At the norming stage, team members realize they're not going to drown, they stop thrashing about, and start helping each other stay afloat. Unlike the storming stage where there was intense competition, in this stage, there's a developing sense of team cohesion and a common spirit.
During this stage:
Members reconcile competing loyalties and responsibilities; there's an attitude change.
They accept the team, team ground rules (or
―norms‖), their roles on the team, and respect the individuality of fellow members. They identify themselves as members of the team.
Emotional conflict is reduced as previously competitive relationships become more cooperative. As team members begin to work out their differences, they now have more time and energy to spend on their work, so they're able to start making progress.
Behaviors of the norming stage may include:
Increased cohesion
More collaboration
Emerging
trust
Appreciation of differences
Issues of strengthening relationships, open communication, positive/ constructive feedback
A facilitator is a person who normally functions as a teacher, coach, or moderator for temporary teams (in a workcenter, the team leader is normally responsible for these functions). The facilitator focuses on the methods or procedures of a task, whereas the team leader focuses on the content of the improvement. A facilitator is usually appointed by management, similar to a supervisor, but the expected behavior or role of the facilitator is quite different
Role - The role of the facilitator is as follows:
Concentrates on the group dynamics going on within the team
Focuses on how decisions are made not what decisions are made
Serves as an outside observer
Ensures the team remains steadfast on the task
Encourages constructive participation by all team members
Attempts to see that
individual needs don't interfere with task needs while at the same time considers the self-esteem of all team members
Minimizes personal participation and steps in only when appropriate to refocus the team
Focuses on issues such as team methods, procedures, decision-making, conflict resolution, and problem solving
Provides advice to the team leader on all of the above