'Motivation', 'can-do attitude', 'positivity' – these are all terms we hear often. Many of us recognise that they are important and wish we could do more to promote these qualities in ourselves or in others. Generally, we associate the words and phrases with a state of mind that moves us to positive, affirmative action. And even though few of us have had formal training in this area, they are characteristics of life that seems to fit the old adage, ‘I know it when I see it’. What we do know is that this is very individual and that there is no simple theory of human motivation that will apply to every individual and situation you will face.

As we attempt to understand motivation better, particularly as it applies to creating a strong team, we need to appreciate some of the subtleties that exist in human behaviour. We will look at a simple theory of motivation that you can apply. We will also consider the stages of team development and then seek to integrate the two together, to support you in developing sustained positivity in your own team.

Teams develop in stages

Strong teams don’t just happen by chance; you have to nurture them through several recognisable and distinct stages of development. You can't expect a new team to perform well when it first comes together. Psychologist Bruce Tuckman's Forming, Storming, Norming, and Performing model describes the essential stages of team development. When you understand it, you can recognise better where your team are in their development and then use it to help them become effective more quickly.

The progression is:

1. Forming
2. Storming
3. Norming
4. Performing.

Let’s look at each stage in turn and the key features you are likely to see: