The full power of teams is often untapped in organizations. Teams bring together diverse individuals with a wealth of ideas, perspectives, and experiences under the motivating force of a common purpose. Working together, these differences support innovation and breakthrough results. But what usually happens? Differences become liabilities and stall true teamwork, instead of propelling it.
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What are the symptoms of stalled teams in organizations?
Teams thrive when their efforts are coordinated under clear, compelling goals and each individual knows his or her role in making them happen. Teams that achieve extraordinary results also have strong practices of collaboration and positive ways to connect with one another and deal with conflict. We equip teams to do this by clarifying purpose, process, and meaning.
Our approach to working with teams comes from the principles of group dynamics, positive pyschology, and performance management. We incorporate business practices as well as narrative, metaphor, and meaning. Using this approach, we have seen even the most stalled and knotted teams find new movement, results, and smooth connection.
Start small with our simple rules for effective teamwork.
We’ve compiled our tips for you in a free, downloadable PDF.
Have questions or want to get in touch? contact us
New leader, existing team, new results? Yes please.
Picture this: it’s your first day on the job as VP of human resources for a large, nonprofit organization. You’re facing a renewed focus from senior leadership on your team’s work, a mandate to create a “customer service culture” (whatever that is), and a new emphasis on stakeholder engagement. Oh, and don’t forget to deliver on existing projects too. Easy, right? This VP knew that in order to be successful, he needed to integrate smoothly with his new team and help them all work cohesively quickly.
Inspired by this leader’s commitment to results and his team, we rose to the task. We facilitated the team in defining its strategic priorities with one voice and then established a collaborative approach to creating shared roles that replaced old patterns of toe-stepping and backbiting. From there, we were able to support a makeover of the team’s processes. We worked hand-in-hand to design a customized project management approach that helped the team focus on strategic priorities without letting day-to-day work fall through the cracks. To top it all off, we also facilitated team sessions that supported the group in understanding their dynamics and bringing a new culture to life.
This team and its leader have achieved breakthrough results. With just a little equipping from us, they defined a shared vision for success and aligned their new processes and systems to achieve it. They rose to the challenge of their strategic mandate and now have a greater degree of trust, cohesion, and credibility.
Team values and rules of engagement aligned
Team adopted a consistent approach to client and project work
of teams agreed that clarity of goals and cohesion in processes increased
How to survive reorganization…
Reorganizations are rarely fun. Especially when you’re the new senior IT executive at a large, global corporation and your industry is changing rapidly. This leader wanted to meet the challenges of his circumstances and redefine his IT leadership team to lead high performance organization wide. To do that, however, he would need to redefine the leadership culture and strategic direction upended by the reorganization. The task would be difficult and complex – why do it all alone?
For over two years we partnered with this VP and his team to guide and facilitate them in creating a new team culture and strategy. We designed and led offsite sessions to articulate a new vision and strategic priorities; after that success we continued providing support as they aligned operating processes and principles to their desired end-state. Throughout the entire journey, we also supported them in examining and shifting their group dynamics to overcome internal resistance and inertia to change (aka: complaints, fears, and the power of the status quo).
This VP and his team went from survive to thrive in an impressive way. Team members developed a deep commitment to their new goals, strategic direction, and each other. They met the challenges in their environment and managed to go above and beyond by improving productivity and customer relationships. Needless to say, results skyrocketed.
I am always amazed at how much we are able to accomplish through this process; over time we have evolved into a much more effective leadership team and organization.
of leaders actively developing and executing goals and culture change
agree team cohesion increased significantly
of leaders committed to the new vision, including culture and role changes
What to do when your old patterns are unhelpful and deeply knotted…
This organization had four hard-working teams that delivered results consistently, but often at the cost at individual team members and relationships. Although the teams were dedicated to external customer satisfaction and high performance, internally they were knotted with mistrust, silos, and inefficiencies. Their patterns were so entrenched that they were beginning to forget internal collaboration was even a realistic possibility. Something had to change.
We partnered with this organization to equip the teams with the skills they needed to achieve something more. We coached the team leaders one-on-one and brought together the intact teams to discuss their collective challenges within the context of individual needs, hopes, and goals. Working together, the teams built shared visions for the future that encompassed both strategic and individual needs, and established new norms of cross-divisional work to encourage broader collaboration. Within this strategic envisioning, we also worked with the teams on their relationships and group dynamics, helping them rebuild trust and follow through on their commitments to each other.
These teams started skeptical and frustrated, but quickly became energized and hopeful. Over the course of our work, an increasing number of team members became active participants in leading the positive change in work processes and culture. They put their new skills and shared vision into action, increasing role clarity, process efficiency, and overall team productivity. With the knots of the past smoothed out, these teams (already top performers in the eyes of their customers) started achieving even more.
of team members agreed team role clarity improved and change was possible
of team members committed to the new team vision
of team members agreed processes became more efficient
How to harness the power of diverse perspectives during change…
Fact: change is hard. This client was faced with one of the foremost challenges that make change hard: involving and reflecting a large number of diverse views. This organization was going through an enormous culture change requiring a shift in well-worn patterns, long-standing norms, and years of familiar narratives about what things were really about. All of these factors were making it exceedingly difficult for the organization to embrace change (much less commit to it). This client needed a tipping factor for positive engagement and involvement, but wasn’t sure what or how.
We partnered with the senior leaders responsible for shepherding the change to design a solution. We knew the organization needed a strong group of influential change agents to “tip” the organization and that the pre-existing silos around divisions were hindering system-wide efforts. Working in partnership, we designed and stood up a cross-divisional team of change agents to support the change strategy and act as change champions in their respective divisions. Using our unique approach to create high-performing teams, we supported the change team in establishing clear goals, processes, and strategies to use their divisions’ diverse perspectives to support the change and engage others in implementing it.
Tipping point reached! This cross-divisional group became a powerful voice and advocate for change in the organization. It helped surface and speak to employees’ real concerns and bring together diverse views in a way that supported the broader culture change instead of hindering it.
of change champions:
Did a team assessment but didn’t like it? Give this one a try…
This global corporation was no stranger to team assessments; it believed they could help, but seen only minimal impact from its many attempts. This client wanted an assessment that would provide insight and truly build team effectiveness organization-wide. Something that would “unstick” both its teams and their managers. Its desired future state? Highly engaged teams, managers equipped with the resources they needed, and high performance all around.
We brought our custom designed TI360 to the table and embedded it in a manager development program. This included debrief sessions that helped managers understand the seven dimensions of high performing teams and their teams’ unique strengths and opportunities. In addition, the easy to understand TI360 report gave managers the data and tools they needed to develop a shared picture of success with their teams and action plans to help them succeed.
This program received rave reviews and gave participants concrete, actionable feedback they could apply immediately to improve team effectiveness. Managers told us that using the TI360 gave them invaluable insight and helped them build meaningful team engagement plans. High fives all around.
The TI360 gave me real insight into opportunities with my team that I’ve been able to take into direct action.
assessment effectiveness
of leaders developed action plans
How to lead a group that speaks with many voices…
This new executive was appointed to lead a prominent division in his organization. It was an exciting mandate, but certainly not an easy one. The division had recently undergone significant and complex change; its different parts were fragmented, under pressure, and working at a non-stop pace (often in different directions). Furthermore, the executive’s inherited senior leadership team was a collective of extremely talented individuals, but they thought and acted like individuals, siloed in their thinking and stilted in their collaboration.
We partnered with this client and brought our expertise in leadership, teams, and strategy to the table. We began by seeking to understand the senior leadership team’s current patterns and broader context within its division and organization. Through focus groups and interviews we developed a strong picture of the strategic challenges the team faced (collectively and individually). Using this information, we partnered with the new executive to engage his team in building shared division goals, values, and strategic priorities. In addition to working at the strategy level, we worked on the team’s relationships and culture; coaching each of the leaders to see beyond their individual, day-to-day interests and operate at a broader and more strategic group level.
Today the new executive and his team work cohesively to tackle division-wide issues and achieve shared priorities, instead of competing to advance individual goals within their silos. When conflict does emerge, the team is able to address it together and return to collaborating as trusted thinking partners and colleagues.
Improved team effectiveness through:
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