The New Stormal?
by Rhonda Abbott Blevins
Is your team “stormal?”
Teams, including church staff teams, progress through predictable patterns as they work together toward shared goals. Bruce W. Tuckman coined a phrase to describe this four-part team development process in the mid-1960s: forming, storming, norming and performing:
Forming: the initial phase in which team members learn about each other. The leader must offer significant guidance and clear goals. The tone is polite at this initial phase of team development.
Storming: team members challenge one another. Emotions can be high in the storming phase as team members compete with one another or express frustration when expectations aren’t met.
Norming: goals and purpose are better understood. Anxiety subsides and confidence grows. Cohesion emerges and individuals come together to work as a team.
Performing: the team functions at maximum capacity. With a clear vision, roles are well understood. The high performing team works as one to accomplish shared goals.
Enter: the “Great Resignation.”
Much has been written about the “Great Resignation” in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, chronicling how employees left their jobs en masse for myriad reasons. Many church staffs experienced this “Big Quit” firsthand as staff members retired, left for better paying jobs, or were laid off due to church budget cuts. In many cases, church administrators hired new employees to fill the vacancies.
And the predictable patterns of team development ensued: forming, storming, norming and performing.
Recently, I was talking with Lee Canipe, pastor of Providence Baptist Church in Charlotte, North Carolina, about how his church has been affected by the Great Resignation. Lee’s church lost roughly a third of their employees in keeping with the national pattern. Church leaders took the opportunity to “right size” the staff configuration, adjusting job descriptions to fit a more streamlined staffing structure. Then they hired new people to fill vacant roles. The forming phase of team development went as expected, and then the predictable next phase emerged:
Storming.
“Is this the new stormal?” Lee mused. We speculated that yes, it is the new stormal. Lee’s staff probably isn’t the only staff experiencing storming pains two years after the onset of the Great Resignation.
How does a church staff team leader navigate the murky waters between storming and norming?
Help employees understand themselves and each other. Team leaders can help team members appreciate the rich diversity on the team, recognizing the variety of talents and gifts of each person. Simple revelations can cultivate teamwork such as: “I like to be the problem solver,” or “I am good at brainstorming,” or “I pride myself in getting things done.”
Foster improved communications. Establishing clear communications procedures can be helpful when teams are storming. “Let’s limit non-emergency work-related phone calls to office hours,” or “please email instead of text,” can help set boundaries. Encouraging employees to express their preferred communication style can be helpful such as, “I like written requests instead of verbal,” or “my lack of emotionality doesn’t mean I don’t care.”
Promote a culture of trust. Help team members learn to respect one another not despite personality differences but expressly because of personality differences. Point out each team member’s “superpower” and the unique ways each contributes to the team. “Kendra has caught every single typo I’ve ever made,” or “Alex is amazing at making people feel listened to.” As team members may begin to appreciate one another, trust will be a natural outgrowth.
Yes, 2023 may be the year of the “new stormal” for church staffs. While storming isn’t easy, it’s a natural part of the team development process. The good news is that norming may be just around the corner. With better understanding among team members, a few communications hacks, and a growing sense of trust, most church staffs can move past conflict into effective and even high-performing teams.
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Pinnacle Leadership Associates offers fun, engaging workshops for church staffs designed to foster improved communication, increase understanding between team members, and build trust and appreciation. Contact Mark Tidsworth for a staff development training using The Peoplemap™ System; contact Rhonda Blevins for an Enneagram encounter for your staff team.