All of us have been part of groups of various kinds-from family to classmates to co-workers. Sometimes these groups are effective, building strong bonds. At other times, groups can be ineffective or not helpful to our growth and development.

Groups can be understood as a collection of people: carpoolers, bus riders, fellow airline passengers, etc. Teams, however, are groups with a shared purpose and a clear understanding of roles and expectations. One such team is a symphony. If every musician came to practice doing their own thing, or if they only want to play the violin, there would be no beautiful music.

The same is true for any effective team, whether in the family, the workplace or the larger community. These teams need to focus on their purpose or mission and clarify the roles, responsibilities and expectations for each member of the team. When that work is done, teams are able to thrive and make a significant impact.

Even when the purpose and roles are clear, however, it is important to understand that all teams go through stages of development. B. J. Tuckman describes four stages of team development: forming, storming, norming and performing.

• The forming stage address the factors that help people feel they belong to the team and are respected as contributing members.
• Storming deals with the inevitability of conflict and the experiences of difference on a team. The more that conflict can be welcomed as leading to superior decision-making, the more that the collective wisdom of the team can be brought to bear on those decisions.
• In the norming stage, teams identify their guidelines of behavior (e.g., we begin and end meetings on time, or we take time for personal check-in at the beginning of meetings, or we welcome conflict as well as life-giving humor as important contributors to teamwork).
• The performing stage focuses on what Stephen Covey calls the two bottom lines of any organization: the promotion and enhancement of relationships and the accomplishment of results.

A commitment to building strong, effective and mission-focused teams is well worth it.? The results will make, like the best symphonies, beautiful music.

John Reid, Senior Consultant
The Reid Group