Does team building lead to better teamwork?
Teamwork is always a hot topic in sports. Some coaches scour the land looking for the latest tips on team building while others feel team building games are a waste of 
time. So the question remains, “Do team building activities lead to improved teamwork? It depends. It depends on what stage your team is in. Sport psychologists often refer to four stages that teams go through. These stages are typical of most teams and groups. Surprisingly one of the normal stages teams experience is fighting!
The four stages, “forming,” “storming,” “norming,” and “conforming” were first developed by Bruce Tuckman in 1965. It is one of the best-known team development theories. It’s useful to keep Tuckman’s stages in mind as you progress through the season. They will help you select appropriate team building activities and/or they may explain many of the behaviors that drive you crazy!
The first stage, “forming” is also known as “testing.” In essence, team members size each other up. Players make judgments about the coach, the strengths and weaknesses of the other players and where they themselves fit in with the team.
The next stage is called “storming,” also known as the “infighting” stage. During this stage, there is often arguing, tension, conflict, and rebellion. Players are competing against one another and trying to establish their position on the team. They wonder:
- Will I make the team?
- Will I start?
- What does the coach think of me?
- What’s my role on the team?
The third stage is the “norming” stage. It’s the quiet period that follows the storming period. Ideally everyone now knows their role on the team, and they have accepted there place on the team. If players continue to express dissatisfaction with their roles, the team will not be successful. The main focus now is TEAM not ME.
The last stage is the “performing” stage. At this point, each team member is genuinely concerned about the welfare and progress of teammates. When one player experiences success, other teammates are genuinely happy for them. In fact, teammates help each other to achieve success. In this stage, there is a high degree of trust.
Arriving at the “performing” stages means weathering the other stages. It means patience, persistence, hard work and constant re-commitment on the part of the coach and the team. A coach needs to know the stages of team development to reflect on honestly assess where a team stands in their progression, and in turn, what to work on to attain their next level. The good news is what might appear as discouraging, may actually be the team reaching an essential milestone in their cohesion toward their next level of evolution as a “performing” team.
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Team Building Activities are not the “magic potion” that will cure any team ailments…but if used properly and with a stated purpose or goal in mind, can be very effective in deleloping teamwork outside of the embedded teamwork activities associated with your sport.