5 Stages of Team Development Every Manager Should Know

Managing a team isn’t always easy; it can feel confusing and full of challenges. You want your team to work well together, but sometimes disagreements and misunderstandings can slow everyone down. What many managers don’t realise is that teams don’t work perfectly right away. Every team goes through specific stages before it truly starts working as one.

Understanding these stages of team development can be helpful whether you're working with a newly formed team or with an existing one. In this blog, we will show you these development stages, so you can support your team better and help everyone work closer and stronger.

Why Team Development Is Important

When you bring people together as a team, things don’t just work automatically. You need to give everyone time to get to know each other, trust each other, and learn how to work well together. Understanding team development helps you guide your team and make sure everyone can do their best.

It also helps you see how your team grows over time and gives you a better idea of how to support them, such as improving how they communicate, resolving conflicts, and keeping everyone motivated.

When you guide your team, everyone understands their role and works better together. Teamwork feels smoother, people connect more, and things start to flow naturally. Strong teams are not made overnight; they grow step by step.

The 5 Stages of Team Development (Tuckman’s Model)

Every team goes through a process of growth and learning before becoming truly productive. By understanding these stages, you can guide your team at every step and gradually build stronger trust and collaboration.

Forming

AThis is the early stage where everything is just getting started. Your team members are meeting each other and trying to understand their roles. They may be nice, but somewhat uncertain about what to do. At this point in the team development process, your job as a manager is to guide them clearly, answer their questions, and make sure everyone feels welcomed and comfortable.

Storming

This is the stage where things can get a bit messy. Your team members start sharing their true opinions, and sometimes that leads to disagreements or conflicts. It is normal for people to test boundaries and challenge ideas. As a manager, you need to show emotional intelligence, listen carefully, encourage open conversations, and guide the team to stay focused on the goal.

Norming

This is when things start falling into place. Your team starts to trust one another more, and roles become clearer. People feel more comfortable sharing ideas and working together. You’ll notice your team working more smoothly, people understand each other better, offer support without being asked, and handle tasks with more confidence. Things start to click, and it feels like everyone is finally working together as one team.

Performing

This is the stage where your team really shines. Everyone knows what they’re good at and feels confident doing their part. Problems get solved quickly because the team trusts each other and communicates openly. There’s a great energy as people take charge and keep things moving without needing you to step in all the time.

Adjourning

This is the final stage when the project ends or the team comes to a close. It can feel a bit emotional because people have worked closely together and built strong connections. It’s important to take time to celebrate what you’ve all achieved, reflect on what you've learned, and say a proper goodbye before moving on to new challenges.

Steps to Support Team Development

Growing your team isn’t just about giving tasks. It’s about seeing how each person works and making a space where everyone can do their best. By setting clear goals, talking openly, and fixing problems quickly, your team will feel supported and work better together.

Here are some easy steps you can take to help your team get stronger and closer.

Set a Clear Goal from the Start

Right from the beginning, it’s important to make sure everyone knows what the team is working toward. When the goal is clear, people feel less confused and more focused. It shows everyone how their work contributes to the team, and they feel that their efforts truly matter.

Make Communication Easy and Clear

Good communication keeps a team running smoothly. Make it easy for everyone to share their ideas, ask questions, and give updates. When people are allowed to express themselves without fear, it prevents misunderstanding and keeps everyone united.

Use Each Person’s Strengths

Each person has their own strengths. When you find out what each person does best and let them focus on those tasks, the whole team works better. It also helps people feel valued and more confident in what they do.

Handle Conflicts Quickly and Kindly

When trouble arises, don’t hide it. Talk about the issues right away and handle them in a calm and caring manner. Listening to everyone and finding a fair solution helps keep the team strong and comfortable working together.

Mistakes to Avoid During Team Development

Team development is a journey, and sometimes things don’t go as planned. Little mistakes can slow your team down or cause frustration. Being aware of potential problems can help your team stay on track and work together better.

Here are some mistakes to avoid during team development.

Not Setting Clear Goals

If you don’t set a clear goal from the beginning, your team can lose direction quickly. Everyone needs to know what they’re working toward. Clear goals give structure and make it easier for your team to move through the phases of team development.

Not Communicating Enough

When you don’t encourage open conversations, misunderstandings build up. You may think everything is normal. However, frustration may develop silently. Honest, regular chats help build trust and support healthy group dynamics.

Ignoring Conflicts

It can be easy to ignore small problems, especially when everyone’s busy or things feel a bit awkward. You might hope they’ll just sort themselves out, but most of the time, they don’t. If you don’t step in early, those little issues can grow and start affecting how your team works together.

Overlooking Strengths in Your Team

Everyone has unique strengths. If you don’t take time to notice and use them, your team might feel unmotivated. Leaning into each person’s skills helps your team grow stronger through each phase of group development.

Rushing the Process

Expecting quick results is natural, but real teamwork takes time. You can’t skip the important steps in team development, like building trust and figuring out how to work together. Give your team space to grow at their own pace.

Manage Your Teams Effectively Using BIXO

Managing a team means juggling many tasks, setting goals, keeping communication clear, solving conflicts, and keeping everyone motivated. It can get overwhelming.

Here’s how BIXO makes things simpler. BIXO isn’t just about managing tasks and deadlines. It keeps your team on the same page, sends timely reminders, and makes sure everyone knows what to focus on next. By keeping things clear and organised, BIXO helps your team perform more effectively and reach goals with less stress. It’s there to support your team no matter what stage they’re in, making it easier for everyone to work together.

Conclusion

Knowing the stages of team development lets you understand what your team is going through and how you can help. With a little patience and support, you can help your team work through challenges and grow closer. Every team moves at its own pace, and your job as a manager is to be there for them every step of the way. Keep learning, stay involved, and enjoy seeing your team get better together.