Stages of Team Building From FM 6-22

Teams do not come together by accident. Leaders must guide them through three developmental stages:

 Formation.
Enrichment.
Sustainment.

Formation Stage
Teams work best when new members quickly feel a part of the team. The two critical steps of the formation stage—reception and orientation—are dramatically different in peace and war. In combat, a good sponsorship process can literally make the difference between life and death for new arrivals and to the entire team.

Reception is the leader’s welcome to the organization. Time permitting; it should include a handshake and personal introduction. The orientation stage begins with meeting other team members, learning the layout of the workplace, learning the schedule, and generally getting to know the environment. In combat, leaders may not have much time to spend with new members. In this case, a sponsor is assigned to new arrivals. That person will help them get oriented until they “know the ropes.”

In combat, Army leaders have countless things to worry about and the mental state of new arrivals might seem low on the list. If Soldiers cannot fight, the unit will suffer needless casualties and may ultimately fail to complete the mission.

Enrichment Stage
New teams and new team members gradually move from questioning everything to trusting themselves, their peers, and their leaders. Leaders learn to trust by listening, following up on what they hear, establishing clear lines of authority, and setting standards. By far the most important thing a leader does to strengthen the team is training. 

Training takes a group of individuals and molds them into a team while preparing them to accomplish their missions. Training occurs during all three stages of team building, but is particularly important during enrichment. It is at this point that the team is building collective proficiency.

Sustainment Stage
During this stage, members identify with “their team.” They own it, have pride in it, and want the team to succeed. At this stage, team members will do what is necessary without being told. Every new mission gives the leader a chance to strengthen the bonds and challenge the team to reach for new heights of accomplishment. The leader develops his subordinates because he knows they will be tomorrow’s team
leaders. The team should continuously train so that it maintains proficiency in the collective and individual tasks it must perform to accomplish its missions.

For more on the stages of team building, get your copy of FM 6-22.