In the “Forming-Storming-Norming-Performing” model of group or team development suggested by Tuckman (1985), the performing stage is the fourth and the ultimate stage at which a team functions as a unit. Members of the team attempt to find ways or methods for handling tasks smoothly and effectively. The team tends to look for ways of carrying out tasks with little interference and conflicts. In addition, they reduce the need for supervision from individual or parties that are not part of the team. Accordingly, this is the optimum stage, where the team functions as an autonomous and competent party. However, few groups or teams are able to reach this stage. According to some analysts, most teams develop up to the third stage and function as required. They fail to reach the fourth stage.
Thus, it has been shown that the necessity of reaching this stage is doubtable because at the third stage, most organizations tend to function as required but with some degree of external supervision. Some scholars have shown that some organizations would not require teams or groups assigned to some or most of the tasks reach the fourth stage due to a number of reasons. For instance, one of the main characteristics of a team that has reached the performing stage is “autonomy”, which means that members are able to make their own decisions as a group and avoid external supervision. For most organizations, this is a major risk because the state of autonomy may confer some powers to the members or their internal leaders to exercise their own will, power or fulfill their individual or group interests, which may affect the organization. In addition, it means that the company’s management will assume a “Laissez-Faire” type of leadership, leaving most of the tasks to the teams, yet they are prone to make errors if supervision is limited.
References
Tuckman, Bruce (1985). Developmental sequence in small groups. Psychological Bulletin 63(6): 384–99.