● An MBA class at AKTU University is divided into teams of five students to prepare a live project report on a local startup within eight weeks.
● One team (Team Alpha) consists of members with different strengths: one good at data, one at writing, one at presentation, one at coordination, and one relatively inactive.
Forming stage
● The faculty assigns members to Team Alpha; they exchange contact numbers, create a WhatsApp group, and decide on a tentative meeting schedule, but roles and goals remain vague.
● Members behave politely and formally, avoid disagreement, and mostly rely on the most confident student to speak and decide the initial plan.
Storming stage
● Conflicts start when dividing work: the data-oriented member feels overloaded, the good presenter resists doing field visits, and the inactive member delays responses in the group.
● Arguments emerge over meeting timings and quality of work; sub-groups form informally, and the team misses the first internal deadline set by the faculty.
Norming stage
● After faculty feedback, the team meets face-to-face, openly discusses problems, and agrees to a clear work plan: who will collect data, who will analyze, who will draft, who will prepare slides, and who will coordinate with the startup.
● Ground rules are set (daily check-in message, fixed meeting time, no last-minute task refusal), and members start helping each other instead of blaming.
Performing stage
● Team Alpha now works smoothly: members proactively share information, adjust tasks when someone is sick, and complete sections of the report ahead of time.
● They conduct interviews with the startup, refine analysis together, and rehearse the presentation multiple times, needing minimal guidance from the faculty.
Adjourning stage
● After a successful final presentation, the project ends, marks are awarded, and Team Alpha disbands as students move to new courses and groups.
● The faculty conducts a brief reflection session where each member shares learning about teamwork, and the team celebrates informally before focusing on exams.