LEADING HIGH PERFORMING TEAMS

Ignite! Newsletter—March 2007 Article
LEADING HIGH PERFORMING TEAMS

Research over the past sixty years has consistently demonstrated that regardless of their purpose, teams go through predictable stages on their path to high performance. After a comprehensive review of more than 200 studies on group development, R. B. Lacoursiere in 1980 identified five stages of team development.*

Orientation
Dissatisfaction
Integration
Production
Termination

The Stages of Team Development Model

Two variables determine the team development stage: productivity and morale. Productivity is the amount and quality of the work accomplished. It depends on members’ ability to collaborate, their knowledge and skills, clear goals, and access to needed resources. Morale is the team’s confidence, motivation, and unity in achieving the purpose.

The Stages of Team Development Model below shows how Productivity and Morale vary as a team progresses (reading right to left) through the stages of development.



The challenge for anyone tasked with leading a team is to be able to recognize the team’s current stage of development and then provide the direction and support needed for the team to grow. Let’s look at this a little more in depth for each stage of development.

Team Development Stage 1 (TDS1): Orientation

At this stage, most team members, unless coerced, are fairly eager to be on the team. However, they often come with high, unrealistic expectations. These expectations are accompanied by some anxiety about how they will fit in, how much they can trust others, and what demands will be placed on them. Team members are also unclear about norms, roles, goals, and timelines.

In this stage, there is high dependence on the leadership figure for purpose and direction. The challenge at the orientation stage is to get the team off on the right foot by developing a strong team charter and building relationships and trust.

The duration of this stage depends on the clarity and difficulty of the task, as well as clarity about how the team will work together. With simple, easily defined tasks, the orientation stage may be relatively short—5 to 10 percent of the team’s life. On the other hand, with complex goals and tasks, the team may spend 30 to 60 percent of its time in this stage.

Team Development Stage 2 (TDS2): Dissatisfaction

As the team gets some experience working together under its belt, morale dips as team members experience a discrepancy between their initial expectations and reality. The difficulties in accomplishing the task and in working together lead to confusion and frustration as well as a growing dissatisfaction with dependence on the leader.

The challenge for team leaders during the dissatisfaction stage is helping the team manage issues of power, control, and conflict and to begin to work together effectively. The length of time spent in this stage depends on how quickly issues can be resolved. It is possible for the team to get stuck at the dissatisfaction stage and continue to be both demoralized and relatively unproductive.

Team Development Stage 3 (TDS3): Integration

Moderate to high productivity and variable or improving morale characterize a team at the integration stage. As issues encountered in the dissatisfaction stage are addressed and resolved, morale begins to rise. The team develops practices that allow members to work together more easily. Task accomplishment and technical skills increase, which contributes to positive feelings. Because the newly developed feelings of trust and cohesion are fragile, team members tend to avoid conflict for fear of losing the positive climate. This reluctance to deal with conflict can slow progress and lead to less effective decisions.

Learning to share leadership and getting past the tendency to agree in order to avoid conflict are the challenges for team leaders at the integration stage. It’s important for team leaders at this stage to remember that they will never, never, never have a high performing team unless leadership and control are shared. The integration stage can be quite short, depending on the ease of resolving feelings of dissatisfaction and integrating new skills. If members prolong conflict avoidance, there is a possibility that the team could return to the dissatisfaction stage.

Team Development Stage 4 (TDS4): Production

At this stage, both productivity and morale are high and reinforce one another. There is a sense of pride and excitement in being part of a high performing team. The primary focus is on performance. Purpose, roles, and goals are clear. Standards are high, and there is a commitment not only to meeting standards but also to ongoing continuous improvement.

The challenge for leaders in the production stage is sustaining the team’s performance through new challenges and continued growth. This stage is likely to continue—with moderate fluctuations in feelings of satisfaction—throughout the life of the team.

Team Development Stage 5 (TDS5): Termination

With ongoing teams, this stage is not reached unless a drastic reorganization occurs. Termination, however, does occur in ad hoc teams or temporary task forces, so team members need to be prepared for it. Productivity and morale may increase or decrease as the end of the experience draws near. Team members may feel sadness or loss—or, on the other hand, rush to meet deadlines.

The challenge at the termination stage is to maintain necessary productivity and morale while managing closure, recognition, and celebration. This stage may vary in duration from a small part of the last meeting to a significant portion of the last several meetings, depending on the length and quality of the team experience.

Conclusion

The team stages of development outline a team’s needs at any point in its life cycle. Understanding these needs is critically important because it allows team leaders or members to provide leadership behaviors that will respond to those needs.

Building a high performing team requires a leader who can manage the journey from dependence to interdependence. When a great team leader’s job is done, team members will say, “We did it ourselves.” Intervening with the appropriate leadership style at each stage will help the team progress to or maintain high performance.

*R. B. Lacoursiere, The Life Cycle of Groups: Group Development Stage Theory (New York, NY: Human Science Press, 1980).


Would You Like to Learn More about Leading High Performing Teams?

Join Dr. Eunice Parisi-Carew for a complimentary webinar on how to create high performing teams in your organization.

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