TEAM DEVELOPMENT FOR START-UPS 101

Maryam Allami, MBA Candidate at Heriot-Watt University

Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence win championships.

Michael Jordan

Entrepreneurs are extremely motivated individuals who usually have multiple talents, but a single person can only go so far; great ideas cannot be turned into successful businesses without the right team.

However, building a team takes time and resources. Don’t expect a group of newly assembled strangers to magically get along, achieve desired results, and perform at high levels. But what is a team, and how can the process of team development be hacked?

A work team can be defined as a group of two people working together to achieve a common goal or complete a task in the most effective and efficient manner.

Teams are usually limited in size and have common goals or a specific task to accomplish. They are key to the success of start-ups. Diverse perspectives working toward a common goal can lead to innovation and creativity in achieving the start-up’s goals.

Working in a team is not only beneficial to the venture but also fosters a learning environment where you learn from the skills and knowledge of other team members, not to mention the emotional support you receive from your team as they understand your workload and share the same problems as you.

This is especially true for start-up companies, which require a lot of dedication, commitment, and a sense of belonging to the team and the idea in the early years.

Not to mention that venture capitalists, when reviewing and evaluating potential investment opportunities, pay close attention to how the team functions and performs as a unit, and whether that team will be able to make the start-up grow or fail.

Certain characteristics must be present for a team to work effectively:

- A high degree of autonomy

- Clear goals

- The right skills

- Appropriate size

- Regular feedback

- Effective conflict management

- Supportive internal culture

There are different types of teams: traditional work teams, self-managed teams, and virtual teams, to name a few. All of these teams, in one way or another, go through the same steps to go from strangers with different perspectives to a unified, cohesive group working toward common goals. Psychologist Bruce Tuckman coined the memorable term “forming, storming, norming, and performing” in his 1965 essay “Developmental Sequence in Small Groups.”

WHAT HAPPENS IN THESE DIFFERENT STAGES OF TEAM DEVELOPMENT?

1- THE FORMING STAGE

In the Forming stage, the team is newly “formed,” and team members are eager to showcase their experience, demonstrate dominance, and exhibit their strengths. Uncertainty and anxiety are the main characteristics of this stage; the team shows cautious body language and polite speech and avoids controversy. During formation, the team looks for guidance and instructions from the leadership.

No successes are expected in this stage, but the leader is responsible for watching for the signs to prepare the right interventions and provide guidance and support when needed. A good orientation session/kick-off at the beginning, explaining the mission and vision and assigning the various roles and responsibilities, will provide clarity and reinforce the team’s expectations.

In addition, the leader should establish communication channels (e.g., jour fixes and recurring meetings), set ground rules, and focus on the team’s operational guidelines.

2- THE STORMING STAGE

Have you ever felt like you can’t stand it when your partner only listens to Taylor Swift in the morning? Well then, congratulations.

You are now in the storming stage.

At this stage, building a team can be compared to a relationship: In the beginning, you think someone is perfect, but as soon as their flaws become apparent, you know they’re not.

You then have to figure out how to accept the differences, or the relationship will eventually fail.

This is the most difficult stage because it determines the way forward for the team and sets the direction for the rest of the project. This stage is characterized by conflict; as personalities are

more prominent, people tend to be less polite, differences in views and personal styles are evident, increased tension, fluctuations in attitude, and lack of role clarity, all of which can lead to personality clashes.

In addition, collusion and cliques form at this stage, and power struggles occur.

The team should work together to overcome individual differences and build trust between team members. They should also practice effective listening; the team needs to flexibly reshape tasks and balance the strengths and weaknesses of each individual.

Leaders need to be transparent and work with the team through conflict resolution methods and actively work to keep employees’ attention on the task and goal.

Many tend to ignore conflicts in hopes that they will resolve themselves, but this only causes the problems to grow and become undesirable in the future.

3- THE NORMING STAGE

At this stage, conflicts are resolved, the team learns to accept differences, focus its energies on tasks, develop team routines, and individuals can accept and give constructive criticism. Productivity is high at this stage, both in individual and collective work.

The team will look like a cohesive unit to the outside world. But this doesn’t mean you will like Taylor Swift’s music in the morning, but you will either tolerate that your colleague likes it and that they are a great app developer and appreciates what they bring to the table, or you feel comfortable enough to tell them to change the channel.

The role of the leader at this stage is to grant autonomy and encourage ownership, allow less

top-down structure, and create a collaborative environment where each individual on the team can contribute and interact.

Most businesses, especially start-ups, don’t reach this stage. So rejoice and plan a team gathering to celebrate your success!

4- THE PERFORMING STAGE

At this stage, teams develop interdependence, understand each other better, and are able to organize themselves. The main characteristic of this phase is satisfaction with progress; the team is confident in its own individual abilities and those of its teammates.

Leaders are expected to observe and meet the needs of the team. They understand that this is a fully functioning team that can do its own thing. Offering positive reinforcement and support is the answer.

5- THE ADJOURNING STAGE

The fifth and final stage is not part of Tuckman’s original model; Tuckman added this final stage 10 years after his initial publications; it is the stage where success is celebrated on the one hand, but visible signs of sadness appear on the other.

The farewell phase is characterized by significant changes in the team structure, the dynamics slow down, and the team begins to express various emotions, including sadness, relief, and hidden humor.

In the final stage, leaders are left to evaluate the team’s performance, tie up loose ends, and reflect on good outcomes, memories, and lessons learned.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, most teams have morphed into virtual teams. One might wonder if the above phase works for virtual teams as well.

The answer is: absolutely!

We can apply these phases to virtual teams, but always keep in mind that there is no one-size-fits-all for start-ups and fast-growing companies. You need to take the model and tailor your actions to fit your own team and start-ups.

Good luck, dear Iraqi entrepreneur!