Tuckman’s 5 Stages of Team Development

Why do some teams move effortlessly through every stage of development while others get stuck in endless conflict?

As a leader, you’ve probably seen it: a new team starts full of enthusiasm —
but soon tensions arise, discussions heat up, and the harmony seems lost.

Back in 1965, Bruce Tuckman identified that successful teams go through a predictable developmental process.
His model, “Developmental Sequence in Small Groups,” helps leaders navigate their teams through these challenging phases.

🤝 Phase 1: FORMING (Orientation)

“Nice to meet you!” – the polite introduction phase
Characteristics: Superficial harmony, caution, and politeness dominate.
Performance: Low, but harmonious.

Your task as a leader:
Define clear goals, establish strategies and processes, assign initial responsibilities,
create informal opportunities to connect, and build trust and deeper relationships.

⛈️ Phase 2: STORMING (Conflict)

“Batten down the hatches” – the inevitable storm phase
Characteristics: Heated discussions, power struggles, and clashing approaches.
Performance: Harmony drops sharply, but performance begins to rise.

Your task as a leader:
Allow conflict — it’s a natural process!
Set boundaries (no personal attacks), promote deeper thinking,
treat conflict as a learning opportunity, document and communicate decisions, and make quick calls on minor issues.

⚠️ Avoiding conflict is more dangerous than facing it!

🎯 Phase 3: NORMING (Alignment)

“Love is in the air” – the team finds its rhythm
Characteristics: Shared work processes emerge, trust grows, and informal roles form.
Performance: Continuous improvement and growing psychological safety.

Your task as a leader:
Celebrate progress, document new standards and agreements, build the team’s confidence, and gradually delegate and empower.
⚠️ Caution: Many teams stop here — “good enough” is the enemy of “great.”

🚀 Phase 4: PERFORMING (High Performance)

Like a perfectly staged theater play
Characteristics: Interdependence, autonomy, constructive conflict resolution, and high efficiency.
Performance: Peak performance combined with strong harmony.

Your task as a leader:
Provide continuous recognition and encouragement, foster growth and development, maintain open communication, and support adaptability and ongoing evolution.

🎭 Phase 5: ADJOURNING / MOURNING (Dissolution)

The curtain falls – time for reflection
Characteristics: Mixed emotions of pride and nostalgia.

Your task as a leader:
Celebrate and honor achievements, support team members during separation, and promote reflection and learning.

💡 Key Takeaways for Practice

Staff changes or external shifts can push teams back into earlier phases.
Teams can skip or move back and forth between stages.

👀 Stay Alert

Schedule regular team check-ins.
When setbacks occur: discuss them openly, without blame.
Reapply strategies that worked in the past.
For ongoing issues: seek external support.

The Journey in Perspective

Team development follows a U-shaped curve — from “happy ignorance” through the “chaotic valley” to “happy competence.”
It mirrors models like Kübler’s Change Curve or the Skill/Will Matrix.

Source: “State of Business Communication 2024” – Grammarly and The Harris Poll

👉 Find more practical tips in our article “How to Engage Employees in Learning and Development.”