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Our 'minimal intervention' approach to team building through improving, or 're-setting', team performance involves focused, deep work on both the business tasks facing the team, and the relationships and styles within the team. In the case of senior teams, this type of team building can also deliver huge improvements to dynamics across the wider organisation - because of the way they are highly influenced, often unconsciously, by how the top team is interacting.
Our experience is that team development or team building work - whether via diagnostics, the introduction of different frameworks, creative exercises etc. - is hugely strengthened by integrating a focus on 'real work' subjects that matter to the team. Similarly, where team alignment is required around a new strategy, or an annual plan etc. it is very powerful to bring attention to the nature of the team conversation, individual forms of contribution etc. - and to support improvement in these - during discussions of the actual content.
Of course, achieving the above requires very skilfull facilitation - and this is at the heart of our offer. We are particularly skilled at resolving 'safely' the deeper dynamics in teams that keep things stuck. Our style is to ensure that all perspectives are included, and then to help the team to have the conversations which will allow the best possible ways forward to be owned by everyone. Meanwhile, we build individual skill-levels and support the team as a whole to take increasing responsibility for any difficult dynamics at play, so that the team becomes increasingly able to manage itself over time.
Recent work includes:
- Building shared vision and an agreed journey plan with a newly restructured top team in the steel industry - which included helping a disparate set of leaders to get to know each others’ worlds quickly, and to spot where collaboration would add the most value, resulting in increased team alignment.
- Working on team development/team building with a newly merged Brand Strategy team in a global utility company: enabling the team to get to know each other quickly; developing a sense of shared visions and values; constructing a milestone map for the short and long term - while surfacing difficulties and agreeing a way of working together into the future.
- Helping a new Chief Executive settle and increase alignment within his leadership team, following the failure of two people on the team to get his job.
- Rebuilding the morale and effectiveness of a large social work team, traumatised by the near-death of a child in its care and subsequent investigations.
Client feedback:
"I particularly appreciated the way Nick and Esther constructively took teams into potential areas of tension, and facilitated their ownership of critical issues. Their ability and willingness to adapt their approach as behaviours and team dynamics evolved, was something that, for me, set them apart from the "standard" consultant offering.
"I remember one particular team workshop, when having agreed the objectives for the day with Nick, he suggested that we could push further and faster if it felt right on the day. As it turned out, his facilitation led to a really productive morning and we had already achieved a key shift by midday. We then spent the afternoon surpassing the agreed objectives and the day was a great success. Without a doubt, the improved alignment made the team much more productive..."
Maintenance manager, large petro-chemical complex
"When considering future support for our leadership, particularly in supporting a business strategy, you would be top of my list. The work we did together with my top team delivered the objectives I had set out for the team and the business. Working with you results in comfort zones being challenged which can lead to having to confront some uncomfortable areas. Not everyone is willing to do this or has the self awareness / social awareness to know that it needs to be done. You were able to help me recognise some of these issues both in myself and others."
MD, Global Manufacturing Company
For an example of our work in this area please see our case-study: Shifting Difficult Team Dynamics within Local Government
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