The Realms of Team Development Issues
Changes in team membership threaten success in both realms. In-then-out-then-in participation of a team member in meetings prevents progress through the stages of team development:
✅ Forming
✅ Storming
✅ Norming
✅ Performing*
Managers who think they are doing their teams a favor by showing up occasionally are doing the opposite of helping. They disrupt the important Social Realm work of the team. Team members who choose to skip participation in some sessions do the same.
Every time team membership changes—even for a single session—the team is re-set to Forming. This is important: Every time team membership changes, team dynamics change and team development experiences a set back.
Wise team leaders will not even start a team meeting until all participants are present. If a person is not going to be a full participant in all scheduled meetings, a team will make better progress by designating them as an outside resource without decision-making or task responsibilities.
*(A fifth stage, Adjourning, is often identified. I prefer to focus upon "Completing" to provide better closure for a team)