Team Development Theory

Definition: Tuckman's model of small group development consists of 5 stages: forming, norming, storming, performing, and adjourning. He "theorizes that these phases are all necessary and inevitable in order for the team to grow, to face up to challenges, to tackle problems, to find solutions, to plan work, and to deliver results." Source: Four (Five) Stages of Team Development - Bruce Tuckman. (n.d.) Retrieved from http://www.washington.edu/research/rapid/resources/changeModels/mc_team_development.pdf

Application: As a community developer, knowing Tuckman's model of small group development would be helpful when organizing community members. Knowing what is likely to happen in each stage as the group forms, a community developer can be better prepared to deal with group conflict and other issues that may arise while working with small groups. 

Adaptation: Tuckman's model of small group development is very applicable to, and is often consulted, in the business world. When thinking about small group work in the context of a group of employees working together to deliver a final product at a certain deadline, the project manager can be better prepared to facilitate the group with an understanding of the general trajectory that small groups follow.