Читать книгу Team Management - Rus Slater - Страница 15

There are a number of preliminary stages before a team can start performing properly. The stages can be summarized as forming, storming, norming and performing. These stages sometimes happen naturally, but it is far better to manage them from the outset.

1 Forming stage. Team members identify each other by name, role and history. In order to get this stage successfully completed as quickly as possible, hold a proper ‘forming’ meeting – get everyone to introduce themselves and share this information.

2 Storming stage. The stage where, confident they are meant to be here, people start to ‘jockey for position’ – to establish their credibility in the team. Some will try to push themselves forward

case study A manager asked me to run a teambuilding course for his part-time IT project team. The team had spent 11 months and many thousands of pounds but had achieved nothing at all. Over two days of teambuilding, the team members properly introduced themselves to each other for the first time; they did a couple of exercises that allowed them to ‘storm’; and they produced their own team charter. They went on to achieve more in the following six weeks than they had in the previous 11 months.

because they want power or influence; others will deliberately keep a low profile because they are shy, diffident or lacking in confidence. You need to set up activities that allow people to find their level of comfort – for example any of the teambuilding exercises you can find on websites such as www.businessballs.com.

3 Norming stage. This is when you start to establish the rules of behaviour between team members, and their relationships with you and people outside. The Norming phase can take quite a long time if left to happen naturally because the rules will be established by a combination of ‘trial and error’ and ‘custom and practice’. Take control by holding a team meeting to set up some formal ground rules. See Secret 2.5 for more details.

4 Performing stage. The team finally starts working effectively towards its goals. For example, a soccer team is performing when it is playing well – tackling, keeping possession, winning ground, supporting each other – even before it starts scoring goals.

Once you reach this stage you want to stay there! Follow the secrets in Chapters 3, 4, 5 & 6.

Don’t let your team go through the first three stages without intervention; make them happen quickly and successfully.