TOPIC: tuckman model

Good morning all,

Please what is the role of a PM in performing and norming stages of the tuckman model? is it delegating and supporting respectively or is it supporting and

facilitating respectively? What is the role in adjourning?


Warm regards

Dear Henry ILO,

Thank you for asking this excellent question. Unfortunately, PMBOK^® Guide does not provide any information regarding the role project managers play at different stages of team development model. Therefore we have to go to alternative sources of information.

This topic is usually referred to in agile project management framework, especially while discussing adaptive, or situational, leadership. One of the models developed on this subject comes from Ken Blanchard and Paul Hersey. They try to map Tuckman’s stages of team development to four leadership styles: Directing, Coaching, Supporting, and Delegating. At the very high level, the model suggests that while the team is in forming stage, the appropriate leadership style would be directing. In storming the team needs coaching. Norming requires a lot of support from the leaders. And, lastly, performing needs nothing, but delegation. The model does not talk about adjourning. But we can safely assume that adjourning is “out of scope” because the team completed their work and moved on from the project.

I hope it helps.

Regards,
Stan