ABSTRACT
The team life cycle is based on a generally accepted group process model by Bruce Tuckman and Mary Ann Jensen. Strong leadership is required to identify the stage and provide the appropriate direction and support to build team member task and relationship skills. In the forming stage, the over-use of consensus for decision making makes the team vulnerable to hidden conflicts they either repress or fail to recognize if they emerge. The storming stage of a team’s life cycle is when the team is most likely to experience serious productivity issues from emerging and active conflict. A norming team tends to focus on process improvement in the aftermath of an active conflict than a storming team. Performing and adjourning teams have gained the maturity to know how each member reacts based on past conflicts. Experienced team developers know that assessing a team’s stage requires a patient, scientific approach that acquires, tests, and evaluates information systematically using observation, research, and experimentation.
