Module IV·Article II·~1 min read
Team Psychology: Stages of Development and Roles
Group Dynamics and Social Influence
Turn this article into a podcast
Pick voices, format, length — AI generates the audio
Tuckman's Model: Stages of Group Development
Bruce Tuckman described four stages (later added a fifth):
Forming: group members are polite, cautious, orienting themselves to the situation. There are few conflicts—there is no trust for open discussions. The leader must provide structure.
Storming: differences in approaches, goals, and values come to the surface. There may be struggle for influence. Many teams get stuck here or prematurely revert to conformity.
Norming: common rules and processes are developed. Trust grows.
Performing: the team functions autonomously and efficiently.
Adjourning: completion—it's important to properly conclude the shared experience.
Team Roles (Belbin)
Raymond Belbin identified 9 team roles necessary for the full functioning of a team: Plant (Thinker), Resource Investigator, Co-ordinator, Shaper, Monitor Evaluator, Teamworker, Implementer, Completer Finisher, Specialist.
There are no "bad" roles—each is necessary. The problem lies in the mismatch of roles to tasks, or in duplication/absence of key roles.
Psychological Safety (Amy Edmondson)
Studies by Google (Project Aristotle) and Edmondson have shown: the most important predictor of team effectiveness is psychological safety—a conviction that it is safe in the team to take risks, speak the truth, and admit mistakes.
The leader creates psychological safety:
- Publicly acknowledges their own mistakes
- Asks questions rather than asserting
- Thanks for bad news
- Does not punish for experiments that fail in training conditions
Practical Assignment
Evaluate your team: (1) At which Tuckman stage is it currently? (2) Which Belbin roles are represented, which are lacking? (3) How high is psychological safety? What hinders it?
§ Act · what next