5 Alternatives to Tuckman’s model
Since the 1960s, numerous leaders have used Tuckman’s model to inform and enhance their team management experiences, but not everyone finds it to be useful. Some of the disadvantages have been described as:
- too much focus on new teams
- limited explanation of what to do when a team is stuck at a particular stage
- oversimplifies the complexities of team dynamics
- doesn’t allow for different members of the team progressing at different rates
- in reality Storming isn’t a stage but a continual process
- teams rarely develop in a linear way.
You’ve touched on some of those limitations already, but if you are still struggling to see the value of this model there are others that can offer a different insight, such as Lencioni’s five dysfunctions of a team (Lencioni, 2002).
According to this model, the five dysfunctions that can obstruct team efficiency are: absence of trust, fear of conflict, lack of commitment, avoidance of accountability and inattention to results.
Listen to Patrick Lencioni himself explaining the model in the short video at the link below.
Teamwork: The Five Dysfunctions of a Team
By identifying where your team are dysfunctional, for example they don’t trust each other or there is a lack of commitment to team goals, you can start to put solutions in place to help the team move forward.
If you are interested in exploring other models, use your preferred search engine to look for ‘team development models’.