What are the characteristics of the forming stage in team development?

If you are a project manager, you know how important it is to have a cohesive and productive team. But how do you build a team from scratch, or from a group of strangers or new hires? One of the most widely used models to understand and guide team development is the Tuckman model, which describes four stages: forming, storming, norming, and performing. In this article, we will focus on the first stage, forming, and explore its characteristics, challenges, and best practices.

1 What is forming?

Forming is the initial stage of team development, where team members are introduced to each other, the project, and the expectations. This is a time of orientation, exploration, and testing. Team members may feel excited, curious, anxious, or uncertain about the project and their roles. They may also be polite, cautious, and reserved, as they try to establish their identities and relationships within the team. The project manager plays a crucial role in this stage, as they need to provide clear direction, communication, and support to the team.

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Jafar K V

Software Project Manager | Web/E-commerce Rockstar | Process Automation Expert
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Forming stage, it's like the first day at school. Everyone is polite, figuring out where they fit in. There's excitement but also a bit of nervousness. We're getting to know each other, testing the waters. Roles and goals are a bit fuzzy, and we lean on the leader for direction. It's a mix of positivity, uncertainty, and a hint of testing the new waters.

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2 What are the challenges of forming?

Forming is not an easy process; it involves several challenges that the project manager and the team need to overcome. For example, lack of trust and cohesion may arise from not knowing each other well enough or having different backgrounds, skills, personalities, and preferences. Additionally, lack of clarity and commitment can lead to confusion, frustration, or apathy among the team due to not having a clear understanding of the project goals, scope, deliverables, and timelines. Furthermore, low involvement and participation can result in low performance, quality, or creativity due to team members not feeling comfortable or confident to share their ideas or opinions.

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3 What are the best practices of forming?

Forming is a critical stage of team development, as it sets the foundation for the subsequent stages. To make the most of this stage, the project manager and the team should build trust and rapport by creating opportunities for team members to get to know each other personally and professionally. They should also communicate and align on the project vision, objectives, scope, deliverables, and milestones, as well as define and assign roles and responsibilities. Additionally, they should involve and empower team members by soliciting their input, feedback, and suggestions. Furthermore, team members should be empowered to take ownership of their tasks and decisions, and be recognized for their achievements and contributions.

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4 What are the outcomes of forming?

Forming is an essential stage of team development, as it assists in forming the identity, direction, and structure of the team. The results of forming may differ based on the size, composition, and context of the team; however, some common outcomes include increased awareness and understanding of the project requirements, challenges, and opportunities, as well as knowledge of each team member's skills, personalities, and styles. Additionally, there is an increased alignment and commitment to the project goals, roles, and norms. Furthermore, there is an increased readiness and potential for team members to acquire skills and resources to perform their tasks, flexibility to handle changes or uncertainties, and creativity to generate new ideas and solutions.

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Hakam Madi

Seasoned Manager | Project Management | Inclusive Leader | Driving Positive Change | PMP®, CDP®, GDAP®, GADA®, GBI® | Impacting Social Development and Humanitarian Causes
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Forming a new team can have several positive outcomes. Firstly, when team members get to know each other, they start building relationships, which can improve collaboration and communication among team members. Secondly, team members become more familiar with their roles and responsibilities, which helps them understand how they can contribute towards achieving the team's goals. Thirdly, team members gain the skills and resources necessary to excel in their roles, which can lead to improved performance and productivity. Finally, forming a new team can help team members become more flexible and adaptable, enabling them to navigate unforeseen challenges and changes with resilience.

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5 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?

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Iyetule A.

Helping founders & CEOs achieve business outcomes with performance management systems | Head, Corporate Performance @ Ikeja Electric | MBA | MSc.| PMP | PRINCE2 Practitioner | ITIL | Scrum | Six Sigma
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Rather than overly focusing on the characteristics of the stages of team development, consider executing a personality test for your team members. This will help you understand them better and develop actionable tactics for managing and interacting with them to ensure set objectives are achieved.

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Siva Subbiah

PMP® | Top Indian LinkedIn Voices’24 | #Project Management & #Business Analysis Thought Leader: Creating Impactful Content to Drive Success. Marathoner & Toastmaster.
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Conflict tends to be avoided or is minimal during the forming stage. There may be uncertainty about individual roles and responsibilities within the team. Team members may be hesitant to express their opinions or take on specific roles until they better understand the group dynamics. here is often a sense of optimism and positive anticipation about the team's potential success. Team members may express enthusiasm about the upcoming work.

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What are the characteristics of the forming stage in team development?

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1 What is forming?

2 What are the challenges of forming?

3 What are the best practices of forming?

4 What are the outcomes of forming?

5 Here’s what else to consider

Project Management

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What are the characteristics of the forming stage in team development?

1

2

3

4

5

1 What is forming?

2 What are the challenges of forming?

3 What are the best practices of forming?

4 What are the outcomes of forming?

5 Here’s what else to consider

Project Management

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