MHRM 6100 + Week 6

Tuckman Team Stage Development model outlines four stages of team development: forming, storming, norming, and performing.  The model also evaluates the "interpersonal interactions that influence task accomplishment and team morale" (Anderson, 2010).  When I analyze the development of our virtual learning team I still contend that our team is in the norming stage.  I say this with the belief that we are beginning to take on characteristics or development that lend to a highly functioning or performing team. Currently, the strongest behaviors we exhibit appear to be linked to the norming stage.  This belief comes from the following evidence:

• Team members seem more eager to share and walk in greater openness to thoughts and ideas. 
• Members of the team invite greater openness to differences of opinion and even appear to be open to changing their way of thinking. 
• Team Members are responsible for their own actions and they have bought into class protocol. 

The characters that have recently come to the surface that indicate our team is developing into a highly performing team are as follows: 

• It looks like all team members are completing their assignments and are completing them on time.
• Team members appear to be really listening to one another through their response and feedback.
• We are providing feedback that offers up our opinions, thoughts and ideas.
• All team members are given the opportunity to have a voice and to make recommendations on the issues at hand.

The behaviors I have yet to witness in our team that further indicates that we have fully achieved the performance stage of Tuckman's team model is within our ability to come to consensus and our ability to evaluate our team effectiveness (Chaneski, 2009).  Even though this analysis can be interpreted as proof of our willingness to evaluate the effectiveness of our team, we have not performed this activity as a function of improving our team performance.  Non the less, the implementation of these behaviors and the continuance of the the behaviors we have already demonstrated have the real potential of kicking our team into Tuckman's fourth stage as a high performance team. 

If there was ever a question of whether or not we are even a real team, I believe it can be easily disputed through simply evaluating the definition of a team. Jon Katzenback and Douglas Smith in their book, The Wisdom of Teams, defines a team as "a small number of people with complementary skills who are committed to a common purpose, performance goals, and approach for which they hold themselves mutually accountable" (Anderson, 2010).  Through a traditional view or one found through the lens of a team paradigm shift, there is no disputing that we are a team.   Not only are we a team, we are one  that is on the verge of proclaiming that we are a high performance team!

Anderson, B. (2010). Project leadership and the art of managing relation-ships. T + D, 64(3), 58–63.
Chaneski, W. S. (2009). The stages teams go through. Modern Machine Shop, 82(3), 34–36. Retrieved from: http://ezp.waldenulibrary.org/login?url=http://proquest.umi.com.ezp.waldenulibrary.org/pqdweb?did=1843863981&sid=3&Fmt=4&clientId=70192&RQT=309&VName=PQD