Shawnee Love   •  
March 2, 2010

I have a confession to make. I love the TV program “Survivor”. Although I am sure that it is as much about ratings as the WWF, I am completely enamoured with the team dynamics. As an HR student long ago, I learned about the four stages of a team’s development:

1. Forming
2. Storming
3. Norming
4. Performing

Interestingly, there wasn’t a stage after performing for where old, dried up or worn out teams go at the end of their life cycle. From my vantage point on the couch, if Survivor is right, then the 5th stage would not be retirement, but implosion.

Consider what happens on Survivor. Teams form by meeting and getting to know one another. They start to get along and gel. They get in tune with each other so quickly, that they breeze through the storming stage. They norm by learning to work well together and shoring up each other team members’ strengths and weaknesses. They go into challenges and get on a roll and win, win, win. Winning breeds confidence, harmony, and teamwork which lead to working together, eating together and generally performing like a high functioning team. It seems like nothing can get this team down.

Until they lose a challenge! Then, the previously unbreakable camaraderie erodes like a sandcastle at high tide and what is left is bitter infighting, back stabbing, and paranoia. It’s strange how losing divides a team.

Having played competitive team sports in the past, I have seen how accusations and blame-throwing can fracture a team. And I have created my own formula for what it takes to come back from a devastating loss as follows:

• hard work and commitment from every team member,
• strong leadership, and
• a common goal that everyone wants to achieve.

I apply these in business too. Does anyone have other ingredients in their team building formula?