131

How to form work teams

1. Quotable quote

Quoted in Why Teams Don't Work, Harvey Robbins & Michael Finley, Petersons Books, 1995.

"The psychologist B.W. Tuckman identified the five stages of a team’s developmental process:

Forming-learning to deal with one another.
Storming-conflicts are brought to the surface and must be resolved.
Norming-team members settle into their roles and a team feeling begins to develop.
Performing-the team is united and working on the task at hand.
Adjourning-members go their own separate ways after the event.

2. Smile & ponder

This is the story about four individuals named Everybody, Somebody, Anybody, and Nobody.

There was an important job to be done, and Everybody was asked to do it. Everybody was sure that Somebody would do it. Anybody could have done it, but Nobody did. Somebody got angry about that, because it was Everybody’s job. Everybody thought that Anybody could do it, and Nobody realised that Everybody wouldn’t do it. Anyhow, it ended up that Everybody blamed Somebody, when actually Nobody did what Anybody could have done.

Of course, this confusion would never occur in the workplace if managers adopted and fostered a team approach.

3. Don't forget

Deborah Harrington-Mackin, The TeamBuilding Tool Kit, AMACOM, NY.

Teams fail for many reasons, but the most frequent causes are:

  • The team lacks visible support or commitment from management at the top.
  • The team members lack self-discipline and are reluctant to take responsibility for their own actions.
  • The members have received little or no training in team dynamics. …
pdf downloadBuy the full topic now for only $2.00