Five Stages of Team development case study
Issues that may be off or wrong in the scenario
A team from different parts of a large service firm has been joined to work on a new process improvement project to improve how the organization manages and supports its customer base. During the forming stage, the team meets. First, the members are introduced to each other, and they learn about the project’s expectations. Sandra is the team leader, and she calls the members of the team face-to-face, although they will work virtually. Even though the team members are excited to meet and Sandra thinks that it is a great sign that they will work harmoniously, there are some issues that the team needs to address during the forming stage.
One key issue is that the members may need to comprehend the group’s objectives. The team needed to highlight the specific objectives and goals of the project during this stage to help the members understand what is needed of them during the entire process. Additionally, Sandra would have encouraged them to create a common understanding of the project’s objectives and scope at the beginning to align and work collaboratively to attain the goals. They may only work well if they comprehend the project’s goals and expectations. Nevertheless, the members may need to understand their specific roles clearly; they could be confused by duplication of their efforts, which could waste time and resources and consequently interfere with their progress.
How would Sandra know things are going out well?
A team leader is mandated to instruct the team, direct and guides them to ensure that they complete the assigned tasks. After the team building exercise, Sandra thought it was a great sign, and they would work well since they were engaged and honestly liked each other. The team had different professionals with different experiences. Therefore, Sandra would succeed in building a successful team. She would know that things are working out well. She observed that the members were active during the meeting, and they shared their experiences and ideologies. Five Stages of Team development
Sandra would promote positive interactions by encouraging the members to foster a strong sense of teamwork. Their understanding of this would help her lay the foundation for a highly efficient and productive team that can work harmoniously through proper communication and cooperation and become innovative in an environment of mutual respect and trust. Since she had a very tight deadline to complete the project, she was supposed to make a plan besides having measurable and clear goals for the project so that they accomplish it in time. Nonetheless, she should ensure that the team is united to promote team spirit besides ascertaining that each member is well-trained to handle the assigned roles. Sandra fosters cooperation among the members through team-building exercises to build relationships with one another to establish a positive team dynamic. By doing this, she is helping to create a collaborative and supportive team culture, which can improve their performance and success to help beat the tight deadline. Five Stages of Team development
What I would do differently as a team leader
Leadership is managing and establishing strategies that the team members should follow in a company. The success of each team depends on the decisions the team leader makes to run the team to achieve its success. I would start the project by allowing the team members to brainstorm their ideologies to help achieve the goals. Open communication would help the members to have an opportunity to share their concerns and propose their suggestions. I encourage the members to bring their progress reports within the agreed time frame because of the tight deadline. When monitoring the progress, I would identify any obstacles and adjust the strategies the members should utilize. Working towards a common vision is more motivating than my reasons for running an errand. Therefore, I would develop a comprehensive plan so that every member is informed of their responsibility to make them more productive. Generally, I am responsible for having a collaborative and united team and ensuring that my members are fully empowered to share their ideas to achieve the set objectives.
Awkward or uncomfortable situations
Getting to know each other, including the members’ personal lives outside work, was a good sign that the members were getting along well and comfortable around each other. No clarity was put on the project’s objectives during the forming stage. As a member, I may feel confused if I need to understand my responsibilities as stipulated in the project. The meeting needed a clearer structure; hence I did not find clarity and certainty on our aim as team members. After the meeting, Sandra could have communicated better what the members should do, including how to do their errands virtually.
Every team leader should make the members comfortable so that they work harmoniously to achieve their goals. Communication is key in every meeting. In this situation, I would openly express my concerns to the team leader and explain my discomfort and awkwardness. I would also seek clarification about my roles and expected tasks besides the goals and group agenda. I would not just sit and watch the messes that may arise during the meeting, but I would offer suggestions that foster teamwork and propose constructive ideas that could make the meeting more efficient or effective. For instance, encouraging training to clarify the members’ roles. Despite the discomfort, I would stay active and focused on handling the assigned roles. Staying active and collaborating with others will help the team achieve its goals. Five Stages of Team development
Intervening during issues at the storming stage
Good leaders are familiar with approaches to air conflict situations o that everyone works towards a beneficial resolution. They intervene in case issues arise so that they foster productive relationships. If Sandra did not intervene when the team was having negative issues, there would be negative outcomes, and the team would not achieve its goals. The team would not progress since the members struggled to solve their conflicting interests.
I agree that Sandra’s intervention was appropriate since the members needed to come to a consensus on how to work on their tasks since everyone believed they were better and fit for the role. Her interventions helped reduce the tension among the members since she reminded them of the ground rules they set during the face-to-face meeting. She monitored their progress and held frequent virtual meetings to ensure the members were moving in the right direction. After Sandra’s interventions, the members’ relationship started improving, and she observed significant improvement in the project.
Members contribute to the outcome.
At the norming stage, the team starts to work effectively. They become more focused on developing teamwork rather than their personal goals. There is a sense of teamwork among the members. The members now support one another on the project, including strategies to solve their decisions and making collaborative information, ensuring that they follow the ground rules and share information. They support one another to develop and grow their skills. For instance, Ameya worked with Sarah and taught her several skills he has acquired in database design and development. The members are becoming friends, and they enjoy one another’s company.
Aspects of the team’s dynamics that make the team-high performing
At the performing stage, the team functions at a very high level. The members are now focused on achieving their goals unanimously. It was difficult for the team to reach this stage, but they made it. At this stage, the members can brainstorm appropriately to solve their issues and are highly motivated to reach their goals as a team. They support each other to grow, and Sarah and Donna have developed their skills. They do not rely on the team leader’s intervention to solve their disagreement but can now solve their issues independently. At this stage, the group members can communicate honestly and openly since they have developed trust, enabling them to work unanimously. They now share their ideas to help them grow. Additionally, the group celebrates the milestones they have accomplished along the way. Five Stages of Team development
Individual behaviors that could have led to a different conclusion
The project ended with a huge success, and the members adjourned it with a get-together. The members would be engaged in different projects within the organization, although they promised to remain friends. Despite the happy ending, some behaviors would have led to a different conclusion. If the team members were unwilling to collaborate and share their skills and ideas with each other, especially with junior members like Sarah and Donna, they would have struggled to attain their goals and complete their assigned tasks. If they did not solve their issues and showed negative attitudes, such as becoming dismissive and criticizing one another based on their skills, the working environment would have been toxic and hindered their progress in working as a team. Furthermore, better communication would lead to a better understanding that would affect the team’s progress. It is necessary to solve issues among team members so that they remain united and work towards the goal.
When a team works smoothly, it can connect the members’ strengths and produce the best results. Therefore, teamwork is key to every organization, although several groups struggle with dysfunction. It is not usually easy to recognize a dysfunction, and a team may still attain its success while at the same time not living to its full potential. Hence a group can still become successful with a dysfunctional member, although other team members need to put extra effort into dealing with the negative effects. A dysfunctional team fails to live up to its full potential. The members should also encourage the dysfunctional member to put in more effort to attain reasonable success as a team.
The most important stage
Every group experiences the five phases of team development. All five stages are significant in team development, although I choose the norming stage as the most important phase for every group. During the norming stage, the team works more effectively as a group. They are no longer focused on their personal goals, and they focus on creating an appropriate way of working as a team. They now respect one another’s ideas and value their disparities. They work on sharing their information, and they can resolve any arising issues within themselves without depending on the team leader to intervene. This is the best stage since the members develop a sense of trust among themselves and help one another focus on a common goal. The members have a significant self-direction and can solve their conflicts and issues as a group.
I have had various group experiences where the norming stage was essential to our group’s success. During my last semester, I was part of a group discussion that worked on a group term project. During the first stages of the group project, everyone focused on our personal goals and ideologies, and we worked hard to find a common direction to help us accomplish the project. However, as we progressed collaboratively and shared our ideologies and views, we developed a sense of respect and acceptance. We developed each other’s perspectives and ideologies and collaborated appropriately to accomplish the project successfully and attain the set goals.
Concepts that are applicable and important in this case study
In this course, we discussed appropriate communication in an organization, specifically among members of one team. The course also dealt with proper conflict resolution strategies that team members can apply to solve their issues so that they work effectively.
Effective communication is the basis of successful projects. A project may fail when the members lack appropriate communication methods. Handling all the intricate dependencies, details, approvals, and decisions a project involves would only get some of the things to succeed with proper communication. Good communication is a significant aspect of accomplishing a project, and it allows projects to run smoothly and on time. The team members are aligned on the project’s objectives, and they can comprehend the project’s expectations through effective communication modes. For instance, in this case study, during the storming phase, when the members had issues, Sandra intervened and promoted open communication among the members to remind them of the ground rules so that they solve their issues they proceed with their work. Open communication helps members of the group to build trust and foster respect among each other so that they work together from the forming stage of a team to the adjourning stage without any conflicts that may hinder their progress.
Conflicts occur in several workplaces since team members usually fail to agree with each other’s opinions or may need to learn to work as a team despite their differences. A team must solve its conflicts professionally and in time to avoid failures for effective operations. Conflict resolution enables group members to understand one another better and establish smoother working relationships. Leaders should know how to bring their issues out openly so that all the members work on a specific resolution to benefit them. Sandra intervened and helped the members solve their issues, and they built productive relationships that fostered great opportunities for them to work collaboratively. Five Stages of Team development
Additionally, the team members used their conflict resolution skills during the performing stage and did not depend on the team leader to address their disagreements. Proper conflict resolution methods helped them become a high-performing team, and the project succeeded. The team members became good friends at the end of the project. Conflict resolution is significant for the success of any group, and leaving any conflict unsolved can negatively influence the members and affect the group’s productivity.
