| Teamwork
and Teambuilding
Team:
A distinguishable set of two or more individuals who interact dynamically, interdependently and adaptively to achieve specified, shared and valued objectives.
Team building and synergistic work is more essential and yet more difficult than ever. Virtual grouping, flex office, dotted line relationships, cross-functional, cross-purpose teams all confuse the tradition of the hierarchical workgroup. Also, in many ways our society doesn’t even acknowledge and value or admire the "team." Yet today our markets demand more productivity from groups and individuals than in any time in business history.
This environment demands that the work group leaders clearly and intelligently address the necessity of high performance, accountable and self-directed work groups.
Insight Strategies, Inc., has been helping our clients build their teams and tackle their unique challenges for over 10 years.
Do any of these issues exist on your team?
· A lack of trust
· Morale issues
· Conflict
· Accountability
· Communication
· Territoriality
· Finger pointing
These are the easily identified issues on a struggling team. What about a team that simply isn’t producing to its highest capabilities?
Try this straightforward method to determine if the team itself believes it needs help.
Ask your entire team two questions and provide for an anonymous response. (Source: Coaching for Leadership)
1. On a scale of 1-10 (with 10 being ideal), how well are we doing in terms of working together as a team?
2. On a scale of 1-10 (with 10 being ideal), how well do we need to be doing in terms of working together as a team?
Once you calculate the results and discuss them with your team you have the beginnings of team building process with buy-in from the members of the team.
Insight Strategies, Inc., appreciates the difficulty in quantifying a team building process, but that does not mean that it cannot be quantified. Highly functional teams do better work. Better work is always linked to higher perfomance and throughput regardless of industry. Let us show you some measurements we took from a recent client.
Case Study: Insight Strategies Team Building Process
Background: A 400-person city transportation agency in Southern California.
Objective: Quantifiable Leadership and Teamwork improvements.
Approach: 10 classroom sessions and coaching with a combination of leaders and team over a six-month period:
Results:
On a pre/post teamwork survey that measured key components including but not limited to: Morale, Communication, Trust, Accountability, Recognition and Leadership Effectiveness, the team measured itself as having improved on an average of 80.25% of the measurement questions and an average of 17% improvement in capabilities and perceptions in those areas.
From the Director to the Line Supervisors, this organization has expressed that they have seen a dramatic turnaround in attitude, accountability and performance.
How can we help you?
"The Insight Strategies team came in and elevated the level of performance of my frontline leaders. Kevin has a great ability to "connect" with people. He was able to get team members to open up and deal with difficult issues. We are now moving forward as an organization. I am extremely satisfied with Kevin and the Insight Strategies team."
-Allan Pollock, Director of Transportation, Montebello Bus Lines
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