Leadership Using The Tuckman Model

Leadership of teams requires an ability to diagnose the stage of development of teams, and make appropriate interventions that move the team forward. The Tuckman model of team development is an old one (about 40 years) and very simple, but it is still very useful.

This page may helps you recognise the stage of development of the team in Tuckman terms, and then outlines the types of interventions that will move the team forward. Using the wrong type of intervention can, at best, be ineffective and, at worst, destroy any good teamwork that already exists. It is important, therefore, to use the right approach.

Characteristic of Each Stage

The Leader Should Make

Situational Leadership Model

During a workshop session of PZ Cussons leaders by Newleaf UK, Tertz Ashibi tried to connect the Tuckman Stage with a leadership style, called the Site Leadership model, which depicts leadership models based on team maturity.

The Situational Leadership model of management and leadership style also illustrates the ideal development of a team from immaturity through which management of leadership style progressively

develops from relatively first-run task-directing (1)

through the more managerially-involved stages of explanation (2)

and participation (3),

to the final stage of relative detached delegation (4),

at which time ideally the team is largely self-managing, and hopefully contains at least one potential management / leadership successor.

The model also illustrates four main leadership and management styles, which a good leader is able to switch between, depending on the situation (i.e., the team's maturity relating to a particular task, project or challenge.)

Here are some descriptions of situational leadership :

1. Situational Leadership: Directing Directing is the lowest level of leadership style. New employees require direct instructions, so this is called the “Telling” or “Directing” The follower is characterized by low competence and high commitment, but being unable to comply, with possible feelings of insecurity. The leader must focus highly on tasks, rather than a relationship with the employee, as a relationship does not yet exist. When an employee can’t do the job because they are unknowledgeable, the leader must spend much more time working with the employee, offering clear instructions and a regular follow up. The leader must be encouraging and motivational, offering praise for positive results and correction for less than positive results. The idea is to motivate the follower to rise to the next level of ability. 2. Situational Leadership: Coaching/Selling Coaching/Selling addresses the follower who has developed some competence with an improved commitment. The follower is not convinced yet, but is open to becoming cooperative and motivated. The leader must still focus highly on tasks and this still requires much of the leader’s time, but the focus now also includes developing a relationship with the employee. Build upon the trust that has begun to develop and the encouragement that has been demonstrated. The leader must spend more time listening and offering advice, scheduling the follower for additional training if the situation requires it. The focus is to engage the follower so they can develop to the next level. There is less “telling” and more “suggesting” which leads to more encouragement, acting as a coach. It is shown as recognition that they have progressed and it motivates them to progress even further. 3. Situational Leadership: Participating Participating addresses the follower who is now competent at the job, but remains somewhat inconsistent and is not yet fully committed. The follower may be uncooperative or performing as little work as possible, despite their competence with the tasks. The leader must participate with and support the follower, educate, support and re educate. The leader no longer needs to give detailed instructions and follow up as often, but does need to continue working with the follower to ensure the work is being done at the level required. The follower is now highly competent, but is not yet convinced in his or her ability or not fully committed to do their best and excel. The leader must now focus less on the tasks assigned and more on the relationship between the follower, the leader, the team, and the group. 4. Situational Leadership: Delegating Delegating is the ultimate focused end goal. A follower who feels fully empowered and competent enough to take the ball and run with it with minimal supervision. The follower becomes highly competent, highly committed, motivated, and empowered. The leader can now delegate tasks to the follower and observe with minimal follow up, knowing that acceptable or even excellent results will be achieved. There is a low focus on tasks and a low focus on relationships. There is no need to compliment the follower on every task, although continued praise for outstanding performance must be given. We all like to be praised for a job extremely well done, it makes us feel good and it is motivational.

Tannenbaum and Schmidt Continuum

The Tannenbaum and Schmidt Continuum also correlates in a way to the models above - essentially that management style tends to offer more freedom as the group matures.

As the team matures and becomes more self-sufficient and self-directing, so the manager's style should react accordingly, ideally becoming more detached, more delegating, encouraging and enabling the group to run itself, and for a successor (or if you are a good manager or a lucky one, for more than one successor) to emerge.