Project Management: Foundations to Practice · Resource and Team Management
Team Development: Tuckman's Stages
Tuckman's model has survived six decades of management theory because it captures a genuinely recognizable pattern. This chapter covers all five stages and the crucial nuance about regression.
Psychologist Bruce Tuckman published his original model of small group development in 1965, identifying four stages: forming, storming, norming, and performing, later adding a fifth stage, adjourning, with Mary Ann Jensen in 1977 [24]. The twelve-year gap between the original model and this addition reflects a genuine refinement based on further observation, rather than the fifth stage being part of Tuckman's original conception from the start.
Key Takeaways
- Tuckman's original 1965 model had four stages (forming, storming, norming, performing); adjourning was added in 1977 with Mary Ann Jensen.
- Storming is a necessary, productive stage in this model, not a sign of team dysfunction.
- Teams can regress to storming when membership changes significantly, even after reaching performing.
- The appropriate leadership style should adapt to the team's current stage, since a fixed approach tends to underperform.