The groups need to take the time to learn about each other and feel comfortable communicating around new people. The similarity of the results of the independent research by Tuckman, Tubbs, and Fisher leaves no doubt that the initial, team-building stage of group development is an integral part of the group development structure. The basic concept of Maslow s theory is that each lower level of needs must be satisfied prior to striving for higher level needs. Similarly, it can be reasoned that the forming team can not move to next stages of group development and be thoroughly effective until after completing the initial team-building element. There are many other reasons supporting the importance of the team-building stage.
Teams are collections of individuals with different needs, backgrounds, and abilities.
People see things through their own eyes and perspectives. These traits result in barriers such as different priorities, interests, roles, and power struggles that can completely undermine the team process and derail the task. Without team building at the outset of the task, such diverse groups can not be expected to effectively focus their energies to solve conflicts, build trust, and communicate functionally. There are many forms and definitions of communications. For the purpose of this application, communication is defined as founding an environment of understanding and trust among the members of the team.