Storming

When you notice team members start to show more of themselves, voicing different opinions. As people work with each other, they begin to feel more comfortable challenging each other. They might even start annoying each other. Believe it or not, this is a good sign.

Behavioural level:

Members learn about individual working styles and gain confidence around each other. Conflict may arise and ‘storming’ occurs, perhaps in the form of curt emails, sharp comments or put-downs in meetings. Members vie for the leader’s attention and status in the team. If done positively, it shows up as seeking to add more value and opinions. When done negatively, it shows up by running down colleagues, dismissing others ideas or even excluding others. The leader must act swiftly to encourage good behaviours and address destructive behaviours as soo as they appear. Most of the teams I meet, even established teams, are stuck somewhere between storming and norming. The storming actually becomes the norm. It is so obvious to me as an outsider, yet team members are conditioned in the behaviours, and are blind to them. In the storming stage, people start pushing boundaries and some may start asserting their position. 

Some people dominate meetings, others might sit back and roll their eyes or shut people down. Some people may also belittle, withhold information, or try to form alliances. It is all very normal, but incredibly toxic for the team.

There may be a conflict between team members different working styles as a result of misunderstanding each other's intentions, or someone may challenge the leadership or jockey for position within the team. Frustrations become apparent and cliques can form, and grudges be held. 

Psychological level: 

People are feeling more familiar with each other, adopting the norms of the team. They may not feel safe, but they feel familiar. People seek to find out more about other group members, sharing more personal information, sharing feelings and frustrations. Subgroups and cliques begin to naturally form. You might see some people socialising at lunch time, gathering around the coffee machine or setting up informal communication channels, texting or becoming Facebook friends. They form alliances based around people who share ideas and values and with whom they feel the safest.

It is natural, but be mindful of that these "friendships" do not disrupt the whole teams cohesion and trust. This is the stage when power struggles start, as members begin to express or gain the confidence to act out more individual needs and their desire for status. This can derail the team’s need for cohesion. I guess you can see it as sibling rivalry in some ways.

So if you are in the "in" crowd, you feel more secure and powerful. If you are in the "out" crowd, resentment, disengagement and conflict arises. This is something to be really mindful of when leading remote or hybrid teams where the people online maybe pushed away due to proximity bias.

Leader’s role: 

Tune in, notice and act without becoming the parent in the sibling rivalry. If you want members to be accountable adults, then role model that in your own behaviours. LeaderX focuses team effort on building trust and dialogue, and naming the behaviours, surfacing tensions and working through conflict. They don't sweat the small stuff, but use leadership skills to make others aware of what is OK and what is not OK around here. They encourage people to take ownership of their behaviours and resolve issues themselves wherever possible.

If you have not defined clearly how people will work and what the roles and responsibilities are then storming may become embedded and becomes the norm. As a leader you can move people through storming quickly by addressing conflict head on in the agreed manner.