Blog Assignment – “The Five Stages of team development: forming, storming, norming, performing, and adjourning.”

The “forming” stage takes place when the team first meets each other.  As the team begins to work together, they move into the “storming” stage. This stage is not avoidable; every team – most especially a new team who has never worked together before – goes through this part of developing as a team.  The “norming” may be explicit and carefully recorded for all future members to see and learn.  The “performing” stage magnifies the complete effectiveness of the project.  The “adjourning” stage is important to make sure that everyone organizes a celebration to recognize the team's accomplishments.

I haven’t experienced a closing ritual at this point; we as a group make sure that no one has missed anything vital.  I believe that it’s interesting to think about adjourning with my colleagues to work with my master’s program, as it has been a real connection in completing this program together.  The adjourning stage of teamwork is important because everyone has an essential part to play and a particular role of expertise. Members may have to maintain friendships even if they will no longer be working together (O'Hair, & Wiemann, 2009).

Reference

O'Hair, D., & Wiemann, M. (2012). Real communication: An introduction. New York: Bedford/St. Martin's.

Stages of Team Development in Sport - Athlete Assessments. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.athleteassessments.com/articles/Stages_of_Team_Development_in_Sport.html