Team Dynamics Against Tuckmans Team Development Model Management Essay

Published Date: 23 Mar 2015

Socio-economy changes in recent years particularly in Asia, lead to the demand and upkeep of knowledge relentlessly important to ensure the socio-economy developments and advancements are undertaken professionally and efficiently in accordance to rules and regulations, framework, guidelines as well as code of ethics of the professional or academic bodies. With the support of advanced technology, various academic and professional training programs have been developed by professional bodies and universities to meet the demand of knowledge acquisition and to provide channels to working professionals and also students to acquire knowledge to face with the challenge of advancement.

Distance learning program has since been make possible and effectively delivered with the availability of communication tools such as internet, e-mails, electronic forums (blog), videoconferencing, chat rooms, instant messaging and etc. However successful conveyance of such programs towards the completion where credit is based on participation of each and every participants and submission of individual and team assignments or projects, personal commitment and vigor as well as effective teamwork are the fundamental to ensure success.

Towards the end of 3rd quarter 2009, I was given the opportunity to embark on a training program that leads to project management certification with AACE. The training program was part of development program that was sponsored by the company as to acquire necessary and professional knowledge and know how in the field of project management which will substantially improve and support the quality of service delivery. It was also my personal intention to acquire knowledge in project management and project leadership.

The program should have completed by end 1st quarter 2010. However, the embarkation on the first encounter for the training as well as certification process was leading to unsuccessful ending that none of the team member or participant able to complete the program as well as the certification. The team was then dissolved in February and was then merged with another team which commenced the training in mid February 2010 to form an enlarged team to complete the training and certification process.

Throughout the process of the training program with two different teams, the author had the opportunity to observe the different leadership that can lead to the success and failure of the program. The presentation of the paper will discuss on the formation of both team and the progress and development throughout the whole program. The first team will be called as Team A and the second team which was formed in February will be called as Team B.

Using Tuckman's Forming, Storming, Performing, Adjourning model as well as XYZ and LMNOP approaches, the author will attempt to analyze what management decisions? Styles? Approaches? Were used which enabled Team B to be more successful than Team A.

3. Distance Learning Program - corresponding stage of Team Development

AACE training course designed and organized by PTMC was an 8 day training program, spread over approximately 22 weeks with combined two Face-to-Face sessions and Distance Learning Mode program designed to prepare career path professionals in Project or Program Management to earn their Certified Cost Consultant/Cost Engineer (CCC/E) and/or related credentials.

[Cite: PTMA AACE training course preparatory mail]

The participants of the program were the experienced professionals with academic and professional qualifications as basic requirement of the program. They are coming from various industries that include mining industry, oil and gas, IT, telecommunication, constructions and the program well serve as a platform to share practices and knowledge in respective industries. The participants were required to form a team and sub-team to deliver the deliverables of the training programs using project management methodology within the durations of the program.

The design and the flow of the training had already been serving as the framework for teaming process with each and every stage of the program correspond to teaming stages of Tuckman's teaming model.

Preparatory mail Ĭ Teaming preparation, virtual formation

First face-to-face learning session Ĭ Forming

Distance learning mode Ĭ Storming, Norming and Performing

Sub-team: Forming, Norming & Performing

Final face-to-face session Ĭ Performing and Adjournment

Teamwork is essential to bring to the success of the program, however leadership as well as maturity as a professional of the participant as well as understanding each others background well play bigger role in ensuring the proceeding of the program was professionally driven.

1There are obvious advantages of teamwork and the benefits of teamwork are very relevant particularly in the context of distance learning programs and become more significant.

It enabled accomplishment of tasks with any quality and efficiency

Distribution of work or reduced workload

Problem solving and decision making

Management and control of work

Information processing

Information and idea collection, stimulate new ideas

Co-ordination and liaison, to focus on what I'm good at while learning new skills

Increasing commitment and involvement

It facilitates solutions when things don't go as planned

Negotiation and conflict resolution

Encourages learning from one another

Having said with the benefits and advantages of teamwork, there are still much to do to build a team that can work effectively and achieve common goals where iterative process along the stage of team development occur that requires certain leadership skill to breakthrough the situation and to move the team forward particularly during the distant learning mode where intense skills has to be demonstrated to ensure team are moving forward.

4. Bruce Tuckman's team-development model [2] 

Forming - Storming - Norming - Performing is a model of team development, first proposed by Bruce Tuckman in 1965, who maintained that these phases are all necessary and inevitable in order for the team to grow, to face up to challenges, to tackle problems, to find solutions, to plan work, and to deliver results. He added a fifth stage, Adjourning, in the 1970s. The Forming Storming Norming Performing theory is an elegant and helpful explanation of team development and behavior

Tuckman's model explains that as the team develops maturity and ability, relationships establish, and the leader changes leadership style. Beginning with a directing style, moving through coaching, then participating, finishing delegating and almost detached.

forming

storming

norming

performing

1

2

3

4

Figure 1: Bruce Tuckman's 'Forming Storming' Team Development Stages Model - 1965 [3] 

4.1 Characteristic of each stage [4] 

Forming Stage:

Forming stage is where the team is highly disoriented has high dependence for guidance and direction. In the case of the training process, the trainer will be the de-facto lead of the program. Since this is a blended training program with classroom and distance training as well as that individual team member needs to participate as a project team in order to learn more experientially, team lead as Program Manager has to be selected.

At this stage of the team, the team has little agreement on team aims other than received from leader or training facilitator. Apart from individual intention of participating in the training, individual roles and responsibilities within the team are unclear. Leader, program manager as well as the training facilitator who is the de-facto program manager, must be prepared to answer lots of questions about the team's purpose, objectives and external relationships. Processes are often ignored. Members test tolerance of system and leader. Leader directs

Storming Stage:

At this stage of the teaming, decision does not come easily within group. Team members vie for position as they attempt to establish themselves in relation to other team members and the leader, who might receive challenges from team members. Clarity of purpose increases but plenty of uncertainties persist. Cliques and factions form and there may be power struggles. The team needs to be focused on its goals to avoid becoming distracted by relationships and emotional issues. Compromises may be required to enable progress. Leader coaches at this stage of the teaming stage.

Norming stage:

Agreement and consensus is largely forms among team, who respond well to facilitation by leader. Roles and responsibilities are clear and accepted. Big decisions are made by group agreement. Smaller decisions may be delegated to individuals or small teams [5] within group. Commitment and unity is strong. The team may engage in fun and social activities. The team discusses and develops its processes and working style. There is general respect for the leader and some of leadership is more shared by the team. Leader facilitates and enables

Performing stage:

The team is more strategically aware; the team knows clearly why it is doing what it is doing. The team has a shared vision and is able to stand on its own feet with no interference or participation from the leader. There is a focus on over-achieving goals, and the team makes most of the decisions against criteria agreed with the leader. The team has a high degree of autonomy. Disagreements occur but now they are resolved within the team positively and necessary changes to processes and structure are made by the team. The team is able to work towards achieving the goal, and also to attend to relationship, style and process issues along the way. Team members look after each other. The team requires delegated tasks and projects from the leader. The team does not need to be instructed or assisted. Team members might ask for assistance from the leader with personal and interpersonal development. Leader delegates and oversees

Adjourning stage:

Tuckman's fifth stage, Adjourning, is the break-up of the group, hopefully when the task is completed successfully, its purpose fulfilled; everyone can move on to new things, feeling good about what's been achieved. From an organizational perspective, recognition of and sensitivity to people's vulnerabilities in Tuckman's fifth stage is helpful, particularly if members of the group have been closely bonded and feel a sense of insecurity or threat from this change. Feelings of insecurity would be natural for people with high 'steadiness' attributes.

4.2 Ground rules - Team agreement

By embarking on the training program to have a virtual or distance learning team in place, there should be ground rules that governing the team. This set of ground rules serve as the agreement to be signed and endorsed by the team members as guiding principle for the participant to adhere to and also empowerment to the program manager of the program to exercise the power which was given to him to ensure the success of the team towards the goal as outlined in the team agreement.

The program manager was selected from the participants to lead the entire team to complete the deliverables of the training program. He is empowered to exercise the team agreement as and when there were dispute among participants to carry on with the task in hand. This is to ensure the success of the team throughout the whole proceeding of the program. Team agreement is the basis or foundation for the team to operate and function as a team.

The content of the team agreement include (appendix 1):

Vision and mission

Values and team performance and objectives

Definition of success

Performance measurement

Expectation from the team

Administrative procedure

Rules and rewards

4.3 Participants Preparatory for the training program - Teaming Preparation

Preparatory information was sent by the organizer for the intended participants for enrolment registration as well as preparation for the programs. Effective communication on course requirements plays an important part in getting the participants to be prepared for the intense requirement of the program. The training on professionalism and commitment of the participant is in fact commenced at this stage where the participants are required to commit professionally as required by the program for the commitment of time and effort to complete the program's deliverables. In fact at this point of time, the team was formed virtually.

4.4 Face-to-face learning mode (week 1) - Forming and Storming

It was a five days workshop conducted at the beginning of the training program which using a "hands on" workshop material, intended to translate the concepts, principals and theories described by the Association for the Advancement of Cost Engineering as "Recommended Practices" into "real life" application. The objective of this program is to leave the participants with enough knowledge to implement Project Control, Monitoring and Evaluation Tools, Techniques and Methods appropriate to the needs and maturity of the organization, in a manner that will ensure survival in competitive markets, by looking

During this session of the program, participants from various countries and industries were met in a training venue where the program was facilitated by a trainer with tools and training materials of the program.

Participants were shown with the target and objectives of daily activities as well as training materials on project management methodology and project leadership throughout the five days program. Team which was formed virtually when the participants signed up for the program will now have most of the participant to meet with each others and to understand each others background as well as purpose of joining the program. Significant characteristics of certain individuals will be showing up and will eventually be volunteered to take up task and leadership role to run the program, At this point of time, the team will physically formed and certain individuals will take up responsibility to lead in the smaller group for deliverables as required by the program.

Figure 2: Sample Project organization chart for the training program

As compare to team B, team A had a relatively easy forming stage as most of participants were present in the classroom session. There were some clarifications need to be carried out to get the confirmation of the participants including the ones who did not turn up for the classroom session if all of them will be participating all the way until the completion of the program.

As for Team B, the task was relatively challenging due to the fact that this is the enlarged team formed with the merger of Team A as well as members from previous programs with the team from new session. Not all of them participated in the first face-to-face session, this has become challenging for the team lead and the program facilitator to follow up for participation from previous session. Not all the task was assigned to all the members and the assignment can only be done subsequently with huge effort and time in expense.

4.5 Distance Learning Mode (week 2 - week 21) - Storming, Norming and Performing

Distant learning mode took place right after the face to face session. This phase of the training is the most challenging part of the training where commitment and professionalism of the team members are significantly needed disregard if the binding team agreement in place. During this phase of training requires the participants are required to produce 4 deliverables during this stage of the program-

1) Write a 2,500 word long paper, in English, of publishable quality. The professional paper is the requirement to take the CCE/CCC exam. The paper produced during the distant learning will be reviewed twice and graded during the final review session. For member whom will be taking other exams such as EVP and PSP will be exempted from the paper however are required to submit a report as in a weekly blog to report on progress on what have been learned and applied specifically at work.

2) To solve or calculate the answers to some 300 problems or questions from Engineering Economy 14th Edition and Humphrey and Associates' Project Management using Earned Value, this will be done as a team exercise that led by a project manager as in Figure 2.

3) The project particularly the project control team are required to create a proper cost and resource loaded plan showing how the team intend to produce the expected deliverables within the time frame allowed, at the targeted level of quality and monitor and report your progress each week using Earned Value Management by setting up and maintaining a project dashboard reporting mechanism. For the case of this training, Excel schedule, tracking and reporting sheet was used to report and track the progress of each participant as well as generating schedule and cost performance for the entire team.

4) Match the tools and techniques to the detailed processes based on Total Cost Management Framework First Edition. The answers should include the inputs necessary, tools and techniques involved and the outputs.

Figure 3: Sample report from "Team A" - Week 11 (Half way mark of the program)

Figure 4: SPI and CPI for "Team A" - Week 11

Referring to figure 3 and 4, based on the SPI and CPI in the report, the team was not fully performing yet even it is already at 11th week of the program of 22 week. Out of the total number of participant of the team, only approximately 60% of them were either ahead of schedule or slightly behind schedule, the rest of the team were either very much behind schedule or not started at all. Team rules should have been exercise to terminate those who were not progressing well if support needed or terminated from the team. By removing those whom were not progressing, the 60% of the team member was already a performing team based on the deliverables requirement of the program.

Based on the evaluation on performance of 60% of the team member for a performing team, the team has gone this far with a series of storming and norming. The storming and norming stage was rather smooth as there were self starter particularly in the project control team that worked on to produce the overall reporting tools for the program. This has very much to do with the teaming and commitment and leadership of the control team as well as the program lead that made it happened. This has to do with the foundation set during the forming of the team that all the roles had already been defined before the team returning to their home base to continue the distance learning mode.

Both teams, entire team, had not really achieved the stage as performing team. There were participants which performed behind schedule as planned. As for Team A, only 60% of the team members deem to be performing based on SPI reported as in week 11 and subsequently disbanded when it come to the milestone to registration for exam. Team B has the has the similar status, however has since been progressing well with the reduction and resignation of non-performance team members and also directive from program manager to focus on more important and urgent matters such as clarification intense follow up on exams selected as well as necessary ground work needed for the intended exam to be taken that make the team more intact and focus to proceed further with the reduced team size.

4.6 Final face-to-face review session - Performing and Adjournment

During the final review session, the team will be sitting benchmark exam as well as final review of paper and also deliverables as required by the training facilitator. This is the session to set the pace for the exam which the participant signed up for. Team A did not come thus far to this stage for final stage and disbanded few weeks shortly before this. The critical mile stone was 60 days before final session where all the participants need to decide the certification that he/she would like to sit for.

As for Team B, it was progressing well as the point that I am preparing the paper. However, there is also a risk for the entire team with reduced team member after the resignation of non-performance team members to go for final face-to-face session due very much to the schedule of the intended certifications taken by the respective participants vary among each other. Nevertheless, the attention and focus put on until this stage is paving a right path for the team to at least go for the certification that the participant leading to.

5.0 Effective teaming factors

There are obvious challenges to form and lead a functioning team, even if the team is collocate physically within a training room or office throughout the whole process of training. Moreover the training involves distant learning mode that individualistic or individual behavior towards the whole proceeding come into play that could affect the performance of the entire team. To lead a team has little understanding on the member's background is an uphill task for the leader. Advanced communication technology will not guarantee the team is working except the individual that participate in the training stretch and contribute within the context of the training that makes this a successful training experience.

5.1 Participants' background check/assessments for genuine purpose

Understanding the participant background is one of the crucial steps to form a team as if the participant can or will go through the process as required by the program. The participant need to go through an assessment if he is qualified academically or professionally for the program or not, the participant need to be assessed if he is intentionally or psychologically ready for this or what is the genuine purpose behind the participation. The participant needs to share to the team or provide this information to the program manager as well as the program facilitator as he/she will continue all the way until the completion. The assessment is very much psychological to assess if the participant has the compelling desire to go for the program or he/she was asked to do so as he/she was sponsored for the program or he/she has the ability to overcome barrier that is blocking the journey.

One of the tools that can be use is stakeholder analysis for the participant to be in the program, who and who in his/her life will be negatively or positively affected before, during and after the program. How this can be supported by the team and how the participant himself/herself can support and inspire the team based on the assessment and information provided.

The program should request the participant to write a short assessment about him or her about work and life as well as successful and failure in professional as well as personal life. The participant need to describe how was it handled. This will provide an avenue for the program manager and program facilitator to understand what is important in the participant's personal and career life. To have this in depth understanding of the participant is in fact for the participant to build trust and better understanding on each other which each and everyone can rely on for the purpose of the program if the common vision and value is shared and understood even if the cultural, geographical and ethnographic background are different among the participant. This serve as starting point to from a trusting, supportive, functioning and performing team that diverse in background, upbringing, value system, cultural, geographical as well as ethnographical.

However, diverse background of the participant does not always give a negative implication or impact to the team. As said earlier, the program can serves as a platform for knowledge sharing; the challenge is how to hold the participant together as a team to move forward. The answer lies within the participants themselves as if they are ready for it or not.

6Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument- also known as the TKI can also serve as a tool to assess the personality or characteristics of the participant as which of the character; Competing, Accommodating, Avoiding, Collaborating or Compromising is more significant. Program manager can use or exploit the character from TKI assessment to resolve conflicts as well as drive the team forward.

In other words, the assessment is to find out if the participant is in the stage of development readiness for the program and how the readiness can be enhanced or motivated along the process together with the natural or intuitive character or reaction as assessed by TKI.

5.2 Effective communication

Distance learning or virtual team has its advantages as it will help to save cost as well as having the distributed team to share the workload. Apart from understanding the background of each and every participant, effective communications play a crucial role in making the team functioning and performing as a team.

Effective communication is not only referring to team communication after the forming stage, this has to be started as early as the program was introduced to the intended participant to help the participant to have the understanding on the requirement of the program and be prepared for it. This is to set the expectation right at the beginning what to expect in the next 6 months to better planned his/her schedule ahead for the program. With the requirement in mind, the participant will then plan his schedule, communicate this with various stake holders that could be benefited or affected by participating in the program for the coming 6 months and then sign up for it. This is also a way to pave the foundation for the participant for the program that needs intense participation from time to time apart from work and personal schedule and also setting the pace for work and personal life for throughout the program including incidental and accidental occasion that could take place in the next 6 months. To certain extend, this resembles to risk and chance evaluation on the participation of the program and how to take care of the incident that affect the progress. Apart from teaming with the team in the program, there is also a great deal of teaming which is not in the program, such as support from home or at work for the program.

Having said with individual participation preparedness for the program, as to communicate on the program requirements as to pave the foundation for the program as well as subsequent teaming, there is also great deal of effort to deal with team communications.

As compare to Team B, Team A due very much of the forming stage of the team that have met each other at the beginning stage of the program, certain understanding; as though was not deep enough to hold each other well for longer run as in the 6 months distant learning mode; could have achieved at the beginning. But for Team B which has a rather more challenging forming stage due to the team size and the number of participant that did not meet during the first stage of the program, there is a great deal of effort to link the whole team together as a team.

Even though Team A did not encounter much issue to form the team, efficiency and effectiveness of communications was very much the weakest area of the team. This was due to several reasons but from team perspective that was due to geographical location of one of the participants whom we did not meet at the first phase of the program that affecting the team communication efficiency. There were logistical issues of the participant to have the necessary study and training materials to be available to the participant to complete the assigned tasks. Team agreement was not exercised appropriately, even though weekly update report was not up to par, to ensure the active members and team performance were not affected by the non-performance or below par performance of certain team members.

However as for Team B, which had a more challenging task to form and integrate the team due to the fact that almost 50% of the team did not participate in the first phase of the program, communication was very much effective that Team A, where team agreement was exercised to terminate participation of non-performance members as well as weekly reporting and net meeting to follow up on issues and matters that were important and urgent and well as formalized strategy and assigning task to all the members as well as team leads. Directional e-mails were sent out appropriately for tasks which were extremely important and urgent based on the progress of the team.

Individual preparedness for the program is always the point that I would like to emphasize as communication towards the team on certain information that is needed from time to time which effectively in bringing the team forward. The participant has to be really prepared to communicate as and when is needed for e.g. weekly report, weekly review of tasks completed, format of the report, report on needed and urgent information within deadlines for next step of actions, communicate on issue and problems that can affect the team progress. These are exemplary actions that each and every individual was leading oneself for the program by actions done. This will have a positive effect to the team if each participant prepared for the actions that have the positive impact to the team.

5.3 Situational leadership style

Leaders are made not born, some may think otherwise. Leadership skill and experience can be trained if the participant constantly experiencing uncertainty and stretchy situation. As long as the participant can weather through uncertainties comfortably is an indication of enhancement of tolerance as well as leadership skill. Leadership is the core for the team development and success of the program. Leadership can also be developed along the program with necessary coaching, guiding as well as challenges or assignments from the facilitator as well as team member.

While taking the advantage of distant learning and virtual teaming of the program, the team also has to embrace the challenges arise from distance. There is no single leadership style that can best fit to manage the team. Intuitively, there were participants that can demonstrate leadership style which is exemplary as needed based on the commitment in as stipulated in the team agreement as well as assignment. This is the basic discipline or professionalism as a participant to demonstrate based on the guidance of the trainer, program manager as well as team agreement.

However, throughout the progress of the team development, the situation may derail due very much to the readiness of the participant fro development as well as other commitments that interferes the progress. Leader need to demonstrate leadership style as and when is needed that best fit the situation as well as personality and character of the participant for further progress. Whenever is needed, the program lead will exercise the right which entrusted to him in the team agreement for the betterment of the team progress.

Situational leadership has great relevance to the various stages of the teaming model as in Tuckman model. As described earlier, during the forming stage, leader is to give direction or instruction on how to proceed, and subsequently storming, norming and performing stage, different leadership style has to be demonstrated appropriately as per the stage of the team. However, as the team progress to next stage of the teaming, there could be conflicts that lead to re-forming, re-storming and re-norming of the team for a performing team. The merger of two teams that lead to formation of Team B was one of the instances that re-forming of team needed.

There were significant differences between both program managers in their style of managing the team. Team A has relatively easier team formation during the first 5 days of the training with minor clarifications on team setup. Most of the sub-team leadership has already been assigned only left with team agreement and overall project cost and schedule to be defined and developed in order for the program's assignment to kick off. Team A was rather small as compare to Team B with almost all the team members met with each other at the beginning stage of the program to have the background and intention shared. However, Team B had a relatively challenging forming stage as it was a merger of team A with newly formed team for the new session of the program. Not all the participants from Team A participated in the first face-to-face session of the new team which lead to extensive clarification and follow up needed to the merge and join the newly formed Team B. Further check on current state of mind, situation as well as intention towards the program was relatively challenging. Unable to really clarify the intention, state of mind and situation of the participants lead to resignation of the members even though team agreement was endorsed and signed by the participants. This lead to unnecessary time and effort spent to re-organize all the task and assignments for the entire team. Self starters with clear intention and self awareness on the needs toward the program will be advantages for teaming and team development.

6.0 Conclusions

Individual preparedness, readiness and commitment is always the key to success for a teaming. The participant should have the awareness on the genuine reason behind for the program. This has to be shared to form a common understanding and the needs behind. Self starter on action needed through out the program is also one of the examples of self preparedness or awareness for the requirements for the program. This is the basic disregards of which geographic location the participant is located, which ethnographic he/she belong to, what academic background he/she in, what position he/she held and also what situation that he/she in. The perception on preparedness may be differing among each and every individual, but the guiding principles should be based on the requirement of the program, exams as well as team agreement. By obeying the requirements set by the programs, exams and team agreement will lead to a participation of good student, but at least the good student has the ability to have readiness and self starter leadership to contribute positively to the program. This is already an exemplification of leadership based on action or leadership by example and also shortens the progress of the team from forming, storming, norming as well as performing as a team.

Self starters may have their own perceptions or misperceptions on expectations on certain situation. This need to be guided and monitored by the training facilitator and program lead as to train and develop the knowledge and know how of the individual to new horizon with the learning provided by the program and certification process.