Certified Professional Public Buyer (CPPB) Practice Test

What stage follows the norming stage in team development?

1. Forming

2. Performing

3. Storming

4. Adjourning

The correct answer is: Performing

In team development, the performing stage follows the norming stage. During the norming phase, team members establish their roles, develop relationships, and work to find common ground. This phase is characterized by a stronger commitment to the group and greater collaboration, with clearer lines of communication and mutual respect among members. Once a team successfully navigates the norming stage, it moves into the performing stage, where it operates at a high level of efficiency and effectiveness. In this phase, the team is fully engaged, members are focused on achieving group goals, and there is a greater emphasis on problem-solving and execution of tasks. Creativity and innovation often flourish during the performing stage as team members leverage each other’s strengths to enhance outcomes. While other stages like forming, storming, and adjourning are important in team development, they either precede or follow the norming stage. Forming comes first as the team is just beginning to form, storming occurs next as members address conflicts and differences, and adjourning happens after the project's goals have been met, leading to the disbanding of the team. Thus, understanding the sequence of these stages helps clarify that performing is indeed the stage that follows norming in the development of effective teams.