Building Better Teams

Teams are an important building block of successful organizations. Whether the focus is on service, quality, cost, value, speed, efficiency, performance, or other similar goals, teams are the basic unit that supports most organizations.

With teams at the core of corporate strategy, an organization’s success can depend on how well team members operate together. How are their problem-solving skills? Is the team enthusiastic and motivated to do its best? Do they work well together? This two-days course can help participants get there!

• The value of working as a team
• How to develop team norms, ground rules, and team contracts
• Their team player style and how it can be used effectively
• Ways to build team trust
• The stages of team development and how to help a team move through them
• The critical role communication skills will play in building and maintaining a team atmosphere
• Ways that team members can be involved and grow in a team setting

We will spend the first part of the day getting to know other participants and discussing what will take place during the workshop. Students will also have an opportunity to identify their personal learning objectives.

To get started, participants will get to define what a team is and what different kinds of teams there are. Participants will also demonstrate synergy through a simple exercise.

This session will look at some of the advantages and disadvantages of teams. Participants will also explore ground rules and team contracts.

During this session, participants will learn how to use the Degrees of Support to help a team work through controversial issues.

Next, participants will score their pre-assignment and identify their team player type. Participants will then work in small groups to discuss the strengths and weaknesses of their type and how to use this information to their advantage.

Trust is one of those mainstay virtues. It is the bond that allows any kind of significant relationship to exist between people. In this session, participants will explore some ways to establish and build trust on their team.

Every group of people, whether they are a team or just a group working together, grows and evolves. Participants will spend this session looking at Tuckman and Jensen’s five stages of team development: forming, storming, norming, performing, and adjourning.

Another way of looking at team development is the TORI model, developed by Jack and Lorraine Gibb. Participants will experience this model through a fun exercise.

If a team is going to succeed, they must be able to communicate well with each other. This session will cover some basic principles of communication.

To wrap the course up, participants will think about ways to increase interaction among their team and build trust.

At the end of the day, students will have an opportunity to ask questions and fill out an action plan.