjourning—highlight the emotional and behavioral transitions that occur during group development. For example, during “Storming,” teams experience conflict, and in “Norming,” they begin to collaborate. However, this model does not provide a deep explanation of what makes a team effective in achieving results.
That’s where the Drexler/Sibbet Model adds value. It breaks the process into seven performance-focused stages, linking each phase to specific team needs, such as building trust, clarifying goals, or refining execution. It also emphasizes the cyclical nature of teams by including a “Renewal” stage for reflection and recalibration.
Together, the two models offer a complete view:
- Tuckman helps leaders understand emotional dynamics within the team.
- Drexler/Sibbet provides a practical framework for enhancing team output at every stage.
By combining insights from both, leaders can support their teams more holistically, balancing interpersonal development with measurable performance outcomes.
Summary
The Drexler/Sibbet Team Performance Model is a straightforward model that facilitates team collaboration and cohesion. This model has seven stages, four to create the team and three to explain increasing levels of sustained performance. It can transform a dysfunctional team into a high-performing team.
It encourages the team to work as a cohesive unit, solve the problem, and grow as individuals. It is an excellent framework for enhancing team performance.
Further Reading:
- Leadership Style in Different Phases of Team Formation
- Leadership Vs Management
- What is Servant Leadership?
Reference:
I am Mohammad Fahad Usmani, B.E. PMP, PMI-RMP. I have been blogging on project management topics since 2011. To date, thousands of professionals have passed the PMP exam using my resources.
