If everyone is moving forward together, then success takes care of itself. ~ Henry Ford
One of the most common organizational challenges is getting a team of people with diverse experiences and opinions to genuinely align on direction and process. Symptoms of dysfunctional teams include ineffective meetings, lack of follow through, confusion over roles and responsibilities, and competing interests. Team development improves performance by replacing:
- Fear of Retribution with High Trust
- Veiled Agreement/Conflict with Constructive Dialogue/Debate
- Compliance with Full-Buy-In and Commitment
- Criticism and Defensiveness with Culture of Coaching and Feedback
- Focus on Activity with Focusing on Results
- Ego and Fragmentation with Comraderie and Solidarity
The scope of any team development project depends on the size and maturity of the team, its objectives and its challenges. The project is co-designed with the team leader to identify outcomes and design. Generally a team project has three phases that can have varying durations:
This phase can include a series of interviews, feedback mechanisms, surveys, profiles and analysis to determine the current dynamics of the team.
Sessions can include half-day sessions, full day sessions, a multiple-day offsite retreat, or series of team development sessions over a period of time. Preparation communications and assignments will be designed with team leader and delivered in advance of the sessions.
Depending on the scope of your team project, follow up activities can include assignments, follow up sessions, conference calls, email check-ins, surveys and individual follow-up coaching. At the conclusion of each project, the consultant and team leader will have a debriefing conversation to review results.
