Stages of Team Development

   Organizational psychologists, executives, managers, and team leaders use strategies to

• train, 
• guide, and 
• coach

their teams through stages of team development. They want their teams to be effective in the way they accomplish their work. They also want the members of their teams to value the team approach. In order for the organization to succeed the teams need to succeed. This means they need to achieve a state of cohesion.
    In other words, the members of their teams need to value being part of the team. It is especially true if

• the benefits of membership are intangible,
• a significant amount of work is required, or
• a lengthy period of time will pass before the rewards of participation are obvious.

Belonging is an intrinsic reward. But belonging to a team is not an accident. Belonging is participating in relationships.
   For this reason, it is benificial to know what to expect when working in online communities. If you have a knowledge of teams and what to expect when joining an online community, you'll find the experience more enjoyable. If you use online communities to promote your business, you'll find the team approach a way to engage and encourage the participation of community members.
   There are five stages of team development. Those are:

• Forming,
• Storming,
• Norming,
• Performing, and
• Adjourning.

How we interact with others changes from stage to stage. These changes are more about how the group functions than about our individual personalities. They are also about the work the team needs to accomplish.
   When a team is managed well, team leaders understand how the wants and needs of each member will change as the teams progresses through the stages. Team leaders, facilitators, managers, or moderators plan their interactions with others on the team and vary their own behaviors as a way of ushering the team through anticipated changes.
   Effective team leaders recognize how each team member approaches teams differently. Team practices include spoken and unspoken rules. The team leaders know how to speak to the unspoken rules and guide team members through the learning that leads to belonging and satisfaction.
   Future postings will be about how team leaders facilitate the growth in their communities and what you can learn from their examples that will be helpful for you to use in your community participation.
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