Weathering the Storm
Why Healthy Teams Face Conflict Head On
A great perk of the work we do with organizations and teams is that it often takes us to beautiful places, where we’re able to simultaneously experience both the awe of nature and the growth of others. One thing both nature and working closely with people on their leadership journeys has taught us is that a worthwhile outcome – be it a lush forest or a high-functioning, cohesive team – does not just happen out of the blue.
The sweeping scenery of the Pacific Northwest, for example, is known for its abundance of nature and vivid, green forests – and for good reason: they get a hell of a lot of rain. Likewise, the most productive, well-rounded teams we’ve come across have often gone through the kind of obstacles companies fear, like debilitating financial insecurity or a deep lack of trust in leadership, and have managed to find a way to the other side.
Similarly, the outcomes we want for our teams – trust, clarity, collaboration, resilience, financial security – do not happen in any lasting way without challenges. In fact, it’s how we prepare for, respond to, and navigate those very challenges that create the outcomes we want in the first place. And when we try to avoid those challenges – when we try to ignore conflict amongst colleagues, gloss over consistent communication issues with forced positivity, or pretend away operational issues for fear of rocking the boat – we actually rob ourselves of opportunities to build the connection, comradery, trust, and true resilience that high performing teams are made of.
A Lesson in Storming
One of our team members, Brooke Moran, recently shared a story from earlier in her career that is a great example of what happens when teams avoid challenges — or what we refer to as the ‘Storming’ phase, a crucial phase in team development.
She was co-instructing an adult, 30-day, NOLS glacial mountaineering leadership development course in the North Cascade Mountains. (NASA, Google, military groups and universities partner with NOLS to hone their leadership skills via the vigorous outdoor learning environment). After nearly three weeks of glacial travel, they re-entered the forest, and she and her co-instructor had decided their students were ready to travel in two small groups without them. Over the three weeks, they had equipped their students with risk management, medical training, and navigation skills, as well as communication, conflict resolution, and leadership skills – all requirements to not only stay safe in their terrain, but also to work well together as a team.
Having arranged a rendezvous point for the night and set expectations regarding a course of action should a group be unable to make it to camp, she and her co-instructor efficiently hiked to their destination and settled in with hot drinks, a comforting treat they’d certainly earned. Not long after, the first group of students arrived and settled in with their own hot drinks, dinner, and a stretch.
Two hours passed and there was still no sign of the second group. Since the hike included steep, slick, and mossy terrain, as well as off-trail navigation, Brooke and her co-instructor had started to chat about possible reasons for their delay, as well as their potential courses of action. It was expected that each group do everything within its power on their own (while remaining safe) to make it to camp each night.
After nearly three hours of being in camp, the night quickly descending, they heard the delayed group making their way around the lake near their campsite. Even from far away, they could hear the frustration in their voices; there seemed to be a bit of bickering. Hopping right into action, Brooke started rallying the participants in camp to brew hot drinks, make dinner, and prepare to welcome the second group into camp with warmth and positivity. When the second group arrived at camp, grumbling – at each other and the other group, some biting their tongues — Brooke used humor to diffuse the situation, and eventually with warm food and drinks in their bellies, their grumpiness turned into laughter.
Afterwards, Brooke sauntered back to her co-instructor, a smile on her face and a skip in her step, proud of how she’d brought the negative atmosphere back to a positive environment for everyone. Having a strong relationship with her co-instructor — and one that involved teasing each other — he looked at her with a smile and asked, “What the f*ck did you just do?” Initially, she was stumped. However, after speedy reflection, Brooke realized exactly what she’d done: she’d interrupted the essential stage of STORMING in that group’s development.
Storming, a stage of team development that’s characterized by the deep feelings and interpersonal conflicts that arise as a team works towards their goals, is part of the Stages of Group Development (particularly Forming, Storming, Norming, Performing, and the 5th stage we have added, Transforming), a popular framework for team development created by Bruce Tuckerman in the mid-1960s.
Credit: Integrated Growth proprietary PRIDE model overlay with the Phases of Team Development, including the 5th phase; Transforming
According to Tuckman’s work, the whole group of students, and especially the late-arriving group, had been in the midst of Storming, and Brooke’s desire to ‘rescue them’ by over-facilitating had enabled both the late hiking group and the group in camp to suppress valuable and productive conflict that had been bubbling for days – conflict that needed to be aired out and addressed, not smothered and forgotten. Empowering them to hike alone and experience some stress had been the perfect elixir to help them move from Forming into Storming, such that they could develop healthy norms that would later support their performance as a team.
Brooke realized that her well-intended efforts to smooth over the situation had interrupted that critical process; by intervening, she’d robbed them of that opportunity to employ the effective communication and conflict resolution skills with which she and her co-instructor had equipped them. Had the group engaged in the storming phase, learned from it, and emerged on the other side with a stronger ability to Perform, they would have evolved into stronger individuals, leaders, and a higher-performing team.
The lesson from Brooke’s story, and from many other facilitations our team members find themselves in, is this: avoiding the storming phase has the power to keep your team in a vicious (and very unhelpful) cycle of covering up conflict instead of facing it head on. Doing so also has the power to build up negative energy that has no outlet, and that can lead to harmful experiences for everyone. When team members engage with conflict, though, they discover the power within storming, and can then use conflict as a tool that makes them even stronger in the end… with effective techniques, of course.
Storming as a Tool
The Storming stage has no set launch date. For teams that work together only periodically, it may take many months or years, while for teams that work together closely in stressful circumstances, the Storming phase might appear within a few days or weeks. Therefore, what Storming looks and feels like will vary from team to team. Some things it may include, though, are:
letdown from excitement felt during the Forming (honeymoon) stage;
frustration with the leader and/or team members – whether focused on personality quirks, work style, or means of communicating;
critiquing team norms, culture, processes, priorities, or rate of progress;
role delineation confusion; and/or
bickering.
Whatever this phase might look like for your team, it’s important to remember that avoidance will only add fuel to the flame of negativity. Don’t let conflict avoidance or the need to be “nice” allow your team to become dysfunctional; it’s much more important to create space for people to be respectful, authentic, reflective and honest about their experiences.
Whether you’re a facilitator, leader, or part of a team, the following tips will help you not only weather the Storm, but thrive out of it, progressing to the Performing stage:
Prepare: Anticipate the Storming stage and equip team members with tools to navigate it productively, such as exposure to and practice with Radical Candor (Kim Scott) and giving and receiving feedback with courage and compassion.
Dispel Negative Associations with Storming: Help people understand the positive power of Storming. Many people are conflict-averse, and as Storming shows up as conflict, it may feel counterintuitive to face it in order to alleviate it. Help team members understand that to address conflict is healthy; it’s a matter of having different perspectives and collaborating to find an effective path forward. It tends to involve cognitive dissonance and stepping out of one’s comfort zone, which, by definition, is uncomfortable; but, it’s also the only place from which we grow and evolve – as individuals and as teams. If you help people understand this before the Storming phase arrives, they can be alert and ready for it.
Create Space: To productively work through Storming, individuals and teams need space to do so. Block time to discuss what’s going on using techniques such as Radical Candor and feedback. Make a plan to move forward, reinforcing the mission and goals, clarifying and agreeing on expectations, including roles and responsibilities and healthy team norms.
Learn for Next Time: Once on the other side of Storming (or, even part way through), debrief on your team’s process of moving through Storming, as Storming is not a ‘one and done’ event. When the next Storm arises, you’ll be able to employ what you learned. For ease, you might use a What? So What? Now What? framework.
What? Identify what happened, including what triggered the Storming, how people responded, and what you did as a result.
So What? Identify the impacts of your efforts. What worked? What didn’t? Consider impacts on the team and the individuals.
Now What? What’s important to learn from the experience? How might you go about business differently as a result? What will you do differently and the same the next time you Storm?
To the point that another Storm may be on the horizon, the Stages of Group Development aren’t necessarily linear; for example, a team could revert back to Storming at any time, or an ad hoc team might disband before even experiencing Storming. In addition, whenever a new member joins a team or a member departs, functionally, the team re-enters Forming and may experience a period a Storming once more. Regardless, when a group of people come together to work towards common goals and enough time passes, Storming will eventually happen, in some shape or form. The key to creating a team you're proud of – a team that rolls through discord, moves effectively and efficiently, supports one another, and eats obstacles for breakfast – is facing challenges when they arise and working through them, together.
Integrated Growth has been developing leaders, mobilizing teams, and transforming organizations since 1998. Founded by Gretchen Reid, their team of highly skilled consultants and executive coaches are known for building award winning leadership development programs, facilitating strategic planning and team development initiatives, and providing executive coaching to help you achieve your greatest mission. We invite you to schedule a free consultation or visit www.integratedgrowth.com for more information.
AUTHOR – Gretchen Reid is the Founder and Chief Change and Leadership Architect for Integrated Growth. She has spent over 25 years coaching leaders and creating award-winning Leadership and Talent Development Programs, directly contributing to multiple awards for her clients, including Fast Company’s 50 Most Innovative Companies, Forbes America’s Best Employers List, Forbes Best Employer for Diversity, and ASTD BEST. She is an Adjunct Professor of Change Management in the Strategic HR Masters Program, Denver University, University College. (MS, Career and Human Resource Development, Rochester Institute of Technology, BA, Psychology & Business Management, University of Rochester)
AUTHOR – Dr. Brooke Moran is a Lead Facilitator at Integrated Growth. In addition, she is a Co-Owner and the Human Potential Catalyzer at Zen for Business, which is a Certified B Corp and a coaching and culture and leadership development firm. Her purpose is to elevate the leadership effectiveness of purpose-driven individuals, teams, and organizations, which she has been doing for nearly 30 years. She serves as adjunct faculty for executive leadership development programs at Dartmouth College’s Tuck School of Business and University of North Carolina’s Kenan-Flagler Business School, among others. She is also an emeritus professor at Western Colorado University, where she continues to advise in the MBA program.