Stages of Team Development

1. Forming: The development of mutual acceptance during early meetings and activities. During this stage, teams are friendly, and often will not disagree about others' ideas.

2. Storming: The development of open, honest discussion of differences that can develop into group conflicts. This stage is a natural part of developing trust and open dialogue about issues. Caring and honest acceptance of differences will foster better planning.

3. Norming: The team starts to establish the norms for working together, being productive, and cooperating. The team is meshing together and becoming more cohesive and creative as open and honest conflict gets resolved into productie working relationships.

4. Performing: The team has its goals, working roles and norms, and the ability to solve problems openly and honestly, plan new programs, and communicate with each other and the rest of the staff.

5. Reforming: All teams eventually lose and then add members. In this stage, the team begins anew as old members move on and new members are added. The process of becoming a team begins anew. (Bass & Avolio, 1994)