Team Building
We see team building as the conscious process of getting a newly formed group to a high level of performance as quickly as possible. Whether its an operational role or a customer facing team, each team in an organisation's value chain needs to be able to get up to speed quickly and then sustain performance.
This term is sometimes used interchangeably with Team Development which we see as the process of helping an existing team shift gears so it can deliver more output with the same base. Click here for our thoughts on Team Development
Why do teams need building?
Our experience and review of the research on successful teams shows that they have a set of characteristics which we have refined into our PLAYER Model.
Teams may acquire these characteristics over time; whilst they are doing this, usually through trial and error, they are underperforming in terms of their potential and ability to deliver results.
Some teams remain stuck in a pattern which limits their potential to thrive. They get stuck with patterns of behaviour and different levels of engagement. This impacts their ability to raise their game.
Emerging Teams typically have the following characteristics:
- Team members need to know where they fit
- Team members look to see who their allies might be
- Team members are uncertain of their role in the team and how it will operate
- Team relationships are undeveloped and fragile
- Personal energy for team and individual tasks is held back as team members consider how much worth investing
How do we help build teams?
Our approach is to help new teams accelerate to full productivity by:
- Making sure that the team purpose is clearly understood
- Helping each team member to align with the team purpose
- Speeding up understanding of communication styles and preferences
- Help team members understand the strengths of each individual
- Supporting the team to establish routines and ways of working
- Assisting the team’s creation of a culture and style that fits the purpose and its members
How we do this will depend on our joint diagnosis of the team's situation, and will usually include a combination of some or all of the following activities.
A Strategic Focusing Workshop:
- Creates alignment on purpose, vision and strategy
A "Fast Start" Experiential Workshop:
- Helps team to experiment with team dynamics, build relationships and create their own operating principles.
A Personal Strengths & Motivations Workshop:
- Helps team members develop and manage awareness of individual strengths, attributes and motivations.
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