“Management is about persuading people to do things they do not want to do, while leadership is about inspiring people to do things
they never thought they could.”
The performing stage marks the culmination of the team's development, where the team reaches a high-performance level, efficiently delivering team outcomes and deliverables.
Differing viewpoints are addressed constructively and proactively, fostering creativity and effectiveness within the team.
In this stage, team members fully comprehend their roles, working together seamlessly, and providing mutual support when required, creating a cohesive and harmonious team environment.
Team interdependence is an important feature of a high performing team. Neither dependent nor independent, the team members work together interdependently. This is where one team member cannot be completely successful unless the entire team and all team members are successful.
COOP Squares Team Interdependence Activity
Although quite simple and basic, the COOP Squares Activity presents an opportunity for a team to see if they are really able to be function interdependently. Click here to access a PDF of instructions for the COOP Squares team activity.
Keep in Mind
When your team reaching the fourth milestone, you can be rightfully pleased. However, there are a few caveats to keep in mind.
First, if a team member must leave your team, such as for a reassignment or job change, your team must start at Milestone 1 Forming again. The pace of moving through the milestones may be much swifter, but the team must progress through the four milestones again.
Second, if a team member is replaced, such as a team member retires and is replaced with a new team member, you guessed it: the newly constituted team must restart at Milestone 1 (Forming). Once again, the pace of the remixed team may be swift as it moves through Milestone 2 (Storming) and 3 (Norming), finally reaching Milestone 4 (Performing) again. But there are no shortcuts or bypasses if the team wants to once again be a high-performing team.
Third, if a new team member(s) is added instead of replacing a prior team member, the team must restart at Milestone 1 Forming, and progress through the remaining milestones to reach Milestone 4 Performing.
Sometimes you will hear high performing teams bemoan that the team was never the same after Joe retired, for example. Sometimes the team will think Joe was the key to the high performing team, giving him complete credit for the team’s past accomplishments. It can be quite baffling to teams unless they understand that losing even one member without a replacement, adding a new team member, or replacing a team member, results in a different team. A team that without exception must revisit each of the milestones, even quickly, in order to perform as a highly effective team.