Introduction

Building a high-performing team is a journey with distinct stages, each requiring a tailored leadership approach. The classic framework of Forming, Storming, Norming, Performing, and Adjourning remains central in 2025, but the context has evolved dramatically. Today’s leaders face hybrid workforces, AI integration, and new expectations for inclusion and wellbeing. Understanding these stages and how to navigate them is critical to speeding outcomes and scaling effectively.

Ryz Labs understands that accelerating elite LatAm talent development within this framework is key to bridging Silicon Valley standards with nearshore innovation. Here’s a comprehensive look at the stages of developing a team in 2025, plus actionable insights for enterprise leaders and startup founders striving for excellence.

1. Core Stages of Team Development

The proven five-stage model remains the foundation for team growth. Each stage matches distinct team dynamics, challenges, and leadership needs.

Forming

• Typical dynamics: Polite but surface-level interactions as team members get to know their roles, tools, and each other.
• 2025 context: Hybrid teams onboarding into complex tech stacks, AI-enabled workflows, and diverse geographies.
• Best practices:
• Clearly communicate purpose, success criteria, and collaboration norms.
• Use digital-first onboarding approaches with inclusive introductions and psychological safety practices.
• Explicitly define communication channels, response expectations, and decision-making protocols.
• Challenges: Overcoming social fragmentation in remote settings and mastering onboarding into AI-driven tools.

Storming

• Typical dynamics: Conflicts emerge around roles, priorities, and standards, fueled by diverse perspectives.
• 2025 context: Miscommunications amplified by async collaboration and cultural diversity; AI automation shifts roles and responsibilities.
• Best practices:
• Normalize conflict through structured retrospectives and open feedback.
• Invest in emotional intelligence training to foster empathy.
• Clarify authority, escalation paths, and performance expectations.
• Challenges: Managing uneven workload perceptions and resistance to new AI tools.

Norming

• Typical dynamics: Increasing cohesion, trust, and shared expectations.
• 2025 context: Avoiding burnout from digital overload and ensuring norms do not exclude remote or minority voices.
• Best practices:
• Co-create team agreements around meetings, communication, and documentation.
• Recognize achievements and provide continuous upskilling especially around AI tools.
• Encourage peer feedback and mutual accountability.
• Challenges: Preventing two-class team dynamics and excessive meeting or chat burdens.

Performing

• Typical dynamics: Autonomy, interdependence, high output, and strong team identity.
• 2025 context: Leveraging AI to offload low-value work, with leaders removing obstacles and sponsoring growth.
• Best practices:
• Focus on outcomes and wellbeing; safeguard mental health.
• Maintain continuous learning via experiments, OKRs, and blameless postmortems.
• Use AI-driven insights to enhance decisions and streamline workflows.
• Challenges: Sustaining pace without burnout and coordinating across multiple intersecting teams.

Adjourning

• Typical dynamics: Project completion or team restructuring with uncertainty about next steps.
• 2025 context: Frequent reorganizations require clear communication to minimize morale loss.
• Best practices:
• Conduct retrospectives, capture knowledge, and celebrate contributions.
• Support transitions into new roles to sustain individual growth.
• Challenges: Knowledge loss and fatigue from constant change.

2. Ryz Labs’ Role in Accelerating Team Development

Ryz Labs stands at the intersection of nearshore LatAm talent and Silicon Valley-grade product building to accelerate team success.

• Elite talent augmentation: Fast-scaling startups and enterprises trust Ryz Labs to source engineers, product managers, and AI experts who seamlessly blend innovative tech skills with collaboration best practices.

• AI-powered workflows: Ryz Labs integrates enterprise-grade AI solutions that streamline repetitive tasks, enhance communication, and empower teams to focus on strategic impact.

• Venture studio speed: By co-building startups alongside founder teams, Ryz Labs ensures rapid iteration and team growth aligned with business milestones.

This hybrid model transforms traditional development stages into a faster, more predictable path to performing teams.

3. Practical Strategies for Leaders in 2025

Leading teams through these stages in the modern era demands new habits and tools.

• Adopt an inclusive leadership style that supports hybrid and remote realities. Craft collaboration norms that work across locations and time zones to maintain cohesion.

• Leverage AI to augment team capabilities but establish clear guidelines on its use and impact to maintain trust.

• Invest in emotional intelligence and psychological safety. Facilitate open dialogue, normalize constructive conflict, and ensure every voice is heard.

• Use data to measure both team health and output. Regular surveys and metrics help detect burnout risks early and identify improvement opportunities.

• Foster continuous learning. Encourage experimentation with new tools and cross-training to keep the team adaptable and resilient.

Conclusion

Mastering the stages of developing a team in 2025 is both a science and an art—one that Ryz Labs has perfected by marrying elite LatAm talent, enterprise AI, and a founder-paced venture studio model. Whether you’re scaling a startup’s first engineering team or accelerating an enterprise transformation, understanding and guiding your team through forming to adjourning stages unlocks agility, innovation, and sustained success.

Discover how Ryz Labs can help your team scale smarter and faster with hybrid nearshore talent and AI-driven execution. The future of teamwork starts now.