Ever been part of a team that just clicked—where collaboration felt effortless, goals were met with ease, and everyone was aligned? Or, more likely, have you been part of a team that felt stuck—bogged down by miscommunication, unclear roles, or tension that no one wanted to address?
Here’s the truth: Great teams don’t happen by accident. They evolve. And they do so in predictable ways.
In 1965, psychologist Bruce Tuckman introduced a model that explains this evolution: Forming, Storming, Norming, Performing (and later, Adjourning). His framework has stood the test of time because it reflects the real challenges teams face as they grow.
But here’s the problem: Knowing the model isn’t enough. You might recognize the signs of a team struggling in Storming, or one stuck in Norming and unable to push into high performance—but what do you actually do about it?
That’s where my book From Forming to Performing come in.
This article will break down each stage of team development, explain the challenges leaders face at every step, and—most importantly—show you exactly how to move your team forward.
If you’re ready to take your team from chaos to cohesion and eventually to high performance, let’s dive in.
Forming – The Beginning of the Journey
Every team starts with potential. Whether it’s a newly assembled project team, a leadership group coming together for the first time, or an existing team with a new leader, the Forming stage is where it all begins.
At this stage, team members are often polite, optimistic, and maybe even a little unsure. They want to make a good impression, but they’re also trying to figure out their place. Leaders might feel an early sense of momentum—people are eager to get started—but beneath the surface, there’s uncertainty.
Common Challenges in the Forming Stage
❌ Unclear Roles & Responsibilities – Who does what? What does success look like? If no one knows, misalignment is inevitable.
❌ Lack of Trust & Psychological Safety – Team members won’t speak up or challenge ideas if they don’t feel safe. Without trust, real collaboration can’t begin.
❌ No Shared Purpose or Team Identity – Are we just a group of individuals, or are we actually a team? Without alignment on goals, teams struggle to move forward.
Many leaders assume that Forming is the easy stage. After all, everyone’s getting along, right? But skipping the foundational work here leads to bigger problems down the road—Storming will hit harder, and progress will be slow.
The Leader’s Role in Forming
The key to a successful Forming stage? Intentional leadership. This is where leaders lay the foundation that determines whether their team will thrive or struggle in the months ahead. Your job is to:
✅ Establish psychological safety – Make it clear that all voices matter and encourage open dialogue.
✅ Clarify roles, expectations, and decision-making – Define who does what, how decisions get made, and what success looks like.
✅ Align the team on purpose and goals – People need to see the bigger picture and understand how their work connects to it.
If you get this stage right, you set your team up for stronger collaboration, faster problem-solving, and smoother transitions through the later stages.
Turning Forming Into Action
You now know why Forming is critical—but what does it look like in practice? That’s where the Forming Workbook comes in.
📘 The Forming Workbook provides: ➡️ Week-by-week plans to build trust, align roles, and define team purpose ➡️ Practical team activities to break the ice and establish strong connections ➡️ Step-by-step guidance for leaders to navigate this stage with confidence
→ Ready to build a strong foundation for your team? Check out the Forming Workbook to turn this stage into real progress.
Storming – Where the Growing Pains Begin
This is the part no one likes to talk about—but every team goes through it.
After the excitement of Forming, reality sets in. Differences emerge. Personalities clash. Expectations don’t always align with reality. And suddenly, that once-promising team starts feeling like a dysfunctional family.
Storming is the phase where conflict surfaces, and if not handled well, teams can get stuck here—sometimes for months, even years. But here’s the thing: Storming isn’t bad. It’s necessary. Every high-performing team has to go through this stage to build real trust and collaboration. The key is whether the leader knows how to guide the team through it.
Common Challenges in the Storming Stage
❌ Unspoken Tension & Misalignment – Some team members feel frustrated, but no one says anything. Instead, they disengage, work in silos, or complain in private.
❌ Conflicts Over Roles & Authority – Who’s actually in charge? Who gets the final say? When this isn’t clear, power struggles emerge.
❌ Dysfunctional Communication – Team members misinterpret each other’s intentions, and small misunderstandings turn into bigger problems.
Some leaders panic when Storming begins, assuming it means the team is failing. But conflict is a natural part of team growth. The best teams aren’t the ones that avoid conflict—they’re the ones that learn how to handle it productively.
The Leader’s Role in Storming
Your role as a leader is to guide the team through the mess so they come out stronger. That means:
✅ Encouraging open, honest discussions – Get the real issues on the table so they can be solved. Avoiding conflict only makes it worse.
✅ Clarifying expectations & decision-making – If people are stepping on each other’s toes, reset roles and responsibilities so everyone knows their place.
✅ Turning disagreements into constructive dialogue – Help team members see each other’s perspectives and find common ground.
The difference between teams that stay stuck in Storming and teams that move forward is how they handle this stage. Great teams embrace discomfort, work through it, and emerge stronger.
Turning Storming Into Action
Now, here’s the real question: How do you actually guide your team through this? That’s where the Storming Workbook comes in.
📘 The Storming Workbook provides: ➡️ Step-by-step conflict resolution strategies to help teams work through tension ➡️ Structured team exercises to improve communication and build mutual understanding ➡️ Practical frameworks to define roles, reset expectations, and refocus the team
→ Ready to help your team push through Storming and come out stronger? Check out the Storming Workbook to turn this stage into a breakthrough moment.
Norming – Finding Stability & Strength as a Team
If Storming is where teams feel like they’re falling apart, Norming is where they finally start coming together.
The arguments settle down. The roles become clearer. The team starts working with each other instead of against each other. There’s still plenty of work to do, but for the first time, it feels like the team is gaining traction.
This is a critical turning point. If teams don’t solidify strong norms and working agreements now, they can easily slip back into Storming. Norming is about reinforcing the right behaviors and setting the team up for long-term success.
Common Challenges in the Norming Stage
❌ Unspoken Team Norms That Create Confusion – Just because things feel smoother doesn’t mean expectations are actually aligned. Unclear norms lead to frustration later.
❌ The Risk of Complacency – The team is functioning well, but are they challenging themselves to grow? Or are they settling into “good enough” mode?
❌ Inconsistent Follow-Through on Agreements – Just because the team agreed on something last week doesn’t mean it’ll stick. Without reinforcement, old habits creep back in.
Norming is where teams solidify their identity, but only if they actively define and reinforce the behaviors that will help them thrive.
The Leader’s Role in Norming
Norming doesn’t mean a team is “finished.” It means the real work of sustaining and improving begins. As a leader, your job is to:
✅ Make team norms explicit – Don’t leave expectations unspoken. Clarify how decisions get made, how feedback is given, and how conflicts should be addressed.
✅ Hold the team accountable – Reinforce commitments. If someone slips back into old habits, reset expectations quickly.
✅ Keep momentum going – Just because things are working doesn’t mean the team can’t improve. Push for continuous learning and refinement.
The biggest mistake leaders make? Assuming their job is done once things feel stable. In reality, this is the moment to double down on reinforcing healthy team dynamics.
Turning Norming Into Action
Norming isn’t about hoping the team stays on track—it’s about actively reinforcing what’s working. The Norming Workbook helps leaders make these norms clear, sustainable, and effective.
📘 The Norming Workbook provides: ➡️ Frameworks for setting and reinforcing team norms that actually stick ➡️ Exercises to align expectations and prevent teams from slipping backward ➡️ Guided reflections and actions to ensure teams keep improving instead of stagnating
→ Want to solidify your team’s foundation and sustain long-term success? Check out the Norming Workbook to turn this stage into a lasting advantage.
Performing – The High-Performance Zone
This is what every leader dreams of—a team that just works.
Decisions are made efficiently. Problems are solved collaboratively. People step up without needing to be micromanaged. The team has trust, focus, and momentum. Welcome to the Performing stage.
But here’s the reality: High-performing teams don’t stay high-performing by accident.
It’s easy to assume that once a team reaches this stage, the work is done. In truth, this is when leaders need to shift gears—from building structure to pushing for growth. If a team isn’t challenged, it stagnates. If motivation fades, performance drops.
Performing isn’t the finish line. It’s the moment to raise the bar.
Common Challenges in the Performing Stage
❌ Complacency Creeps In – The team is working well, but are they still learning and improving? Growth stops when challenges stop.
❌ Leaders Shift Their Focus Too Soon – Some leaders take a hands-off approach once the team reaches high performance. But even the best teams need coaching and refinement.
❌ Not Enough Stretch Goals – Performing teams thrive when they’re pushed, not just when they maintain the status quo. The right level of challenge keeps engagement and innovation alive.
Performing teams have earned their autonomy, but they still need purpose, direction, and challenge to stay at their best.
The Leader’s Role in Performing
When your team reaches this level, your role as a leader shifts from fixing problems to elevating potential.
✅ Keep the team engaged – Find new ways to challenge them. Give them stretch assignments. Push for innovation.
✅ Support continuous learning – Even top performers need feedback, coaching, and growth opportunities. Keep sharpening the skills that make the team great.
✅ Protect what makes the team strong – High-performing teams can be fragile. A new member, a shifting goal, or a change in leadership can disrupt the balance. Stay proactive.
Great teams don’t become great and then stop. They adapt, refine, and improve—constantly.
Turning Performing Into Action
Sustaining high performance requires intentional effort—both from the leader and the team itself. The Performing Workbook helps leaders continue to challenge, grow, and refine their teams.
📘 The Performing Workbook provides: ➡️ Strategies to maintain motivation and engagement so teams don’t plateau ➡️ Tools to challenge the team with new goals and keep performance sharp ➡️ Frameworks for continuous feedback and coaching to sustain excellence
→ Want to push your team beyond “good” into “great”? Check out the Performing Workbook to turn this stage into lasting success.
Adjourning – Ending Well and Moving Forward
Every team has an end.
Some teams disband after a project is completed. Others evolve as key members leave or new priorities shift the focus. But no matter how a team ends, how you handle it matters.
Too often, teams ignore this stage—they move on without reflecting, without recognizing achievements, and without capturing lessons learned. But when leaders take the time to close things out the right way, they create smoother transitions, stronger professional relationships, and a lasting impact.
Common Challenges in the Adjourning Stage
❌ No Reflection, Just Moving On – Teams often jump straight to the next thing without pausing to acknowledge what they’ve built. This is a missed opportunity for growth.
❌ Unstructured Transitions Lead to Chaos – If key people leave without a knowledge transfer or clear handoff, teams struggle to maintain momentum.
❌ Lack of Closure Hurts Morale – Ignoring the emotional side of a team ending can leave people disengaged, frustrated, or even resentful.
Some leaders avoid this stage because it feels uncomfortable. But great leaders know that ending well is just as important as starting strong.
The Leader’s Role in Adjourning
Your job as a leader is to ensure that the transition is thoughtful, structured, and meaningful. That means:
✅ Recognizing the team’s achievements – Celebrate successes, acknowledge contributions, and highlight growth.
✅ Capturing lessons learned – What worked? What didn’t? Documenting insights ensures the next team benefits from what was built.
✅ Helping team members transition smoothly – Whether it’s handing off responsibilities, setting people up for new opportunities, or simply ensuring a proper goodbye, the way a team ends impacts the relationships that follow.
A well-handled Adjourning stage builds momentum for what comes next—whether that’s the next project, the next team, or the next challenge.
Turning Adjourning Into Action
If leaders don’t manage this stage intentionally, they risk losing valuable knowledge, engagement, and trust. That’s why From Forming to Performing covers how to transition teams effectively.
📘 From Forming to Performing provides: ➡️ Best practices for closing out teams while maintaining relationships and morale ➡️ Guided reflections and exercises to capture key lessons before moving on ➡️ Strategies to ensure smooth handoffs and knowledge transfer
→ Want to ensure your teams don’t just end, but end well? Check out From Forming to Performing for strategies to guide your teams through every stage—including Adjourning.
Final Thoughts: Team Development Is a Continuous Cycle
Teams don’t become great overnight. They evolve. They move through the challenges of Forming, Storming, Norming, and Performing—sometimes smoothly, sometimes painfully. And eventually, every team reaches the Adjourning stage, making way for something new.
But here’s the key: The best teams don’t just “go through” these stages—they navigate them with purpose. And the best leaders don’t leave team development to chance.
If you’re leading a team—whether it’s just forming, stuck in conflict, or ready to push for high performance—the difference between success and frustration isn’t just time. It’s action.
That’s exactly why I wrote From Forming to Performing—to provide leaders with practical tools to move teams forward with clarity and confidence.
And for those who want a step-by-step roadmap, the Roadmap from Forming to Performing workbooks break everything down into clear, week-by-week plans designed to help teams build trust, resolve conflict, align goals, and drive results—one stage at a time.
Ready to take your team to the next level?
📘 Get the full book: From Forming to Performing – A deep dive into team development with 25 practical activities. 📚 Start applying it today: The Roadmap from Forming to Performing Workbooks – Structured, week-by-week guides for every stage of team growth.
➡️ Find them all on Amazon now.
Let’s build stronger teams—one step at a time.
Cary Bailey–Findley has built High Performance Cultures within three Fortune 500 companies, and was awarded the ranking of #1 development organization in the world by the Association of Talent Development. He is currently the Talent Manager for SimCorp, but spends his free time helping startups scale up the the talent they need to succeed.
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