Team Building Skills

Building a team : Building a team

What is a team? : What is a team? Together Everyone Achieves More Bringing out the best in each team player for common purpose

Natural Dynamics (Unseen)How team works together? : Natural Dynamics (Unseen)How team works together? … how would it work without external influence? Personal styles Team roles Office Tools/Processes Organizational culture

Slide 4 : Does it act for good or for bad? How can you use it? What does it prevent you fro achieving? (stereotypes, prejudices, attitudes etc) Dynamic changes all the time!! Natural Dynamics (Unseen)How team works together?

What to fix? : What to fix? Effectiveness & enjoyment Values/behaviors you want to cultivate

Slide 6 : Team Building Activities demonstrate different aspects of team behaviors and get team members to think about what is essential for high performing teams. They allow the group to recover from disunity, frustration and conflict. They also help sensitize the team members to behaviors that may contribute toward or obstruct group problem solving. Behaviors cover such things as good communication, problem solving skills, trust, taking advantage of the strengths and weaknesses of each team member and understanding the customers point of view.

Why team building activities? : Why team building activities? “game perception” – make subconscious work Challenge: usually fun, but often suffer from the problem that it is difficult to translate the benefits back into the workplace

Levels : Levels Personal space Get to know each other Communication Understanding Team Work

How to chose the right one:always think of : How to chose the right one:always think of Diagnosis – evaluation Identify reasons and plan program of Team Building OBJECTIVE

EVALUATION : EVALUATION Will the activity achieve the change you want? Will all team members will do it? (there should never be any coercion involved, it can backfire and be damaging to the team) Can you find the time, budget and an appropriate venue Make sure there is no physical risk (for outdoor activities, the supplier should be a 'qualified instructor' and provide insurance - don't use a supplier who asks you to sign waivers of liability) Will it build trust and openness? Does it require (at the start) more trust and openness than is currently present? Do you have contingency plans in case something does go wrong? (eg: what do you do in the case of a task failing?).

Make sure there is no psychological risk, in particular : Make sure there is no psychological risk, in particular members are treated equally and with respect; fun is not achieved at the expense of others; there's no humiliation involved; it doesn't have the potential to stir anger between members; individuals won't feel excluded - eg: at social activities, design the event to make sure everyone mixes; it won't expose fears/incompetence - eg: fear of failure any conflict or feedback will be managed constructively

Agreement : Agreement Buy in from the team is very important, so it is usually better to make the decision as a team rather than just one individual decide.

Remember… : Remember… Team building is not a single event that takes place offsite, but an ongoing process that takes place within the team over a long period of time. It is therefore important to choose activities that have aims/objectives that match the issues in your team, and make a long-term contribution to better teamworking

For the most effective team building exercises, therefore, you need to have an integrated programme that combines outdoor events with ongoing activities in the workplace, such as : For the most effective team building exercises, therefore, you need to have an integrated programme that combines outdoor events with ongoing activities in the workplace, such as Work-oriented discussion of the group's objectives, roles, processes, resources etc.. Looking at personality styles and/or team roles Social events Joint coffee/break times Learning lunches on topics relevant to everyone Meetings, not only to discuss day-to-day work, but also to acknowledge past successes and make future plans Communication sessions (structured or unstructured) to increase overall team knowledge, by sharing expertise, experience, and individual knowledge etc..

DEBRIEFING : DEBRIEFING Let members think and debrief, not you Facilitate Think through questions before Don’t over-analyze, they are not stupid Debriefing IS the most important part of TB!

STRATEGIC TB : STRATEGIC TB Team Building needs to be strategic Depending on the stage team is in, TB has different objectives Think about your “Next Move” Think of How will members use outputs/insights of work