Managing Chaos 3: Managing New Teams

In this third installment in the Managing Chaos series, we explore the fireworks that erupt when a project manager starts putting together a new team. Managing new teams presents a set of unique challenges and opportunities too. To gain success, it is important to understand the team dynamics completely and then tailor management strategies effectively. In this article, I consider the development stages of new teams, with a focus on Tuckman’s model, and uses this to explore approaches to team management that prevent chaos and ensure productivity and successful outcomes.

Click here to read previous article on Managing Chaos: Navigating Remote Project Management

Tuckman’s Stages of Group Development

Defined by Bruce Tuckman in 1965, as the inevitable and necessary stages every group must go through to grow and face up to challenges, tackle problems, find solutions, plan work and deliver results, they consist of 4 main stages and a 5th which was added in 1977 in collaboration with Mary Ann Jensen. While Tuckman and a lot of the supporters of this model swear they are inevitable, it is important to note that even Tuckman admits that the 4 main stages in this model may be impacted by the level of interpersonal relationships and the kind of work carried out by the team. Teams with higher levels of interpersonal relationships will progress faster through the stages, and teams with more complex work may often progress slower through the stages. With this in mind, let us explore the stages in detail and approaches to influence each stage.

Forming

This is the first stage of any group development. At this point, team members are still being introduced, roles and responsibilities are still being assigned. This stage is understandably characterized by high uncertainty and excitement as the project goals are introduced and team members get familiar with themselves and the objectives they are to achieve.

Chaos can ensue at this stage if the team objectives are not made clear, as well as the expectations of the group and each individual. The approach here is to establish the roles and responsibilities in the team charter, and communicate an open environment where team members could feel comfortable asking questions and sharing ideas. Other activities that should be completed quickly in this stage include:

• Establishment of communication channels and frequency of contact, and the use of collaboration tools like Slack, Microsoft Teams, or Zoom for regular updates and meetings.
• The creation of shared document repositories for easy access to project artifacts.
• A project roadmap should be developed with clear milestones and deadlines for each contributor/task.
• Roles and responsibilities specified should also be visually aligned to the project objectives so everyone sees they are working towards the same goal.

As a project manager you want the team formation completed as soon as possible.

Storming

The storming stage is characterized by conflict as team members begin to assert their ideas, compete for scarce resources and challenge the status quo. This is the most turbulent phase of team development and is typically chaotic. It is critical that the project manager guides this process rather than attempt to evade it, as it is critical for growth despite the turbulence.

Chaos can take over in the storming stage as different work styles start to clash, different team members try to assert dominance over others and even challenge the project manager’s authority, decisions are debated due to a lack of trust in the decision-maker or the decision-making process, cliques are formed around vocal or more charismatic members, etc.

What the project manager can do includes:

• Encourage open and free communication, and also active listening.
• Conflict escalated to the project manager that comes up in this stage can be managed using the PACER model (Pause, Acknowledge, Corroborate/Clarify, Evaluate, before Response).
• The purpose of dispute mediation at this stage is not to identify defaulters but to help the team find common ground. At the forefront of the process should be to reinforce the team’s goals and remind team members they have a shared purpose.
• The roles defined in the forming stage need to be reiterated so each member is clear on their accountabilities and responsibilities and how it integrates with the shared vision.
• Offer training and development opportunities to team members who need to improve their skills or knowledge so everyone is operating at full potential.

Norming

In the norming stage, the friction experienced at storming should have toned down as the team members develop stronger relationships and a sense of cohesion and shared purpose. The roles are clearer and collaboration has begun to improve.

Chaos erupts in this calm where unresolved conflicts from the storming stage rear their head, team members decide to challenge project objectives or senior management motivations, insufficient clarity in communication or communication gaps leave space for misinterpretation of instructions etc.

• The approach to employ in this stage is one of team building to strengthen the bonds that have developed and improve collaboration.
• Establish clearer workflows and processes to ensure collaboration is streamlined.
• Reward and recognize to celebrate team progress and achievements as they come.

Performing

During this development stage, the team has begun to operate efficiently and effectively towards target fulfilment. Team members here are meant to be motivated in their work, knowledgeable about their expectations and having formed solid bonds are able to work well together.

Even though this stage is characterized by performance, chaos can still arise when complacency sets in among some team members leading to resentment from others or a mismatch of priorities, the team becomes to set in their winning ways and unable to adapt to new information or changes, overconfidence sets in causing the team to ignore potential risks, etc.

What the project manager needs to do here is:

• Delegate more tasks to capable team members based on their strengths and expertise. This helps to confirm confidence in their ability and stretches their capabilities to enable them to maintain focus.
• Encourage autonomy in the team by empowering the team members, while ensuring to reinforce the scope and scope change process. This keeps the team agile and adaptable while maintaining focus.
• Continue to provide support and resources to ensure high performance levels are maintained.

Adjourning

This is the closing stage of the team, where the project ends and the team disbands. Typically, this is the stage where the closing activities occur, project reviews and retrospectives are carried out to check the processes and the team interaction for what went right and could be improved, document the lessons learned etc. It may seem unlikely but like the storming stage, this is another stage where chaos can easily erupt.

Chaos blooms when the team starts feeling despondent and sad as the project ends, upset that the bonds they have formed over the period of the project may have to end. Some team members upon reflecting on the accomplishments would feel unfulfilled rather than fulfilled with the outcome. In some cases, especially with freelance project teams, it could even be as a result of anxiety as the team disbands and some members may start to worry about their next steps.

What to do is:

• Include a debrief of each team member during the project review process to go over the project successes and challenges and understand their perspectives of both.
• Cap the end of the project with a celebration of the team’s accomplishments and the contributions of exceptional individuals.
• Provide feedback on the entire team performance and discuss opportunities for future collaboration.

Click here to read previous article on Managing Chaos: Navigating Remote Project Management

Key Strategies

Some things to take into account which are interspersed through the project manager responses detailed above include:

1. Effective communication is crucial when managing new teams.
2. The team’s objectives, goals and expected outcomes should be clearly outlined to provide direction and focus.
3. A positive team culture makes all the difference. Collaboration will ensure the team thrives.
4. Scarce resources will breed conflict and chaos. Ensure team members have the necessary resources, tools and support to perform their tasks effectively.

By understanding Tuckman's stages of group development and implementing tailored management strategies at each development stage, project managers can guide their teams to success and navigate the challenges and chaos that comes with managing new teams.

Have you managed new teams? Share your experiences and insights in the comments below. Let’s learn from each other.

References

Bonebright, Denise (February 2010). "40 years of storming: a historical review of Tuckman's model of small group development".?Human Resource Development International.?13?(1): 111–120.?doi :10.1080/13678861003589099 .?S2CID ?144331444