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Team-building

The focus of training and development has been largely on the growth of individual capabilities and skills. Yet, when people work together to achieve a common goal, they often fail because individual agendas outweigh the commitment to the common goal.

This dilemma has been addressed by a variety of different methods including the encouragement of camaraderie, academic seminars on team building, and the use of incentives for being a team player.

When these methods attempt to fix the symptoms of the problem without confronting the core obstacles, consistency in team performance remains elusive. People are often left with the feeling that despite their best effort, results occur at the whim of others. The feeling of mastery and ownership is challenged. Confidence in being able to effect results diminishes and the individual is inclined to see “taking things into her/his own hands” as a preferred solution. Of course, others in the team think the same way and fragmentation and polarization of the team takes over.

Over the years, we have envisioned a very different possibility in which working with others can lead individuals to reach outcomes far greater than what is normally expected from qualified teams. In our work with many high performance teams, such extraordinary success is consistently identified with adherence to specific fundamentals as well as to a heightened awareness of the interferences that plague teams.

We have developed an experiential workshop based on simulation technology that affords ample opportunity to explore the fundamentals of team excellence. It is designed for people who are already a part of a functioning team as well as for individuals whose success depends on their communication and cooperation with others. The workshop provides a clear picture of what is required to succeed in working with others, the interferences that sabotage the best of intentions and efforts, and the mind-set essential to be a team member. The outcome is a unique opportunity to recognize, practice and embody the very best of being a team player.
 

Over the years of working with individuals and teams. we have identified the major behaviours that undermine team effectiveness. Below are some of the most common pitfalls:

	Evaluation apprehension: The fear of being judged causes defensive and obscure communication as well as resistance to learning.
	Social loafing: Abdication of responsibility to “group leaders”, avoidance of accountability; “hiding incompetence”, letting others do the work.
	Playing Politics: Choosing personal power and influence over team effectiveness.
	Indulging in ambiguities: Avoiding needed exploration of the unknown or uncertain in favour of clinging to the familiar. Refusal to think or to act “out of the box”.
	Lip Service: Not taking one’s agreements seriously.
	Gross tolerance of mis-communication: Not listening attentively or respectfully to team members, not speaking with clarity, conciseness, and purpose, covering-up unclarity and incompetence.

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Last modified: 06/03/07