Team Building Definition
In 1951, Franklyn S. Haiman postulated that groups, or teams, went through a maturation process analogous to that of individual humans. Team building is the art of guiding a team through that process. Haiman's analogies were vague and generalized, but in 1965 George O. Charrier developed a model that better defined the stages of team development. This model has been tested and proven on a variety of groups types, individual nationalities and genders.
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Polite Stage
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All groups go through an infancy stage in which the members are trying to get to know one another and putting on their "best face." Conflict is almost non-existent and, in fact, people will go out of their way to avoid conflict. A team builder must allow this process to occur and encourage it when it is not happening. Many times, newly-formed teams will have an icebreaker social activity or exercise to facilitate this process.
Why Are We Here?
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Once the team has become acquainted, its focus shifts to the reason for the team's existence. People begin looking for definitions of team goals and sometimes try to bend those goals for their own benefit. These hidden agendas can lead to the first conflicts within a group. A team builder can move the group through this stage quickly by setting clear goals, but he must get "buy-in" approval from each member as well. Otherwise, the hidden agendas can resurface, restricting the team's development.
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Bid for Power
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When goals are established, team members will have their own ideas about how they can help the team meet those goals. Many times, one member's ideas are conflict with another. The key for a team builder in this stage is to analyze individual strengths and assign roles that bring out those strengths. Managing conflict is the biggest concern at this stage of team development.
Constructive Teams
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After the goals are established and team members are set in their roles, the team can begin operating effectively. A constructive team is one that can take a task and complete it with little outside guidance. This is the goal of most team builders. Getting a group of people to this level of development usually constitutes success. The team builder only has to monitor the team to ensure that it doesn't slide back into a bid for power stage. When a new member joins the team, the team builder must guide her through all of the stages with the team so she can reach the same level.
Esprit
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Most teams do not reach the esprit level of development. These teams are created from a group of people and a set of outside circumstances that make them stand out in their achievements. One of the most well known esprit teams was the 1980 U.S. men's Olympic hockey team. Their coach, Herb Brooks, was a master team builder and trainers in a variety of fields still study his methods.
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