Compare and contrast two models of team development.

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

A classic model of team development is the five-stage model, which includes five
stages: forming, storming, norming, performing, and adjourning. During the forming
stage, team members may experience stress due to the uncertainty of not knowing the
other team members and understanding their role on the team. As the team interacts on
project work, conflicts emerge regarding the goals and contributions of team members,
and the group enters the storming stage. In the norming stage, the members of the
team form a cohesive unit and close relationships among team members develop. In
the performing stage, the team should be performing by producing collective work
products. The group shifts from relationship development and norm articulation to the
work itself and goal attainment. The adjourning stage is when the team finalizes its work
and disbands. In many student project teams—and also at work—teams are temporary
and have a clear deadline. A second model of team development addresses the
potential performance losses that may occur during the initial storming or
procrastination phases. This model is known as the team performance curve. The team
performance curve recognizes that team performance over the course of the life of the
team is not always linear and performance does not always increase over time. The
team performance curve shows there may be a performance decrease as the team
goes through the storming phase. If the team gets past the storming and establishes
productive norms, they reach a point where they can be considered a potential team. A small number of teams become high-performance teams, which have all of the
characteristics of real teams plus team members are deeply committed to the growth
and development of the other team members.