Team Building and Development
'How do we make a group of people, non of whom would naturally come together as a team were it not for work, work effectively as a team ?'
What Is the Problem ?
Research shows that when a group of individuals are brought together as a team to work on a task, the level of performance is less than what we would expect to find if we were to simply measure and then sum their individual effectiveness. Researchers in the field are well aware of this so called 'Nonsense Group' phenomenon and the problems it raises.
Most teams are simply collections of individuals, working at the individual level rather than at the team level. This comes about because each member brings their own cognitive, emotional and behavioural styles to the team but fail to become part of an overall team structure and culture. This results in the team expending a significant proportion of it's energy and resources in non-efficient or non-task related practices aimed at overcoming individual differences. These are naturally occurring and predictable phenomena, and represent a great distraction when the team tries to carry out it's functions and achieve it's goals.
Without expert intervention, most teams will never reach their full potential, and may even leave some of the members worse off on an individual level as they react to negative or disruptive team behaviours.
What Can You Do About It ?
Each member of a team is as unique as a fingerprint, and the complex social and emotional interactions that occur between them guarantee that no two teams are ever the same. Our Team Building Program is a highly structured, tried and tested method of addressing and resolving obstacles to effective team performance.
The Team Building Program begins by defining the current team structure and culture, before moving onto carefully planned individual and then team level development. Finally, the effectiveness of the intervention is assessed.
A typical Team Building Program may include:
- Carrying out a Team Functioning Analysis to establish a baseline level of team behaviour.
This may include an Interaction Process Analysis to establish the social-emotional / task orientation split, individual interviews, survey/questionnaire investigation, or a team based workshop.
- Working at the individual team member level to improve the skills, abilities and other characteristics we know are essential for effective team functioning, or which the Team Functioning Analysis has identified as a deficit.
This typically involves individual assessments and practical exercises aimed at highlighting and developing the team working skills of individual team members.
- Moving the level of analysis to the team and continuing the process started at the individual level. Beginning first in smaller teams of two or three then moving up to larger teams, we provide structured exercises in a supportive environment to enable the team as a unit to acquire and practice the requires skills.
- Finally, an evaluation is carried out comparing the results obtained to the original baseline.
The content of the program is designed around the results of the Team Functioning Analysis as well as the client's specific instructions. It may address some or all of the following :
- Barriers to effective team performance e.g. groupthink, polarization, conformity.
- Setting team goals and objectives.
- Group problem solving and decision making.
- Creativity and innovation.
- Adaptability and flexibility.
- Pro-activity and initiative.
- Conflict resolution.
- Team member feedback and development.
- Coaching and support.
- Information sharing and communication.
- The structural and cultural characteristics of teams.
- Forming and developing an effective team.
- The role of individual differences in the team.
- Team leadership skills.
- Bargaining and negotiation.
An intervention may be designed to work at an actual team level, or with team leaders who may have team development or leadership responsibility. The actual content is agreed with client beforehand and is based on our analysis of what the development needs of the team may be, as well as the client's requirements.A dysfunctional or ineffective team needs to learn practical skills. Consequently, the interventions we design are highly practical in nature, and only introduce as much theory as is needed to inform the participants. For the practical exercises we use either our own established case studies and role plays, or design client specific tools based on the actual issues and tasks the team faces in real life.
I dont Have Time for a Full Team Development Programme - Is There A Quick and Effective Alternative ?
Yes there is.
A Team Refresher Program is also provided for clients, covering many of the areas listed above but with the emphasis on furnishing an existing team with the up to date knowledge and skills required for team functioning. The Team Refresher Program does not involve the establishment of any baseline indictor of team performance, and is a useful way of ensuring that your team is up to scratch without implying that any problem exists with the team's current performance.
There is no fixed length of time for any team development intervention, as this would defeat the point of doing it in the first place. Each intervention is unique and based around the client and the team's needs. It may range from a single one day Team Refresher Program or a Team Building Program lasting for a number of weeks or months.