Team Building Through Improv: How WitWorks Accelerates the Five Stages of Team Development
Central Ohio Association of Talent Development Kick off
February 2025
If you’ve ever led a team, you know the feeling. You gather a group of bright, capable people, full of potential, and yet it takes time before you hit that sweet spot where everyone is in sync. At first, you’re figuring out each other’s rhythms. Later, you’re wrestling with different opinions and styles. Eventually, you find the flow where the work seems to almost do itself. And then, just as you’re hitting your stride, the team changes, and the whole process starts over.
Bruce Tuckman’s model of team development is one of the best ways to make sense of that journey. He called the stages Forming, Storming, Norming, Performing, and Adjourning. They’re not boxes you check once and never revisit. Teams loop back, skip ahead, or get stuck. The value is in knowing what stage you’re in so you can guide your people through it with more intention.
At WitWorks, we see those stages play out all the time. And we’ve learned something important: improvisation doesn’t just help teams survive the process — it speeds it up. It makes the awkward parts more fun, the tense parts more constructive, and the best parts even richer. I’ve seen it happen in conference rooms, on retreat floors, and in leadership workshops where the laughter comes first and the breakthroughs follow close behind.
Forming Stage: Building Trust from Day One
When a team is just forming, everything is new. People are polite and a little guarded. There’s curiosity, but also hesitation. Nobody wants to be the one to misstep.
This is where improv works wonders. Instead of diving straight into the task list, we create moments where people share a laugh, take a small risk, and see it met with encouragement. The first time someone says something a little offbeat and the rest of the group leans in instead of pulling back, trust starts to grow. Those are the moments that set the tone for everything that follows.
Leaders who invest in trust early move their teams forward faster. Our leadership development programs are built to do just that, create a foundation of psychological safety before the pressure hits.
Storming Stage: Turning Conflict Into Collaboration
Every team hits the storm. It’s the phase where people start speaking their minds more freely, and with that comes friction. Power dynamics shift. Decisions get challenged. Misunderstandings pop up. Many leaders want to push through this stage quickly, but in our experience, Storming is where the real work of team building happens.
In improv, disagreements are inevitable. With no script, the direction of a scene is always up for grabs. The skill is staying present, listening fully, and building on what’s offered instead of shutting it down. We run exercises where teammates have to change direction instantly, not to frustrate each other, but to practice flexibility. The more a team can do this in play, the better they can do it in reality.
In our work at WitWorks, we’ve seen leadership teams shorten their Storming phase by weeks simply by practicing improv-based listening and adaptability drills. This is how conflict shifts from something that divides to something that strengthens the group.
Norming Stage: Finding the Team’s Rhythm
If the storm is navigated well, the clouds start to clear. Roles settle in. There’s an unspoken agreement on how things get done, and collaboration feels more natural.
This is the stage where we like to hand over more ownership to the team. Improv games here focus on co-creation. for example, telling a story one word at a time, where everyone has to listen closely and build on each other’s contributions. It’s not about control, it’s about trust.
Leaders can reinforce this stage with intentional team building sessions that cement healthy habits for the long term.
Performing Stage: Sustaining High Performance
When a team reaches Performing, there’s flow. People know each other’s strengths and anticipate needs before they’re spoken. The leader’s role shifts from directing to maintaining momentum.
But even high-performing teams can slip into autopilot. That’s why we use advanced improv techniques like “Status Play” and “Genre Switching” to keep creativity sharp and prevent the “we’ve always done it this way” trap.
For Performing teams, our innovation workshops keep energy high and problem-solving fresh.
Adjourning Stage: Ending Well and Preserving Culture
At some point, the team’s chapter ends. A project wraps up, a member moves on, or priorities shift. Too often, this stage is treated like an afterthought.
In improv, every scene has to end, and how you close something shapes how it’s remembered. We create closing activities that give space for reflection, appreciation, and celebration before everyone moves on. It’s not about dragging out goodbyes. it’s about giving the work and relationships the dignity of a proper close.
When we facilitate team building and wrap up sessions, we help organizations carry forward trust and culture into the next chapter.
Why Improv Works Across All Stages
Across Forming, Storming, Norming, Performing, and Adjourning, improv works because it’s about:
Listening fully to what’s being said (and unsaid)
Responding in the moment instead of relying on a script
Building on each other’s ideas instead of shutting them down
Making space for risk-taking without fear of failure
At WitWorks, we’ve seen leaders use these skills to not only navigate the Tuckman stages but also shorten the time it takes to move through them, making the journey more rewarding for everyone.
Final Thought for Leaders:
You can’t skip stages. But you can move through them with more trust, creativity, and resilience if you bring a little improv into the mix. The stages aren’t just checkpoints — they’re opportunities to strengthen the bonds and skills that will serve your team long after the project ends.
So next time you’re building a team, think of yourself not just as a leader, but as the director of an ensemble cast. Set the stage, give them the freedom to create together, and keep the energy moving forward. Do that, and you’ll be surprised at just how far, and how fast, your team can go.
