The Tuckman Model Applied to Startups: Understanding a Team’s Natural RhythmAsk ChatGPT
- Natalia Parrado
- Jul 29
- 5 min read
July 29, 2025 - One of my greatest lessons throughout my projects and brand-building journey has been understanding, and accepting, that there are dynamics in teamwork we simply can’t control.
It’s part of the dynamic of working with other humans. There are emotions, mental processes, and clashes of vision. And even if we try to plan everything, there are stages we simply have to go through. Fortunately, emotional intelligence helps us navigate these dynamics with more empathy, clarity, and humanity.
When we start a business, we usually focus on the product, the business model, or getting the website up and running as quickly as possible. But we rarely talk about the internal rhythm of a team. And yes, teams go through stages too. Understanding them, and learning to move through them, can make the difference between building something sustainable, or burning out along the way.
What is the Tuckman Model and Why Has It Helped Me?
The Tuckman Model is a theory that describes how teams behave over time. Bruce Tuckman, a psychologist and academic, introduced it in 1965, and although it was originally intended for general work groups, I find it especially useful today for startups and creative ventures.
Tuckman identified five stages that every team goes through:
1. Forming
That first stage feels like a blank canvas. People come in full of excitement, bringing their ideas, stories, and experiences. The project is just beginning to take shape, and everyone interprets it through their own lens. There’s no common language yet, but there’s openness, eagerness, and a beautiful energy of “we’re going to build something.”
In this phase, we’re all a bit cautious, walking carefully. We want to be liked, avoid friction, and make others feel comfortable. Politeness rules. There are no real conflicts yet because no one dares to challenge or confront. But this can also lead to superficial conversations or postponed decisions.
You start sensing who might lead, who’s more observant, who seeks stability. But nothing is defined yet. It’s a pleasant and delicate moment, everything is yet to be discovered.
My advice: Listen carefully. Observe without judgment. And speak from your true self, not from who you think you’re supposed to be. This is the stage where we plant the emotional roots of the team.
2. Storming
This is the moment when the surface starts to crack a little. There’s more trust now, but differences begin to show. Personalities start to reveal themselves. What once felt smooth now gets questioned. Priorities don’t always align, and neither do working styles. Tensions, egos, and awkward silences begin to surface.
This stage can be hard to navigate. Many teams fall apart here, not because something is “wrong,” but because we fail to see this moment as a natural part of the process. We’re learning to coexist, negotiate, and listen beyond the words.
In this phase, everything is tested: leadership, communication, the ability to compromise, and most of all, the commitment to a shared purpose, even in the face of differences.
And yes, it can hurt. Because when we work with passion, and the personal blends with the professional, disagreements hit deeper. But if we move through this stage with maturity, it holds enormous transformative power.
My advice: Don’t run from conflict. Sometimes it’s the best mirror. Use this stage to talk about the deeper issues, not just the surface. Listen to what hurts, don’t take it as an attack, but as an opportunity to grow.
3. Norming
After the storm, something begins to settle. We know each other a bit better now, we’ve learned which conversations to avoid... and which ones we need to have. There’s a shift in the energy: less tension, more clarity, and a stronger emotional structure.
Agreements start to form, sometimes explicitly, sometimes just intuitively. Boundaries become clearer, and so do roles. Communication becomes more refined, not because everything is resolved, but because we’ve learned how to move more gracefully within our differences.
It’s a stage where the team starts to breathe more in sync. There’s more trust to speak openly, and more willingness to truly listen. Decisions flow more easily because we’re no longer so focused on protecting our individual perspectives, we’re building something shared.
My advice: Celebrate the small wins. This stage isn’t always loud, but it’s deeply meaningful. This is where culture, belonging, and your team’s own rhythm begin to take shape. Pay attention to what’s already working… and keep nurturing it.
4. Performing
This is where everything truly starts to flow. Not because there are no more problems, but because we’ve learned how to face them together. The team finds its rhythm, its language, its own way of doing things. Decisions are made with confidence, and egos no longer get in the way,there’s clarity about what each person brings and what the team wants to achieve.
In this stage, there’s autonomy, creative energy, and genuine connection. Everyone is in their role, but also ready to support one another. The focus is clear, and it’s no longer about surviving as a team, but about moving forward, building, and challenging the status quo.
It feels like a band that has rehearsed so much, they no longer need to look at each other to know what comes next. That’s what a team in the performing stage sounds like: in sync, committed, and in full flow.
My advice: Don’t take this stage for granted. Even if everything seems to be working, keep nurturing mutual care and continuous listening. Harmony doesn’t sustain itself, it’s a choice you make every day.
5. Adjourning
Every cycle, no matter how powerful or beautiful, eventually comes to an end or undergoes a deep transformation. This stage isn’t always talked about, but it’s essential. Sometimes the project ends, other times the team changes, someone leaves, or the purpose takes a new shape.
It’s not always a dramatic farewell, sometimes it’s just a natural ending. But that doesn’t mean it doesn’t hurt. Especially when it’s been built from the heart, when so much has been shared. This stage brings nostalgia, gratitude, and plenty of reflection.
In the best-case scenario, what was lived is honored. The lessons are acknowledged, the connections are appreciated, and the roles are released. The team may no longer be a team, but the human bonds can remain.
My advice: Don’t shy away from the ending. Express your gratitude out loud. Acknowledge how that experience changed you. And if it hurts, that’s okay too, it means you lived it with your whole heart.
How Have I Applied This Model in My Own Projects?
More than once, I’ve found myself in the storming stage, questioning whether the team is truly working. Knowing this model has helped me resist the urge to break everything apart, and instead see the storm as a natural part of the process.
With every brand, project, or collaboration I’m part of, I’m reminded that it’s not about avoiding the hard stages, it’s about moving through them with awareness.
The Tuckman model isn’t a magic formula, but it is a compass. It reminds us that teams have their own life, cycles, and rhythms. And if we learn to move with them, we don’t just build better businesses, we also create more human, mindful, and lasting relationships.
Have you taken a moment to reflect on where you and your team are in the cycle?
I’m reading you in the comments.
The Tuckman Model Applied to Startups
Natalia Parrado
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