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    Interactive assessment

    Team Stage Assessment

    Identify which of four recognised stages of team development your team is currently in, and get a clear picture of what needs to happen next.

    One of the most validated frameworks in team psychology identifies four stages that teams move through: Forming, Storming, Norming, and Performing. Each stage has distinct characteristics and requires a different leadership response. What helps a Storming team will be counterproductive for a Performing team. This assessment identifies your team's dominant stage and the specific actions that will help you move forward.

    Questions or items
    20 questions or items
    Completion time
    Around 10 minutes
    Dimensions
    Forming, Storming, Norming, Performing
    What you receive
    Personalised results with result bands, section scores and development guidance.

    What it covers

    • Forming
    • Storming
    • Norming
    • Performing

    Rate each statement from 1 (Strongly Disagree) to 5 (Strongly Agree) based on how accurately it describes your team right now. Be honest, identifying the right stage is the foundation of the right development plan.

    Results: Personalised results with result bands, section scores and development guidance.

    How this interactive diagnostic works

    Read what it covers here first. Nothing is saved or sent until you continue. Your result is calculated once every required item is answered.

    If it asks for your first name and work email, you enter them in the diagnostic itself. This page sends nothing.

    Statements in this diagnostic

    Statements are grouped by section. Answer each one for the situation named in the instructions, using the scale shown.

    Forming

    Characterised by orientation, polite behaviour, and dependence on the leader. Team members are figuring out what they're doing and who does what.

    1. Team members are still figuring out their roles and how they fit together as a group
    2. Interactions are mostly polite and careful, people are still getting to know each other
    3. The team looks primarily to its leader for direction and decisions
    4. There is genuine excitement about the team's potential, but also uncertainty about how things will work
    5. People are cautious about how much of themselves to reveal and how much to trust the group

    Storming

    Characterised by conflict, competition, and challenge to the leader or each other. This is normal and necessary, but it needs navigating carefully.

    1. There are underlying tensions or unresolved conflicts that affect how the team works together
    2. Different team members have competing ideas about how the team should operate or what it should prioritise
    3. There is some resistance to the team's direction, goals, or leadership, openly expressed or subtly present
    4. Frustration sometimes surfaces in how team members communicate with each other
    5. There are informal sub-groups or alliances forming within the team

    Norming

    Characterised by emerging cohesion, agreed ways of working, and growing trust. The team is finding its rhythm.

    1. The team has developed agreed ways of working that most people follow without being told to
    2. Trust is building, people are becoming more comfortable being honest with each other
    3. Roles and responsibilities are clearer and accepted, with less jostling for position
    4. The team is developing its own identity and sense of what makes it distinctive
    5. Collaboration is improving, people are more willing to help each other and share information

    Performing

    Characterised by high productivity, self-management, and collective ownership of results. The team operates as a cohesive unit.

    1. The team delivers results consistently and at a high standard without needing constant direction
    2. Team members manage conflicts and challenges themselves, without always escalating to the leader
    3. There is a strong sense of collective ownership, the team genuinely works as one unit toward shared goals
    4. The team adapts effectively to new challenges or changes without losing its effectiveness or cohesion
    5. Relationships within the team are characterised by trust, respect, and genuine care for each other's success

    How the result is read

    Your highest-scoring section is your current dominant stage. You see the interpretation for that stage alongside every section score.

    • Forming, 1 to 25: Your team is in the Forming stage. Focus on building psychological safety, clarifying roles and purpose, and creating early wins that build confidence and cohesion. Strong leader direction is appropriate here.
    • Storming, 1 to 25: Your team is in the Storming stage. This is normal and necessary, avoidance makes it worse. The priority is creating structured space for honest conversation, clarifying decision-making processes, and building conflict resolution skills.
    • Norming, 1 to 25: Your team is in the Norming stage, good progress. The priority now is consolidating emerging norms, deepening trust through shared challenge, and developing the team's capacity for peer accountability and constructive conflict.
    • Performing, 1 to 25: Your team is in the Performing stage, a significant achievement. The focus is on sustaining this through changes in membership, goals, or context; avoiding complacency; and developing the team's capacity to help others reach the same level.

    Sources named in this diagnostic

    • Hackman, J.R. (2002) Leading Teams: Setting the Stage for Great Performances. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press.
    • Katzenbach, J.R. and Smith, D.K. (1993) The Wisdom of Teams. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press.
    • Tuckman, B.W. (1965) Developmental sequence in small groups. Psychological Bulletin, 63(6), pp. 384-399.
    • Tuckman, B.W. and Jensen, M.A.C. (1977) Stages of small-group development revisited. Group & Organization Studies, 2(4), pp. 419-427.

    Where to take the next step

    Our team programmes build genuine trust, accountability and sustained high performance.

    Explore Team Effectiveness Workshops

    Frequently asked questions

    What does the Team Stage Assessment measure?

    One of the most validated frameworks in team psychology identifies four stages that teams move through: Forming, Storming, Norming, and Performing. Each stage has distinct characteristics and requires a different leadership response. What helps a Storming team will be counterproductive for a Performing team. This assessment identifies your team's dominant stage and the specific actions that will help you move forward.

    How many questions are in the Team Stage Assessment?

    It contains 20 questions grouped into 4 dimensions: Forming, Storming, Norming, Performing.

    How is the Team Stage Assessment scored?

    The section scores are compared to identify the highest-scoring current stage. The result keeps every stage score visible.

    What happens after I complete the Team Stage Assessment?

    Once the required items are answered, you enter your first name and email to see your results: an overall interpretation, section scores and development guidance.

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