Successful companies are run by cohesive teams that work together to achieve the same goals. That requires trust, excellent communication skills and a give-and-take flow that doesn’t come natural to every person or group. Our team development programs help work groups understand and practice the behaviors that put these traits in action, and we even provide assessment tools so teams can continuously gauge their progress and work to create an ever more positive, productive culture.
To build up a team, you first have to discover that team’s most glaring pain points. The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni outlines the following:
Each dysfunction forms a pillar supporting the team as a whole; even one weak column increases the threat of collapse. High-performing teams aren’t necessarily perfect and rarely (if ever) are all five dysfunctions permanently banished. Instead, team members are constantly asking questions, re-evaluating their individual roles and interpersonal skills, and addressing any changes that need to be made.
Our leadership team development experts turn training retreats into launching pads, igniting long-term discussions that create enduring and positive change. Patterns shift, attitudes evolve, and groups acquire a deep understanding of where they are so they can consciously influence where it is they want to go.
In 2012, Google began a new research project in team development, which it dubbed Project Aristotle. The Googlers studied 180 productive, effective teams but couldn't figure out what they had in common. Was it hierarchical structure? No. Did the team members have compatible backgrounds or personality types? Sometimes, but not always. Were all the team members friends who hung out together after work? Again, sometimes.
The Google researchers drilled deeper and deeper, finally discovering the one element that all great teams share: psychological safety.
According to Harvard Business School professor Amy Edmondson, psychological safety is the "shared belief held by members of a team that the team is safe for interpersonal risk-taking." To reach a point of psychological safety, trust is vital, as is the ability to disagree in a healthy manner.
The Project Aristotle researchers then looked at how psychological safety manifests itself in healthy teams,
highlighting two defining factors that show up in the give-and-take of the top productive teams.
On the flip side of dysfunction, you’ll find both power and purpose — two things our team training initiatives are designed to achieve. The heart of that journey is an assessment-based learning experience called
The Five Behaviors of a Cohesive Team.
This model turns the dysfunctions above on their heads, reintroducing those pain points into tools.
By learning about each team member and educating them on their own key behavioral characteristics — powered by Everything DiSC® or AllTypes (MBTI)— we begin to break down each group into its most elemental components so we can better structure a more capable and vigorous whole. You’ll discover more about yourself than you thought possible as you watch your own processes improve, but the real magic is in witnessing how each individual’s attributes gradually interlock with their teammates’.
In many companies, teams exist within departments, and team members usually work in the same buildings. That type of setup isn't universal, and remote teams have become an alternative to traditional in-house groups. Maybe your team holds remote meetings via services like Skype and communicates largely via email, SMS, and project boards like Basecamp or Asana, for example.
Virtual teams face a unique set of challenges as they work toward shared goals. Still, according to MIT's Sloan School of Management, remote teams can outperform on-location teams if they have the following task-based and socio-emotional systems in place:
- Tangible Feedback
Because they work remotely, virtual personnel are particularly prone to feeling out of the loop; indeed, some work-from-home executives are forgotten when in-office staff plan events and meetings. To get the most out of your remote team, make sure you give each member regular personalized feedback. Calls and emails are fine, but videoconferencing is particularly effective because it puts you face to face with your manager. When remote managers feel appreciated and supported, they work productively as individuals and within the team.
- Project-Related Communication
Email might seem the easiest way to ask questions and handle feedback, but countless back-and-forth exchanges make queries and suggestions really hard to follow up. Instead, try hosting discussions on an online bulletin board or a well-constructed forum to streamline your virtual conversation. Predesignated hashtags make specific subjects easier to keep track of,
so team members feel less frustration and more enthusiasm about the projects they're involved in.
- Remote Organizational Tools
Consider building a platform for your team on Basecamp, where shared calendars and goals help keep your project on schedule. You can create tasks, set deadlines and distribute timetables to your remote team via email, so everyone stays up to date. Your virtual executives gain access to the tools they need to work seamlessly with one another and can view project objectives easily whenever they need to.
All teams, whether terrestrial or remote, benefit from honed training programs in which members first identify personal challenges and then find new solutions to help them overcome roadblocks. Business owners who need to form solid virtual teams frequently decide to set up team building retreats, where remote executives get the chance to meet and form relationships with their peers. Later on, they can use progress reports to efficiently track challenges and the team's cohesion (and thereby its effectiveness) over time.
Formulaic day-long or week-long training programs may seem like a tempting low-cost way to train staff members, but they provide far less value than a honed development program designed with your company in mind. At Turnkey Coaching & Development Solutions, we work with both small and large teams (or work groups) at a time to craft unique leadership team training programs and team development programs based around each client's business.
Many experts refer to team building as one of the most important investments you can make. Improving team cohesion and function means making better decisions based on aggregate input, wasting less time, and, perhaps most importantly, boosting your bottom line. Whether you’re a nonprofit or a Fortune 500 company, success can be quantified and a high-functioning team creates superior outcomes.
Speaking of quantifying results: every group that completes the Five Behaviors assessment is eligible for a Progress Report six to 12 months later. This serves to reinforce the idea that change is not a single step forward but rather a treadmill — you’re never truly “there,” but you can increase your endurance, lengthen your stride, and teach your body to work more efficiently and effectively so you’re in a position to re-imagine your goal into something even bigger and better.
Turnkey Coaching & Development Solutions designs training and employee development programs for leadership teams, work teams and cross-functional teams. Our curriculum uses research backed building blocks and then is custom-built for each client’s unique needs, goals, and team makeup. We create a one-of-a-kind “adult-learning” environment and agenda that’s tailor-made and remarkably effective. Most companies come to us with between 10 and 30 employees at time, allowing for targeted training that compels progress.
We have two programs:
Single-Day Team Development Training
Provides an intense overview of what high-performing teams must learn to outperform their competitors and fulfill their goals. When your team only has a single day to give to the goal of effective teamwork, this is the program that can change the course in a snap.
Team Development for Lasting Change Program
This is not a quick "day program" or a cookie-cutter seminar that repeats word for word from city to city. Instead, we offer a laser-focused approach that uses the best practices in leadership development and work team development to help your team not only create but sustain results.
Turnkey Coaching & Development Solutions has programs across the United States, centered in all major metropolitan areas. Dates and times are set according to your needs, reflecting our adherence to client-centric systems. You’re not sending your leaders to participate in a managerial meet-and-greet or to learn skills that only hold unilateral benefits. This is coordinated learning founded on well-respected principles molded to fit your team’s makeup, and it truly works.
Great team-training courses help participants feel accomplished, energetic and ready to achieve challenging objectives. Well-nurtured employees at all levels interact with their colleagues and peers in healthier ways, helping to create a positive atmosphere in the workplace. To achieve real success, businesses choose tailor-made team-building programs, which empower their participants and ultimately drive company growth.
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