There Is No I In Team
FORMING
Sophomore year in High School was my first year apart of the varsity football team at my school. In High School usually the lower class-men (Freshmen and Sophomores) are looked down and and bullied UNLESS you are on a varsity team. Joining as a sophomore I first went through the Forming stage of Tuckman's Stages of Team Development. In this stage the teammates and I "felt each other out". Our coach, or our leader, facilitates during this time making sure everything runs smoothly with the team and has bonding activities to go through. One such activity during my sophomore year was driving down to San Diego to the Navy Seal military base. We had to work together and talk about tactics to get over tough obstacles. But before we did this we had to form our own teams on the bus and figure out who would go best with who.
STORMING
While going through these obstacles we began to get fatigued and fail some of our tasks. The stronger senior got frustrated with the weaker younger teammates. With the help of other Navy Seals and our coaches we got guidance for teamwork help. In the end once we finished the tasks and workout we became closer because we were able to overcome something we never thought we would before. This was our closure for any pre-existing problems we had before.
NORMING
I would say during the Norming stage we where able to have our most successful periods. We worked as a unit and during pre-season were extremely efficient and worked very well together. We elected captains for our team during this time who we thought would lead us the best going into season as well. By choosing specific captains this relates to Collins' Good to Great and his concept of Getting the Right People On the Bus. We chose people who would hold the rest of the team accountable as well as lead by example. As a result we worked an a team instead of trying to be a good player individually.
There were moments when we would work backwards and have moments of Storming, especially when a player would get injured and a new starter would step in. We would easily move forward though especially compared to the first time we went through Storming.
PERFORMING
Performing was experienced when we actually were in season and had to step up and play other teams. In my own experience one of the players sprained his ankle mid way through the season and I was the next man up. Next man up was one of our saying just because injuries were so unpredictable in the sport we were playing. I went in for the first time but since we had gone through the four steps my coaches and teammates trusted me to perform at the level that a starter would.
Sophomore year in High School was my first year apart of the varsity football team at my school. In High School usually the lower class-men (Freshmen and Sophomores) are looked down and and bullied UNLESS you are on a varsity team. Joining as a sophomore I first went through the Forming stage of Tuckman's Stages of Team Development. In this stage the teammates and I "felt each other out". Our coach, or our leader, facilitates during this time making sure everything runs smoothly with the team and has bonding activities to go through. One such activity during my sophomore year was driving down to San Diego to the Navy Seal military base. We had to work together and talk about tactics to get over tough obstacles. But before we did this we had to form our own teams on the bus and figure out who would go best with who.
STORMING
While going through these obstacles we began to get fatigued and fail some of our tasks. The stronger senior got frustrated with the weaker younger teammates. With the help of other Navy Seals and our coaches we got guidance for teamwork help. In the end once we finished the tasks and workout we became closer because we were able to overcome something we never thought we would before. This was our closure for any pre-existing problems we had before.
NORMING
I would say during the Norming stage we where able to have our most successful periods. We worked as a unit and during pre-season were extremely efficient and worked very well together. We elected captains for our team during this time who we thought would lead us the best going into season as well. By choosing specific captains this relates to Collins' Good to Great and his concept of Getting the Right People On the Bus. We chose people who would hold the rest of the team accountable as well as lead by example. As a result we worked an a team instead of trying to be a good player individually.
There were moments when we would work backwards and have moments of Storming, especially when a player would get injured and a new starter would step in. We would easily move forward though especially compared to the first time we went through Storming.
PERFORMING
Performing was experienced when we actually were in season and had to step up and play other teams. In my own experience one of the players sprained his ankle mid way through the season and I was the next man up. Next man up was one of our saying just because injuries were so unpredictable in the sport we were playing. I went in for the first time but since we had gone through the four steps my coaches and teammates trusted me to perform at the level that a starter would.
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ReplyDeleteHi Nico! Thank you for your post. I liked that you used a sports team analogy to help portray how you went through Tuckman's four stages. I loved your Friends gif- because that's an iconic scene. I also appreciated your description of the teams Performing level. I have played on several sports teams, and typically in the performing stage, people will get injured, forcing others to step up.
ReplyDeleteMy follow-up question would have to be, had you been too timid to take over said players position, do you think the team as a whole would have regressed to the storming stage? or would you have been dismissed?
Hello Nico,
ReplyDeleteI was also on my high school football team and I know what it's like when you are put in a new group. Having to get used to playing with upper class-men can be intimidating. I'm glad you guys were able to easily come together. Performing as one unit in football is key.
What position did you play on your team?