Link individual and team performance dependencies through Team Development

“A team is a group of people with complimentary skills who are committed to a common purpose and goal, and who hold themselves mutually accountable for their performance and outcome.”

The process of developing individuals to perform in teams is a powerful w ay to achieve high performance. Research has shown that high performing teams can accomplish significant accomplishments given the support and encouragement, guidance and feedback, and direction needed.

However, many believe the main value of teams is to build workgroups who can work together cohesively to accomplish individual and organizational goals. On the other hand, many believe teams are a waste of time and resources, and get in the way of individual action and performance. Some individuals dislike team membership because it exposes them to unpleasant personal risk and loss of control.

Because of these differences, the definition of “team” lies in the fundamental premise that teams and performance are inextricably connected. The truly committed team is the most productive performance unit management has at its disposal – provided there are specific results for which the team is collectively responsible, and provided the performance ethic of the company demands those results.

Why is it important to operate as a cohesive leadership team? The answer lies at the heart of how to create a healthy organization – one where politics do not exist and priorities are clear for all employees.

Too many teams and companies pay little attention to the company’s performance standards or the purpose and goals of individual teams. As a result, most teams fall short of their potential. Team effectiveness depends on each team member’s commitment to a common purpose and set of related performance goals that the team holds itself accountable. Team members must believe in the team’s purpose is important to the success of the company, and collectively keep each other honest in assessing their results related to the purpose. Without this internal team discipline, the team’s performance and accomplishments will fail.

Communicating the organization’s overall performance goals clearly and concisely is critical to team performance. Companies with meaningful, strong performance goals encourage and support teams by helping them to define their own goals and objectives.

Teams must develop the right mix of skills, that is, each of the complementary skills necessary to do the team’s job. These team skill requirements fall into three categories:

• Technical or functional expertise
• Problem-solving and decision-making skills
• Interpersonal skills — Effective communication, constructive conflict, risk taking, helpful criticism, objectivity, active listening, giving the benefit of the doubt, support, and recognizing the interests and achievements of others.

Team selection is critical to the success of a team. A team cannot get started without a minimum complement of skills, especially technical and functional skills. No team can achieve its purpose without develop all the skill levels required. However, usually team members are selected primarily on the basis of personal compatibility or formal position in the organization.

Research indicates that skill mix is a prerequisite to selecting team members particularly for interpersonal skills. Most teams need some kind of skill development for personal learning and growth. With a focus on performance and results, teams will focus on identifying skill gaps and the development needs of team members.

The challenge for any potential team is to strike the right balance between selection and development as the means for building a full set of complimentary skills needed to fulfill the team’s purpose.

When building a cohesive team it’s important to begin with an in-depth assessment of your team's strengths and weaknesses. Once the assessment is completed, the team should analyze the results and develop an action plan for improving areas that need development.

TEAM DEVELOPMENT INTERVENTIONS We partner with you to develop your team development process based on organizational team development challenges such as Change Initiatives, Conflicts, New Product /Service Launch, Quality/Process Improvement, Global Business Partners, Culture Issues, New Work Groups, Low Performing Workgroups.

We provide you with some practical tools to build and maintain a cohesive team. In addition, we help you assess the team needs to establish a clearer understanding of your team's purpose and role within your organization.

Team Assessment Instruments – A variety of assessment tools to determine behaviors, preferences, level of performance, values, conflicts, developmental needs.

Team Development Toolkit - A set of practical tools to help you establish high performance teams

Team Development Programs New Team Start UP- For new -teams forming for the first time with little team building experience. Critical to support team growth and help the team recognize the skills, process and tools needed for teams to be successful.

High Performance Teams – For existing teams who lack goals and direction, have conflicts, need to improve their performance, or who are experiencing change within the organization. Important for teams who are not meeting their goals or deadlines! Critical for teams with changing priorities.

Team Leadership- For Leaders who need support in developing team building skills. A powerful experience for those leading teams. Makes their job much easier!

Experiential Learning Programs – For teams who need a refreshing challenge, yearly team events, or work on issues in a non-threatening way – we offer experiential learning programs including low and high ropes, and creative activities geared to building teams while renewing team trust and commitment. Great Reviews! Unforgetable!

Action Learning Business Challenge Teams- For teams experience personal business challenges or organizational challenges, we offer team development workshops using our action learning approach. Teams meet for up to six months for 1 to 2 days to resolve business challenges and work on personal development goals. A sponsor provides the business challenge and supports the team, a coach provides direction, feedback and skill development. The results are astounding!

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