A few months ago, I was working with a team that was trying to tackle a tough business challenge. They were sharp, motivated, and committed individuals—but they were stuck. Meetings felt like they were running in circles, with team members frustrated that they weren’t getting the results expected. Tensions were rising, and some team members were ready to throw in the towel, wondering why their efforts weren’t paying off.
Sound familiar? It’s what happens when teams hit the storming stage. Like trying to ice a cake before it’s done baking, they were trying to solve problems before their foundation was fully set. And just like a cake, building a high-performing team requires patience, the right ingredients, and yes—going through some heat.
Dr. Tuckman’s stages of team development – forming, storming, norming, and performing – mirror the essential steps to creating the perfect cake. So, let’s roll up our sleeves (or adjust that metaphorical apron) and get to work on building your dream team with the right recipe.
Forming: Mixing the Ingredients
Think about the forming stage like gathering all the ingredients for your cake – flour, sugar, eggs, butter, vanilla, and that secret pinch of cinnamon. This is when everyone comes together, ready to start something new. You’ve got your team members – different personalities, backgrounds, and skills – all dumped into the bowl, ready to be combined. But here’s the thing, just like with cake ingredients, simply throwing people together doesn’t guarantee an instant masterpiece.
You need to mix. And just like cake batter, teams need time to blend. People are testing the waters, figuring out how they fit together, and sometimes it’s a bit lumpy at first. You might think, “Hey, let’s skip ahead and get to the frosting!” but without this stage, the cake… err, team… won’t come out right. Trust the process and mix thoroughly!
Storming: Baking in the Oven
Ah, storming. This is where things get heated – literally. Just like a cake has to survive the heat of the oven to rise, teams need to survive the “heat” of conflict and growing pains. Not everyone likes this stage. It’s uncomfortable, tensions rise, potentially messy. In fact, this is where most teams want to bail out – “Can’t we just skip this part and start frosting?”
But you wouldn’t take a half-baked cake out of the oven, would you? I mean, sure, you could… but you’re not serving it to anyone. Similarly, teams that avoid the storming stage never fully develop. That conflict and discomfort? It’s necessary. It’s what helps your team rise, grow stronger, and develop those delicious skills that lead to success.
Teams have to choose to handle the heat in order to get to the other side. It’s not hot forever, but if your team is dealing with friction, just think, “We’re in the oven – it’s hot, but we’re not done yet!” Stick it out, because this is where the magic happens. No heat, no cake. No storming, no team growth.
You won’t get to the next stage if you can’t handle the heat.
Norming: Letting the Cake Cook and Cool
Once the storming is over, you might think the hard part’s done. The cake looks pretty good, right? It’s risen, smells amazing, and maybe even looks ready to come out of the oven. But hold on—just because it looks done doesn’t mean it’s fully baked. This is the stage where teams need to stay in the heat a little longer. The cake needs to brown, fully set, and then cool down properly before you can even think about frosting it.
In team terms, this is norming. Everyone’s finding their groove, roles are becoming clearer, and you’re no longer whisking too hard or bumping elbows. You’re working together smoothly, but that doesn’t mean it’s time to rush ahead. If you pull the cake out too early, you risk a soggy middle, and if you push your team too soon, you might end up with half-baked results.
Resist the temptation to rush this stage. Let the cake (team) bake and cool all the way through. That’s how you set a solid foundation for the performing stage.
Performing: The Frosting and Decorations
Finally, we get to the good stuff – performing. This is the stage where you pull the cake out of the oven, and it’s ready to be frosted and decorated. The team is in sync, working well together, and now it’s time to add the icing – innovation, creativity, strategic thinking.
This is where teams shine, showing off their finished product. You’re no longer just trying to figure out how to work together; now you’re taking it to the next level. The frosting, sprinkles, and fancy fondant flowers are the innovative ideas, the problem-solving, the forward-thinking strategies. This is where teams excel, but only because they’ve gone through every previous stage.
You wouldn’t decorate an unbaked cake, right? It would just slide off into a gooey mess. Yet, how often do teams try to skip straight to performing without surviving the heat of storming? All the time! And it doesn’t work with cakes, or with teams. Without fully forming, storming, and norming, there’s nothing to put the frosting on.
You Can’t Skip the Stages
At the end of the day, whether you’re baking a cake or building a high-performing team, there are no shortcuts. Skipping a step leads to a sticky mess, and no amount of frosting can save a half-baked cake – or team. So, embrace the forming, survive the storming, take your time norming, and enjoy the sweet rewards of performing.
And if your team feels stuck in the heat, remember: no bake, no cake!
