Phase II: Norming

Symptoms
Interventions
Difficult to understand goals and purpose of the team.
Discuss the goals as a team.
Attempt to establish common team goals.
Discuss and agree as a team.
Mistrust each other; exhibit caution and conformity.
Structure opportunities for informal communication about training, values, experience, and duties of each member.
Begin to see role overlaps.
Observe members from other disciplines; discuss overlaps.
Know conflicts are present; covered them up, or whitewash them.
Encourage conflict recognition as an opportunity for creative problem solving.
A few members attempt to establish bonds with others who have similar views.
Form a subcommittee and include members from different coalitions.
Team establishes ground rules; begins to clarify common roles.
Reinforce ground rules; negotiate common roles.
Team may want leader(s) to assume responsibility.
Identify informal leadership roles that need to be filled and who can fill them.
Strategies for increasing equality of leadership (e.g., rotating leaders)
Emphasize development of competence for different leadership roles.
Defensive communication and disruptive behavior increases.
At process team meeting, give open feedback and discuss patterns of disruption and solutions.
Team members are frustrated
Promote informal leadership for resolving problems.
Some members project blame and responsibility toward the perceived leaders.
Promote informal leadership for resolving problems.
Team members compete.
Discuss different leadership roles; praise members for individual contributions.
Some members come to meetings late or do not attend them.
Review rules for membership (e.g., attendance at meetings, start and end meetings on time, ignore late arrivals)

©2000, Drinka, TJK and Clark, PG (2000) Health Care Teamwork: Interdsisciplinary Practice and Teaching. Westport CT, Auburn House. All rights reserved