case
There is a process for a team to evolve from a group of strangers to a group that creates something good together. In projects
Although the process above is the “normal” progression, it is possible that the team can get “stuck” in any one of the stages. One big contribution you can make, as a project manager, is to help the team get through the initial storming phase and into the norming/performing phases. It is important to keep in mind that people have a tough time creating team bonds initially, and to try to use your soft skills to help the team to progress through the stages quickly.
Question: How does knowing the five stages of team development change the decisions that you’ll make in handling conflicts on your team?
Exercise: Each of the following scenarios below demonstrates one of the stages of team development. Within your response (on the right), type which stage each scenario best describes and why you selected that stage over other for that specific scenario.
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Scenario |
Stage of Development |
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1. Joe and Tom are both programmers on the Global Contracting project. They disagree on the overall architecture for the software they are building and frequently get into shouting matches over it. Joe thinks Tom’s design is too short-sighted and cannot be reused. Tom thinks Joe’s design is too complicated and probably will not work. They are at a point right now where they are barely talking to each other. |
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2. Joan and Bob are great at handling the constant scope changes on the Business Intelligence project. Whenever the stakeholders request changes, they shepherd them through the change control process and make sure the team does not get bothered with them unless it is absolutely necessary. That leaves Darrel and Roger to focus on building the main product. Everybody is focusing on their area and doing a great job. It seems like it is all just clicking for the group. |
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3. Derek just got to the team, and he is really reserved. Folks on the team are not quite sure what to make of him. Everybody’s polite, but it seems like some people are a little threatened by him. |
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4. Now that the product has shipped, the team is meeting to document all of their lessons learned and write up project evaluations. |
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5. Danny just realized that Janet is really good at developing web services. He is starting to think of ways to make sure that she gets all of the web service development work and Doug gets all of the client software work. Doug seems really happy about this too. He seems to really enjoy building Windows applications. |
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Human Resources Involvement:
From your point of view, what could HR representatives do, if anything, to assist resolving issues or moving the project forward in each scenario? Type your response underneath each scenario.
Scenario #1:
Scenario #2:
Scenario #3:
Scenario #4:
Scenario #5:
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Forming: HR assists in selecting the appropriate employees to participate on a project. In this phase, people are still trying to figure out their roles in the group; they tend to work independly, but are trying to get along.
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Storming: As the team learns more about the project, members form opinion about how the work should be done. This can lead to temper flare-ups in the beginning, when people disagree about how to approach the project. HR may need to get involved to help resolve issues as they ariseif the team and project manager are unable to do it themselves.
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Norming: As the team learns more about the other members, they begin to adjust their own work habits to help out one another and the team as a whole. Here's where the individuals on the team start learning to trust one another. HR serves as a resource, answering questions to help further the project to completion.
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Adjourning: When the work is close to completion, the team starts dealing with the fact that the project is going to be closing soon. HR will assist in wrapping up the project. This may include providing feedback, recognition, and possible reassignment to another project/team.
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Performing: Once everyone understands the problem and what other others are capable of doing, they start acting as a cohesive unit and being efficient. Now the team is working like a well-oiled machine. HR involvement is limited. In this phase, HR may assist the team with pulling relevant data.