Forming, Storming, Norming, and Performing

In 1965, an American psychologist, Bruce Wayne Tuckman, published the paper “Developmental Sequence in Small Groups,” describing four stages of team development: forming, storming, norming, and performing. Later adding, the fifth stage, “adjourning,” is also known as mourning. 

This theory is referred to as “Tuckman’s stages of group development,” and it explains the path a team follows from beginning to end.

The project team is temporary; it exists alongside the project, dissolving with the conclusion. For the next project, a new team will be built.

This is an ongoing process. Each team passes through the stages of team formation: Forming, Storming, Norming, and Performing. As a project manager, your job is to support and help your team members develop.

Forming, Storming, Norming & Performing: Tuckman Model

Image showing Forming Storming Norming Performing

According to Bruce Tuckman, team development has five stages: Forming, Storming, Norming, Performing and Adjourning. These are known as Tuckman Stages.

Team members behave differently in each stage, and the project manager must act accordingly to facilitate their development.

Let’s discuss each stage of team formation and the corresponding role of the project manager.

Forming

In this stage, all team members are new and don’t know the other members. They don’t yet properly understand their roles and responsibilities and work independently.

Here, the project manager should work with an autocratic or directing style to avoid disorganization and chaos.

Storming

Team members get to know each other in this second stage and understand their roles and responsibilities. However, they still need a solid command to keep things aligned.

The project manager will be less autocratic than in the Forming stage. Here they should display a coaching style of leadership.

Norming

Now that team members have a sound understanding of their roles and responsibilities; they begin working together and adjusting their habits and behaviors.

The project manager should be less heavy-handed since team members have started understanding each other, and their expectations have been clarified. In this stage, the project manager must function as a facilitating leader.

Performing

In this stage, team members act like one unit that is interdependent and adjusted. Now they are a high-performing team and can work with less supervision.

They are aligned with each other and require minimal monitoring. Here, the project manager acts in a laissez-faire style or as a supportive leader.

Laissez-faire is a French word that means “don’t interfere” or “let go.” This leadership is also known as delegating leadership. In this style, the project managers trust their team members and allow them to work freely.

This leadership style is useful when team members are skilled, experienced, and capable of working independently.

Adjourning

The project is now completed, and the team is released or deputized to another project. Here, again, the project manager will behave with a laissez-faire style.

As a project manager, you should lead your team based on their behavior and understanding of the project. There is no definitive rule for governing style in distinct phases of the project.

As the project manager, you must act according to your team’s behavior, which may vary.

You likely won’t need all team members in the initiation and planning phase, and most are hired at the beginning of the execution phase. Therefore, you can assume that the Forming stage includes the initiation, planning, and the beginning of the execution phase. Storming, Norming, Performing, and Adjourning will once again follow the same order.

Forming Storming Norming and Performing Tuckman Model table

The leadership style of a project manager in separate phases of team formation is a fascinating topic. You should balance the qualities of a leader and a manager; you may be a good leader but not a good manager, or vice versa.

Leaders must have followers who share the same vision.

Effective leaders motivate and influence followers to get the job done. Leaders have the charismatic power to inspire team members.

Followers believe in their leader’s cause and support it.

While leaders have followers, managers have subordinates who complete a task, and they have authoritative and punitive powers.

Team members follow orders with the knowledge that managers can punish them for not doing so.

As a good project manager, you should combine the qualities of a leader and a manager because you must lead and manage your team to complete the project successfully. You should be able to motivate them and earn their respect and support.

In this role, you may not always work in a projectized organization. The company may be a weak or balanced matrix organization where you have limited authority, so leadership qualities will help you influence and motivate your team members.

Leadership and management complement each other when effectively balanced.

Using the Forming, Storming, Norming, and Performing for Team Formation

An effective project manager successfully balances and blends the qualities of a manager and a leader. Management qualities will help you assign and complete tasks, and leadership qualities will help you motivate and influence your team members to work efficiently.

Your management style may not change, but your leadership may change according to the stages of team formation. Leadership style will vary in various stages of team formation; however, the objective is still the same: leading the team to achieve the project’s objectives.

The following steps will help guide your team in any stage of team formation:

  1. Identify the stage of the team
  2. Find what needs to be done to proceed to the next stage
  3. Provide the required support for the stage transition
  4. If the team is in the performing stage, monitor the performance

Team Journey from Forming, Storming, Norming, and Performing Stages

Image Showing Team Journey from Forming Storming Norming and Performing Stages
  • Forming to Storming: This is the initial stage, and all team members are new. Have a meeting and introduce all team members to one another. Explain the purpose of the project and project objectives.
  • Storming to Norming: Team members are aware of their work and start understanding it. You must guide them to fulfill their responsibility and closely monitor their work. Look out for conflicts and solve them quickly.
  • Norming to Performing: Here, team members have started performing the work, and you can be more relaxed and guide them to improve their performance while still being aware of conflicts.
  • Performing to Adjourning: Here, the team is performing at its full potential, you have delegated the work completely, and monitoring is at its lowest point. You must plan for team release and new assignments.

Summary

A project team does not start performing from day one. They must take time to get to know one another and then ramp up to work at their full potential. The Tuckman model explains a project team’s stages, from strangers to a coherent team. 

Understanding the Tuckman model helps you support your team to quickly pass the forming, storming, and norming stages and perform better.

This topic is vital from a PMP exam point of view. You may see one or two questions from this topic on your exam.

Fahad Usmani, PMP

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.