Stages of Team Development (continued)
Norming (the cohesion stage)
During the third stage, team conflict is replaced by a feeling of cohesiveness. Teams experience a sense of unity or team identity. Membership stability also characterizes this stage. Members are highly involved and turnover is low. An increase in member satisfaction also happens at this time. Not only are members pleased with the team, but they themselves may experience higher self esteem and lower anxiety as a result of their participation in the team. The internal dynamics of cohesive teams change as well. Individual members are more likely to accept or be persuaded by team norms. One negative aspect of this is that, in some teams, dissent may not be tolerated during this stage.