Week 13: Forming, Storming, Norming, Performing, Adjourning

This week we took a look building multicultural teams and how to manage them in an effective way. I am not going to talk about two points, but only about the most important one (and which I found very useful for my future professional life): Bruce Tuckman’s five-stage model.

It was developed in 1965 as methodology to reach high-performance multicultural teams. In the beginning, the model consisted on four stages: forming, storming, norming and performing; and later, the fifth stage, adjourning, was added to the others. This model has proved to be applicable since ample evidence has been found about the existence of the stages.

First stage is forming. It is the first contact among the members of the team; everyone has its own expectations and attitudes toward the team. It is time to get to know each other and share those expectations. Once a good and comfortable atmosphere has been developed, it is time to define roles and goals.

Second stage is storming. This is a highly critical stage in which norms and standards are set. Commonly, this is when members start to disagree and question how the team will work, because in a multicultural team each person has a different working style. Mediation and respect are the keys to overcome this stage.

Third stage is norming. A collectivistic orientation starts to emerge as members interact and know more about each other. People continue socializing, therefore giving positive feedback about the work done. Differences turn into agreements and strengths.

Fourth stage is performing. The team is now articulated; everyone knows its functions and duties and complies with them, developing specialized skills. Frictions and differences are mitigated, and performance improves.  

Last stage is adjourning. Work has come to an end, goals were achieved. It is time for the team to disintegrate; however, up to this point close relationships might have been formed making it not easier to say goodbye. Developing long-lasting professional relations is fundamental for future teamwork opportunities.

Whenever we are working in teams, especially in multicultural teams, identifying or propitiating these stages can be very effective to quickly articulate the group and achieve the proposed objectives. I consider forming and storming the most critical stages, because in these stages bases are built and the future of the team is at stake as the common saying states: “Since breakfast you know how dinner will be”.

Research Question: What strategies to manage multicultural teams do exist?

When working in cross-cultural environments, setting the basic standards under which teamwork will be guided is fundamental to grant a good working environment. For example, as simple as defining a common language or channel of communication can make the difference between failure and success. According to Brett, Behfar and Kern (2006) most successful multicultural teams’ managers apply four strategies when dealing with cultural challehenges:

1. Adaptation: acknowledging the existence of cultural gaps and designing strategies to avoid misunderstandings. Team members must learn to coexist with those cultural differences.
2. Structural intervention: organizing the team strategically by forming sub-groups based on common shared values and customs.
3. Managerial intervention: setting up rigorous standards aimed at avoiding conflicts and defining mechanisms of resolution.
4. Exit: remove members not able to adapt to the multicultural environment when previous strategies have failed.

The least managerial intervention is desired. The two last strategies are last-resort measures, then, managers must propend for achieving the implementation of the two first strategies. The ideal is the team can overcome cultural differences within a environment free of strong regulatory frameworks.

References

Brett, Behfar and Kern (2006). Managing Challenges in Multicultural Teams. Retrieved from: http://web.merage.uci.edu/~kbehfar/papers/managing.pdf