building structure in a team
outline
Teams usually evolve in a haphazard way. Structure is often based on the historical culture, skill levels, longevity in the team, familiarity with it, whether or not individuals get on with each other and with the team leader. When conflict arises it is often not well-managed.
It is possible to structure a team such that the culture, identification of skills, allocation of tasks, development of individuals, consistency of meeting goals and the monitoring of performance is done in a planned, organised and thoughtful way.
To build this kind of structure in a team requires the investment of time, the application of analysis and a sequential approach. Some team leaders are not willing to invest this time and analysis. They always suffer the consequences.
aim
To enable you to build structure into any team you are responsible for leading
objectives
- To understand the mechanics and dynamics of teams
- To understand how to analyse and deploy your resources
- To learn how to use a planned approach to apply internal and external structure
outcomes
- Understanding more about how teams work
- Ability to identify the difference between internal and external structure
- The necessary skills to build structure into any team
- The skills to ensure everyone's involvement and contribution
- Ability to build teams which take responsibility for their own performance
task and people in a team
outline
If a team is to be successful, effective and achieve its performance goals it is vital that a right balance is achieved, most of the time, between the Task aspects and the People aspects.
The course graphically demonstrates how many teams fail to achieve because of neglect of one, or both, of these areas. It coaches individuals in how how to recognise when it is important to pay more attention to one area than to the other and how to gain competitive advantage by taking care of both.
It will give you the skills to contribute more effectively to the team and to make it a better performing, rewarding, motivating and more developmental place to work.
aim
To understand the essentials of managing Task and People in tandem
objectives
- To understand the importance of managing both Task and People issues
- To be able to achieve an appropriate working balance
- To understand the consequences of failing to do this
- To use work-based examples to check effectiveness of the team
outcomes
- Able to apply these principles to any team which you manage or are a member of
- A high awareness of both Task and People considerations
- Better able to judge what is necessary in a team minute-to-minute, hour-to-hour, day-to-day, week-to-week, month-to-month, year-to-year
- Know how to tune your style to help performance
team building 1
outline
This course is a useful precursor to Team Building 2 and Team Building 3. All three Team Building courses can be done as a sequence.
Team Building 1 ensures that all team members get to know each other, understand more about each others' personalities, skills and ways of working and develop effective ways of working as a team.
As the team work together in an improved way, motivation and commitment to the success of the team will increase.
aim
To get to know each other and be able to work better together
objectives
- To get to know and understand the other members of the team
- To work out effective ways of working together
- To build familiarity, motivation and commitment
outcomes
- All team members will know each other
- All will understand more about the way they operate
- Develop structured ways to work more effectively as a team
- Will be more motivated
- More committed to the success of the team
team building 2
outline
This course requires a preparatory session of four hours on-site at least two weeks before the course, this is included in the price. Alternatively, a team could do Team Building 1 as the preparatory session.
The focus is on making sure that the right understanding, structure and processes are in place for the team to operate both efficiently and effectively.
The team will spend much of the two days clarifying team structure, processes, ground rules and setting team goals. Understanding of these will be checked and strengthened, as will commitment.
aim
To lay the foundations for a high-performance team
objectives
- To understand all other members of the team and develop productive working relationships with them
- To develop processes and structure for effective team-working
- To be able to deal productively with conflict
- To work effectively under pressure and time constraints
- To effectively challenge and support the other members of your team
- To understand more about the complexity of working in a team
outcomes
- Know, and better understand, all other members of your team
- Team will have a clear, practical, commonly-understood way of working
- Able to work productively with difference and conflict
- All team members will clearly understand the contribution they can, and are expected to, make
team building 3
outline
Team Building 3 requires a preparatory session of four hours on-site at least two weeks before the course, this is included in the price. Alternatively a team could do Team Building 1 as the preparatory session. For a team which has already completed Team Building 1 and/or 2 there is no requirement for a preparatory session unless the composition of the team has changed.
Strengths and weaknesses in the team are tested using a mixture of inputs, exercises, review, analysis, feedback and incisive discussion. This improves understanding of what individual members must change in their behaviour to ensure success and what the team must do to capitalise on this.
aim
To forge a strong, cohesive, motivated, achieving team
objectives
- To enable different individuals to work together as a single, cohesive unit
- To improve understanding, tolerance, communication, support, challenge and success
- To improve effective working when pressure and conflict is present
- To get all team members working at a higher level of awareness, motivation, commitment and performance
outcomes
- More enjoyment working in this team
- Willingly contribute more of yourself to the team
- Team will work in a more high-powered way
- Honesty, directness and clarity will improve
- Team will reach higher levels of performance
- Being in this team will enable individuals to grow and develop
team effectiveness analysis
outline
The three Team Effectiveness courses are designed to be completed in a sequence over a period of four - twelve months.
Team performance is often not planned, managed and assessed in effective ways because of increasing pressure and being busy. Performance management, appraisal and management control enable the team leader/manager to know what the team is capable of, what is going on at any given time, better awareness and understanding of problems arising and what to do to solve them. It ensures knowledge of individuals and anything that might be needed to ensure their continued commitment and high-level performance.
This course provides detailed analysis of the overall effectiveness of a team: where it has strengths, where it has weaknesses. An Outline Plan for improving performance is constructed. The course consists purely in analysis and does not seek to implement improvement. It is useful as a precursor to other work to improve the performance of the team.
aim
Comprehensive analysis of team effectiveness
objectives
To analyse where the team is strong and weak in Task achievement
To analyse People strengths and weaknesses in the team
Produce an Outline Plan for Improvement
outcomes
Clarity on how the team is currently operating
Clarity on Task and People strengths and weaknesses
Awareness of individual strengths and contribution
Clarity about how to achieve and maintain peak performance
Outline Plan for moving forward
team effectiveness implementation
outline
This course is designed to follow the Team Effectiveness Analysis course using the Outline Plan for improved performance as the starting point. The strengths and weaknesses of the team are examined through exercises, review, feedback and discussion. Specific actions are determined to improve effectiveness and performance.
To get the best out of individuals and teams it is necessary to plan how best to deploy and develop individual skills and abilities and to continually manage and review performance. For teams this results in higher motivation, consistently good results and a better atmosphere in which to work. For individuals it results in professional and personal development, increased commitment and consistently-improving performance.
Team Effectiveness Implementation will enable the team to move forward by addressing aspects of behaviour and the ways in which the team gets things done. An Action Plan is developed to ensure structured improvement. It will help the team to plan more effective ways of organising themselves and improving their individual and collective performance.
aim
To use analysis of team effectiveness to tune performance
objectives
- To understand, and build on, the strengths of the team
- To analyse where, why and how the team is weak
- To understand the practical impact of this on daily operation of the team
- To build effective processes
- To improve understanding, reduce friction and enhance performance
outcomes
- Balance of Task and People effectiveness will be clarified
- Clarity on where you should focus and what you must do to improve
- Detailed Action Plan to rectify/improve Task and People weaknesses
- Specific examples at work to test all this
team effectiveness masterclass
outline
It is designed to follow the Team Effectiveness Implementation course using the Action Plan for improvement as the starting point.
The course is an intensive, in-depth overhaul of the team and is demanding of all individuals. It confronts all members of the team with the essential question of what can be done both individually and collectively to lift team performance from good to outstanding.
aim
To increase effectiveness by identifying and practising the attitudes, skills and behaviours necessary for outstanding performance
objectives
- To make this an outstanding team
- To become stronger and more competent individually and collectively
- To ensure high-level communication and understanding in this team by encouraging people to contribute at individual, team, management and organisational level
- To understand responses to conflict and develop the ability to manage self, feelings, reactions and behaviour in productive ways when pressure and conflict are present
- To write an Operational Plan which will ensure success
outcomes
- Clear operating rules
- Authentic communication
- All team members will understand each other
- Clarity about how to achieve and maintain peak performance
- Team will operate high levels of support and challenge
- Team will be a more enjoyable, rewarding and demanding place to work
