W1_Stephon_Tuckman Analysis Assignment

1.     Problem Definition
 

The aim of this short study is to determine which leadership style best suits the Bistro_12 team based on its present stage development. I carried out an individual assessment of the team to determine its current stage in development using the “Team Development Survey” questionnaire developed by Donald Clark and obtained at the http://www.cscaweb.org/EMS/sector_team/support_files/tools_for_the_team/tool_stage.pdf web site. The questionnaire which is based on the Professor Bruce Wayne Tuckman’s Team Development Model contained 32 ranked questions resulting in ordinal data. Using the tool's scoring template the following results were obtained 

·         Forming Stage :           24

·         Storming Stage :         23

·         Norming Stage :          23

·         Performing Stage:       26

2.       Develop Feasible Alternatives Models
 

Over the years, various models for have been developed for the evaluation of team development and leadership. The following were developed at about the same time period and share some similarities.

·         Tuckman Forming Storming Norming and Performing model

·         Hersey & Blanchard's Situational Leadership Model

·         Tannenbaum & Schmidt Continuum

3.       Develop the outcomes for each alternative
 

To determine the appropriate leadership style, I have continued with the Tuckman’s model as used in the initial assessment and mapped it to the Hersey-Blanchard's Situational Leadership Model, which also posits a four stage maturity process through the active life of a team.

4.      Analysis and comparison of the alternatives
 

Professor Bruce Tuckman’s proposed model comprises the following four stages:

Forming: Predominant attitude is that of testing to establish boundaries, politeness and dependency. Leader directs, similar to the “Telling Mode” in the Situational Leadership Model.

Storming: Characterized by conflict and polarization around personal issues. Clarity of purpose increases but there still are numerous uncertainties.  Leader coaches, similar to the “Selling” Mode in the Situational Leadership Model.

Norming: Characterized by agreement, consensus, oneness in goal with some personal goals dropped. Leader facilitates and enables, similar to the “Participating” Mode in the Situational Leadership Model.

Performing: this stage is characterized by clarity of purpose. The team is more strategically aware. Leader delegates and oversees similar to the “Delegating” Mode in the Situational Leadership Model.

 A summary representation of predominant team/member attitudes first four stages is shown in the figure below

 
Figure 1: Team Development Wheel (Source: https://acc.dau.mil/CommunityBrowser.aspx?id=294584)

 

The “Adjourning” stage involves completing the task and dissolution, also known as “mourning” by some.

Tuckman’s Model is compared with the Hersey-Blanchard’s Situational Leadership Model below:

 
 Figure 2: Tuckman's forming - performing model & Hersey-Blanchard's Situational Leadership Model (http://www.businessballs.com/tuckmanformingstormingnormingperforming.htm)

 

5.      Selection of the acceptable criteria

The assessment scores are almost evenly spread about the four stages but still indicate that the Bistro_12 team is at the performing stage, regardless of the fact that the team is barely two weeks old.

The leadership style to be adopted is that of delegation based on the set structure. This is the proposed leadership for this stage in Team Development model by Bruce Tuckman, as well as the Situational Leadership Model by Hersey and Blanchard.

The Bistro_12 team developed rapidly to the “Performing Stage”, therefore requiring delegation as a leadership style. My assessment results also indicated a good spread across all stages. The rapid transition to the performing stage can be attributed to the intensive and hands-on “face-to-face” phase of the Program while the residual characteristics of the preceding stages can be attributed to the team’s short life presently.

6.      Performance Monitoring & Post Evaluation of Result

This will be monitored weekly using developed tools by the team.

 

7.      Reference

         i.        Survey: What Stage is Your Team in? Retrieved from:                                                          http://www.cscaweb.org/EMS/sector_team/support_files/tools_for_the_team/tool_stage.pdf

         ii.        Tuckman forming storming norming performing model, Retrieved from:

http://www.businessballs.com/tuckmanformingstormingnormingperforming.htm

     

         iii.        Forming - Storming - Norming - Performing, retrieved from:

http://www.teambuilding.co.uk/Forming_Storming_Norming_Performing.html

         iv.        Smith, M. K. (2005). 'Bruce W. Tuckman - forming, storming, norming and performing in groups, the encyclopaedia of informal education. Retrieved from:

http:// www.infed.org/thinkers/tuckman.htm

         v.            Working Groups, Retrieved from:

https://acc.dau.mil/CommunityBrowser.aspx?id=294584