Purpose: Provide students an introduction to existing business/psychology teachings on group dynamics and the five distinct stages of team development likely to be experienced in any group setting

Castro, Ethan

Collins, Caitlin

English

Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy: DigitalCommons@IMSA

Name of Program: The Five Stages of Team DevelopmentGuide Created by: Cat Collins and Ethan CastroTarget Audience: All students (Soph., Jr., Sr.)Strategy for Implementation: Large group discussion with presentation andquestions/activitiesTime of Year to Implement: Any (perhaps later into the school year after students haveexperiences with IMSA group projects)Relevant Learning Goal: Goal 3 - Interpersonal IntelligenceSpecific Lesson Outcomes:● Students will display effective interpersonal communication skills such aseffective conflict resolution strategies, verbal and nonverbal communication andthe ability to entertain multiple perspectives● Students will develop effective leadership skillsPurpose: Provide students an introduction to existing business/psychology teachingson group dynamics and the five distinct stages of team development likely to beexperienced in any group setting.Planning and Preparation:● Two different presentations are available to use as templates for this program.RCs are implored to choose and adapt/edit whichever they feel will resonatemost with their students. Both presentations have extensive notes on eachslide that amount to a working script for either one, but again, theindividual RC should adapt as they see fit for their own wing.○ Avengers, Assemble! The Five Stages of Team Development presents theinformation using an extended metaphor of the Marvel Cinematic Universe(MCU) portrayal of the Avengers. Specifically, a trailer for the 2012 movie“Marvel’s The Avengers” is used to lead a discussion of the contentmatter. If you feel that your students will appreciate media connection (i.e.they are fans of the MCU), then this version will likely make the mattermore engaging and interesting. Otherwise...○ The Five Stages of Team Development presents the same information butwithout the media metaphor of the MCU. Consider this presentation as askeletal framework to tailor for your wing as you see fit. All of the sameinformation and content matter is on the slides, to be edited and decoratedby your own accord.● RSL incorporation: Conceivably, an RSL could be given either of the abovepresentations ahead of time and present it in its entirety. The notes in bothGoogle Slides presentations more or less amount to a script that can be used torun the entire presentation.○ Alternatively, RSLs could also easily run any of theengagement/interaction opportunities that are suggested below.Program Agenda:● Introduction/Opener○ Introduce the topic of the program as being about working in teams.● Body: Avengers, Assemble version○ Slide 1: Title slide○ Slide 2: Opening questions■ Go over the four opening questions and ask for student responses● When’s the last time you worked in a team?● Did everything go the way it was supposed to?● Were there issues or disagreements? Fights, even?● How did the results compare to what you wanted to happen?■ Engagement opportunity: Ask your students to think about times theyhave worked in teams (in school or otherwise) and their overallfeelings/takeaways from the experiences.● Perhaps can be done using just Zoom chat/unmuting andspeaking or using Sli.do (make a word cloud asking for one-wordthoughts on group projects, etc.)○ Slides 3-5: Segue from MCU into topic of group projects■ Discuss how working in teams is unavoidable in life but how, if we learnmore about the underlying process and science behind group dynamics,we can maybe make it easier.■ To help learn about that, we’re going to let The Avengers show us someteamwork lessons. Specifically, the 2012 “The Avengers” movie will helpdemonstrate some of this team work research in action.■ Engagement opportunity: For fun, consider asking your students theirfavorite MCU characters or movies?○ Slides 6-7: Bruce Tuckman and his Stages of Team Development■ Briefly introduce Dr. Tuckman and the model of team development that hepresented in his 1965 article“Developmental sequence in small groups.”■ Point out that this model of team dynamics is still taught in contemporarybusiness and industrial/organizational psychology■ Engagement opportunity: Ask students to offer their own interpretationsof the graph of team performance over time and note how it fluctuatesaccording to distinct stages of team development○ Slide 8: Trailer for “Marvel’s The Avengers”■ [Show the trailer for the 2012 “Marvel’s The Avengers” with screen andsound share]○ Slide 9: What’s happening?■ Engagement opportunity: Ask students to recap what the trailer shows -Earth is being invaded by an extraterrestrial species and has to put itsfaith in a team of heroes○ Slides 10-11: Forming■ Stage 1 consists of laying out a lot of the team’s foundations: geteveryone together, on the same page and agreeing on their roles andgoals. However, because the stakes of this situation are so high, with thesurvival of the planet depending on it, and because all of the key playersare coming into it from differing levels of engagement, we already havesome conflict.■ Engagement opportunity: Ask students if anyone has an example of atime they had to be put into a team and saw some issues already. Ormaybe things started really well?○ Slides 12-13: Storming■ In this second stage, we see team members start to disagree, argue andfight with each other, and cast doubts about both each other and the teamas a whole. We see a lot of this stage throughout the trailer. Pettyrivalries, personal biases, and differing perspectives all just create conflictthat gets in the way of the team being productive.■ Engagement opportunity: Ask students if anyone is feeling braveenough to share a horror story of a team fighting with each other.○ Slides 14-15: Norming■ This is a very vital stage if a team is to really succeed at whatever it isthey were initially called upon to do. In the norming stage, the team needsto deliberately come together and resolve all of the issues that existbetween them. The team needs to recognize each other’s strengths andweaknesses and what roles those create for them. Those who haveconflicts have to openly communicate with each other and work throughtheir issues in order to focus on their common goal. This is a stage thatrequires deliberate leadership and clear, open, 2-way communication. Inthe case of the Avengers, this stage isn’t that prevalent in the trailer wewatched but it definitely happens in the movie.○ Slides 16-17: Performing■ [Show clip from the climax of The Avengers]● https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hIR8Ar-Z4hw■ Engagement opportunity: Ask students what they are seeing in that clipthat demonstrates the team is working together and performing in theirprime.■ Everyone is in their zone, doing what they do best and saving the entireworld. The task is clear, the roles are set, the team is one. All that’s left isto let everyone do what they need to do in order to get the work done, andsupport each other along the way. And of course, we see things still aren’tperfect. The Hulk takes an opportunity to sucker punch Thor. Maybeeveryone isn’t exactly friends but they’re putting aside whatever they havegoing on to focus on their main goal.○ Slides 18: Adjourning■ And when the job is done, the world is saved, and the common goal isachieved, that’s a reason to celebrate. The fifth stage, adjourning, is that:documenting and acknowledging the success you had, perhaps notingwhat can be done better in the future, and thinking about how you mightwork together more in the future. But again, this is a time to celebrateyour accomplishments together. Get some shawarma together. WHYNOT.○ Slide 19: Why learn this?■ Engagement opportunity: Ask students what takeaways they had fromthe program and what they may be able to apply to their future teams.○ Slides 20-21: Steps are non-linear■ Remind students that these stages are non-linear. A team can regressback to a prior step or even go through the process multiple times.○ Slides 22-23: ASSEMBLE■ But, if you can approach team dynamics in terms of these five stages,maybe things will be just a little bit clearer and you’ll have an easier timeknowing what to do or say next to keep everyone happy, motivated, andworking together. Maybe, just maybe,■ You’ll be able to get everyone on your team to assemble!● Body: Non-metaphor version○ Slide 1: Title slide○ Slide 2: Opening questions■ Go over the four opening questions and ask for student responses● When’s the last time you worked in a team?● Did everything go the way it was supposed to?● Were there issues or disagreements? Fights, even?● How did the results compare to what you wanted to happen?■ Engagement opportunity: Ask your students to think about times theyhave worked in teams (in school or otherwise) and their overallfeelings/takeaways from the experiences.● Perhaps can be done using just Zoom chat/unmuting andspeaking or using Sli.do (make a word cloud asking for one-wordthoughts on group projects, etc.)○ Slide 3: Segue into discussion of team dynamics■ Discuss how working in teams is unavoidable in life but how, if we learnmore about the underlying process and science behind group dynamics,we can maybe make it easier.○ Slides 4-5: Bruce Tuckman and his Stages of Team Development■ Briefly introduce Dr. Tuckman and the model of team development that hepresented in his 1965 article“Developmental sequence in small groups.”■ Point out that this model of team dynamics is still taught in contemporarybusiness and industrial/organizational psychology■ Engagement opportunity: Ask students to offer their own interpretationsof the graph of team performance over time and note how it fluctuatesaccording to distinct stages of team development○ Slide 6: Forming■ Stage 1 consists of laying out a lot of the team’s foundations: geteveryone together, on the same page and agreeing on their roles andgoals. However, because the stakes of this situation are so high, with thesurvival of the planet depending on it, and because all of the key playersare coming into it from differing levels of engagement, we already havesome conflict.■ Engagement opportunity: Ask students if anyone has an example of atime they had to be put into a team and saw some issues already. Ormaybe things started really well?○ Slide 7: Storming■ In this second stage, we see team members start to disagree, argue andfight with each other, and cast doubts about both each other and the teamas a whole. We see a lot of this stage throughout the trailer. Pettyrivalries, personal biases, and differing perspectives all just create conflictthat gets in the way of the team being productive.■ Engagement opportunity: Ask students if anyone is feeling braveenough to share a horror story of a team fighting with each other.○ Slide 8: Norming■ This is a very vital stage if a team is to really succeed at whatever it isthey were initially called upon to do. In the norming stage, the team needsto deliberately come together and resolve all of the issues that existbetween them. The team needs to recognize each other’s strengths andweaknesses and what roles those create for them. Those who haveconflicts have to openly communicate with each other and work throughtheir issues in order to focus on their common goal. This is a stage thatrequires deliberate leadership and clear, open, 2-way communication. Inthe case of the Avengers, this stage isn’t that prevalent in the trailer wewatched but it definitely happens in the movie.○ Slide 9: Performing■ Everyone is in their zone, doing what they do best and saving the entireworld. The task is clear, the roles are set, the team is one. All that’s left isto let everyone do what they need to do in order to get the work done, andsupport each other along the way. And of course, things still may not beperfect. Maybe everyone isn’t exactly friends but they’re putting asidewhatever they have going on to focus on their main goal.○ Slide 10: Adjourning■ And when the job is done, the world is saved, and the common goal isachieved, that’s a reason to celebrate. The fifth stage, adjourning, is that:documenting and acknowledging the success you had, perhaps notingwhat can be done better in the future, and thinking about how you mightwork together more in the future. But again, this is a time to celebrateyour accomplishments together.○ Slide 11: Why learn this?■ Engagement opportunity: Ask students what takeaways they had fromthe program and what they may be able to apply to their future teams.○ Slide 12: Steps are non-linear○ Remind students that these stages are non-linear. A team can regress back to aprior step or even go through the process multiple times.○ But knowing about them in the first place can still make the whole ordeal mucheasier.Resources and Additional Information:● MIT Human Resources - Using the Stages of Team Development○ https://hr.mit.edu/learning-topics/teams/articles/stages-development● Infed.org - Bruce W. Tuckman – forming, storming norming and performing ingroups○ https://infed.org/mobi/bruce-w-tuckman-forming-storming-norming-and-performing-in-groups/Assessment Questions:● Can you give an example of a team you were a part of going through one ormore of these stages?● What is one way you can use this knowledge to make your own teams moreproductive?● What steps do you think can be taken before or during the storming stage (thesecond stage where the team’s biases and disagreements start to manifest) toreduce hostilities in a team?

The Five Stages of Team Development

https://digitalcommons.imsa.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1007&context=rl_cpg_3

The Five Stages of Team Development

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Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy: DigitalCommons@IMSA