Your team will grow and change as the season progresses. As a coach, you need to adapt to the changing influences that drive conflict and effectiveness. Tuckman’s Group Development Model provides a framework for planning through that journey.
Forming. The positive and polite stage when teams are forming. Relationships and foundations are built.
Storming. Boundaries set during the forming stage are tested as conflict increases. Effectiveness may drop as a result of unmanaged conflict which often flies below coach’s radar, surfacing as a larger problem later. Coaches must push members to think as a unit, not individuals.
Norming. Differences are resolved as clarity and process prevail. Acceptance and understanding results from acceptance of differences in personality.
Performing. Maximum performance -effectiveness and performance.
In the chart and descriptions above, we see the four stages of the Tuckman model. In general, each stage progresses to the next, but there is often overlap between stages so thinking that a team progresses through locks-and-gates sequentially is taking the model too literally. Instead, team will fluctuate between Storming, Norming, and Performing.
As a framework, we will use this model to help define how our team will grow throughout the season.
In future blogs, we will be referencing this model as we cover the topics that help you build better teams.
