The 7 stages of Team Development
Orientation
The issues in this stage revolve around membership and acceptance. The core
question is 'Why am I here'? People must believe that the team's task is valuable
and in line with their own values before they will buy into it. They will need to
know if they are accepted and that they can accept others, that they will be able
to contribute and that they will have influence over their own work and that of the
team. Problems in this stage lead to disorientation and fear. The sorts of
questions that need to be asked in this stage are:
 Do people enjoy coming in to work - do they want to be here?
 Is their work valued - or more important, do they feel that it is valued and of
value, to the company and to society?
 Are their skills valued and used fully by the team - are they able to contribute
to their full potential?
 Are they listened to and their ideas considered and valued
 Could this work be done by an individual - is a team really necessary?
 Do they feel part of this team?
Trust Building
The core questions in this stage are 'Who are you?’ and 'What will you expect of
me - can I survive in this company - with these people and in this environment'?
This stage is about building trust in team members both in their competence but
also as people. Problems in this stage may lead to caution and mistrust. The
sorts of questions that people will be asking in this stage are:
 Can I rely on other members of the team?
 Are all individuals competent at their job?
 Am I, and other members of the team, committed to the team and our work?
 Do people contribute ideas freely?
 Do I feel that there are any hidden agendas within the team?
 Do I ever see or feel people holding back or not participating fully in
meetings?
 Are ideas built on and discussed or do people fight for their own idea?
 Do you feel free to challenge the ideas of all other team members?
The great problem for all teams and their leaders is to know how other team
members are answering these questions. It is very easy to see and hear what
you want to hear and sensitivity, honesty and humility are required to get to the
truth. It is an art, with a need for good, active listening, to get the answers from
your team.
Goal/Role Clarification
This stage is about the clarification of goals, individual goals and how these are
to be achieved. The overall purpose may be clear and valued but this stage is
about how you are going to get there. Problems in this stage will lead to apathy,
overlap of work and irrelevant competition. It may also lead to spoken or
unspoken questions about the leadership of the team. Unless time has been
spent in the trust building stage the questions are likely to remain unspoken and
unresolved. The questions that need to be answered here are:
 Is the team mission clear - have we all discussed it and agreed/clarified what
it is?
 Am I quite clear on my own role and responsibility within the team?
 Do others know my own personal objectives and do I know theirs (not
business objectives, but personal goals)?
 Do people work together within the team or do I see people pulling in different
directions?
 Is there a strong feeling of competition and suspicion of others within the
team or of other teams?
 Do people voice their concerns about problems at work?
Commitment
This is the stage where the team is really ready to take action and it decided how
and which way to move. This is when people answer the question 'Am I in or
out'? You will see that, unless the first three stages are resolved, you are unlikely
to get my full commitment.
One response, when commitment is lacking, is to offer rewards. Another is to
offer threats. This model suggests that you look at the preceding stages to find
and resolve the underlying cause of the problem rather than treat the symptoms.
 Am I happy with the way that we work together?
 Am I confident that our current approach to planning and work will achieve
our goals?
 Do I feel that I am being challenged by my current responsibilities?
 Is there a real sense of excitement, achievement, and celebration within the
team from the work that you do?
 Am I happy that I am doing the right thing for me - that by working in this team
I am working towards my own personal goals and getting what I want from my
work?
Implementation
This is the stage where the team must integrate related tasks into a cohesive
operation so that everyone knows what to do, when, where and how. They
should also know how they fit into the 'big picture'. Problems in this stage may
lead to confusion, missed deadlines and much wasted effort.
 Is our work well planned and co-ordinated?
 Do I, and do others in the team, meet deadlines consistently?
 Do I find myself waiting for others before I can finish my work?
 Is the workload and responsibility evenly spread?
 Do I know 'the big picture' and what others in the team are doing?
This stage will be reflected in the working practice of the team. Their procedures
for running meetings, for dealing with problems, for communicating information,
for handling conflict.
High Performance
This stage comes through the resolution of the earlier and leads to a sense of
harmony and excitement within the team. There will always be an element of
personal chemistry, timing and luck in achieving this stage and it will require a
degree of energy and commitment, which may not always be appropriate. In
times of crisis, the team can move through the stages very quickly.
 I feel a sense of excitement and pride in belonging to my team?
 Can I trust my team members with my thoughts and feelings - and can I
accept theirs?
 Am I aware of how others are feeling within the team?
 Can I take risks without fear of blame?
 Do I feel that my energy is always being used to the greatest effect?
Renewal
In this stage the team and/or the individuals within the team ask 'Why continue'?
In many ways this involves going through the orientation stage again and
checking that personal and business goals are still being met. If there are
discrepancies then there may be boredom and wasted effort.
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Do we review our goals and personal objectives regularly?
Do I ever feel stale, lacking energy or commitment to the task?
The team may break up or one or two individuals may leave. As soon as this
happens that team, as a separate identity, is finished. The team has changed
and needs to go through the stages again.
Using the Model
You can apply it to your team - ask the questions above of your own team and
see where the strengths and the gaps are. You can apply it to meetings - ask
yourself if everybody is clear on the purpose of the meeting, is there an
atmosphere of openness and honesty, is the meeting being run efficiently? You
can apply it to sports teams that you play in or you watch.
You can apply this model to any team - you can apply it to this learning group
and we will ask you where you see your own group on the model at different
times during the team skills programme. We would also say, though, that the
model is not something that you apply once as a diagnostic instrument, or that a
team passes through the stages one by one and once only.
Each time a team meets and re-assembles, there will be a period of orientation,
of re-establishing relationships. A high performance team will go through that
process very quickly but, if high performance is to be achieved, then this stage
cannot be ignored or neglected. Many teams move straight into setting goals
and tasks and although they may be very successful, we would ask what they
are judging themselves against. They may be very successful, but what could
they achieve if they put real energy into this bouncing ball.
Each time the make-up of the team changes, then the team needs to go through
the process again. Again, where the core of the team and the systems and
processes remain, then this can speed things up and new members can be
made to feel part of the team more quickly.
TEAM ROLES
Experience shows that the topic of team roles is raised often during the reviews
of the first couple of tasks. This is in response to a perceived need for some form
of co-ordination of efforts during the task. Depending on the experience and
maturity of the group, different labels will be used to define this role - leader, coordinator, chairperson, manager etc. Often a group will shy away from the use of
the term ‘leader’ due to their negative perception of this role using words like
dictatorial, bossy, powerful and controlling. In this instance, the tutor needs to
redress the balance and demonstrate the positive qualities of the ‘leadership’ role
together with a raising of awareness of the other roles that need to be present if
the team is to be effective in fulfilling its aims and objectives.
We are going to use a straightforward model to introduce the five different types
of team roles - they are Leader, Carer, Doer, Thinker, Achiever.
It is worth checking to see what experience of team roles exists within the group.
It is likely that a number will be aware of the work of Dr Meredith Belbin whose
research with a wide range of business teams allowed him to define nine
different types of team role. To raise awareness on this programme we will use a
simpler model.
In the past we have used a questionnaire to help the students explore their
preferential roles and then look at the profile of the team to see where there are
particular strengths and weaknesses. However, time is very limited on the team
development programme and now, as opportunities arise, we raise the topic of
team roles during the reviews and consider whether there is an imbalance within
the team and if so, what action the team members must take.
From past experience we need to reassure the students that we are not trying to
put them into boxes. By linking back to Adair’s circles we know that a number of
team processes need to occur for success. Research has shown that people
have different strengths and preferences which allow them to carry out the range
of team processes and functions required. It follows that the overall strengths and
preferences of the team as a whole will determine how effectively the team
processes occur. If the team processes are not carried out the team will suffer
from imbalance and disharmony and probably fail to be successful in the long
term. These vital support process must be carried out for the team to be ‘healthy’
enough to actually achieve the task.
The five different roles can be defined as:
Leader
 creates a common purpose
 provides and communicates a vision
 clarifies objectives
 makes sure everybody is involved, committed and motivated
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co-ordinates the efforts of the group
ensures that decisions are made and the group makes progress
Thinker
 collects and analyses information
 listens to what is being said and watches what is going on
 is sometimes quiet before contributing ideas
 thinks through the problem
 sees solutions anticipates problems
Achiever
 wants to succeed and strives for results
 wants to progress towards the goal /objective quickly
 becomes impatient with delays
 challenges assumptions and proposes improvements
 has lots of enthusiasm
 questions complacency
Carer
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is concerned that everybody is fitting in
contributes humour and builds bridges around the team
works to develop a team spirit
is keen to get everybody to agree
watches out for others feelings and attitudes
eases tension and fosters a positive spirit
Doer
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always wants to be active
is prepare to get involved to help others
wants to see progress and adherence to plans
gets bored with too much discussion
hates time wasting
works hard to finish the task
There is a sixth role, which is not defined above - the Personal Role. It is
important to be alert to people who fall into this category. They will weaken the
group by diverting attention away from the common purpose, by undermining the
leaders position or just by acting as a block on the progress of the group. They
may consistently put members of the group down, or look for attention and
sympathy or avoid responsibility - this role needs to be confronted and dealt with
as soon as it is recognised.
When working with a group it is important to emphasise that most people are
capable of fulfilling the requirements of each role, even though they may feel
uncomfortable when performing various aspects. However, when in the role of
leader, an individual needs to have the confidence to be able to fill the gaps in
the team, either by themselves or by encouraging other members of the team to
contribute. Awareness of the teams strengths, weaknesses and gaps is vital to
the successful development of any team but so is the confidence of the
individuals within the team, to develop any weaknesses in their own profile.