book is structured around 10 team coaching techniques, and 45 team coaching tools. I have also provided three preliminary chapters which will give you some background to the art and science of team coaching.
Creating something new, or fixing something that is broken, usually requires finding the best tool to do the job. In the same way that it would usually be better not to try and open a tin of paint with a sharp chisel, it is worth taking some time to understand what each tool is intended to achieve. You can then decide how you might adapt it to suit your current needs.
The toolkit is set out according to a model of coaching teams engaged in some form of project or initiative. The model provides a progression through five phases of a team’s life cycle.
Team Coaching Model
This model is explained in chapter 3, but you will quickly be able to recognize which tools fit within which stage of the model as each is referenced to the above image.
There is a companion website teamcoachingtoolkit.com where you can download some of the charts and tables used in some of the tools.
These tools have a degree of flexibility in their application. Experiment and adapt them to fit your situation and your style of working. Good luck and if you have any questions or comments, contact me at [email protected]. I would love to hear how they work for you.
Tony Llewellyn
Hertfordshire
England
May 2017
CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION
This is a book about team building. It doesn’t have much to say about white water rafting, building temporary structures from wood or string, or the merits of taking everyone to the pub. Instead the focus is on how to engage with a group of individuals and form them into a collaborative and productive unit. The tools and techniques set out in the following pages may provide less instant gratification, but are more likely to be successful in building an engaged, committed and resilient team.
Team building is a scientific process, involving the methodical application of a series of steps. You are, however, dealing with human beings rather than machines, and so the process requires a more subtle approach. In a situation where people are needed for their spirit and ingenuity, then attention must be paid to the psychological forces that shape relationships.
WHO SHOULD READ THIS BOOK?
The book is written for anyone whose role is to support and sustain a productive and functioning team. You may be a project manager, pulling together a collection of technical specialists to create a piece of software or to construct a new building. Alternatively you may be in a management role in a large organization and have been tasked with leading a cross-functional team to deliver an important initiative. The toolkit is also likely to be of interest to team coaches and facilitators who are brought in to provide support that will enable the team to establish the process and behavioural norms associated with team effectiveness. Whatever your role, the toolkit is designed to prove a number of activities that have been found to get your team thinking, talking and working together as a single unit rather than a collection of individuals.
The book is structured in three parts.
Section One sets out some useful background information into team dynamics and the processes that have been necessary to build a group of disparate individuals into a real team. The first chapter covers some of the primary elements of group interaction and gives the reader an understanding of the framework around which a leader needs to build his/her team. The second chapter looks at the growing development of team coaching and sets out some of the theoretical and practical ideas that underpin team coaching either as an activity in its own right or as a style of leadership.
Section Two introduces 10 techniques upon which to build your team coaching practice. A technique can be defined as a skilful way of doing or achieving something. I have stretched the definition to include a way of approaching the challenges of team coaching which are as much about your philosophy or mindset as they are about physical action.
Section Three moves into the toolkit, setting out 45 different ‘tools’ or activities you may find useful in working with your team. These tools are set out in a structure that follows the sequential logic of team building that is explained in chapter 3.
Much research has been done on team development and some of this thinking is included in the following chapter. There are some great books and articles available, a selection of which I have listed in the closing chapter. These publications will help you learn why teams are important and what needs to be done to build an effective team. This book takes the progression a bit further and sets out how you go about the team building process.
This is not an academic book but I have tried where possible to explain some of the theory that supports both the tools and techniques. My purpose is to give you a sense of why the proposed activity is necessary or useful, as well as providing you with some context, either for your own satisfaction or to explain to the team. The theory is generated from numerous studies into team development and where appropriate I have supplied references for further reading. Some of these tools are my own inventions whilst others are adapted from my research or have been suggested by other friends and collaborators working in the field of team development.
GREAT TEAMS ARE RARE
I have spent much of the last five years talking to experienced managers about life in work teams, and listening to their stories. Most people have at least one great team experience that stands out in their memory. When they tell their story it comes across clearly and vividly, often told with a gentle smile on their face as they recall people and events from the past. I have heard similar tales told multiple times by different people with different professional backgrounds and from different countries. Great team experiences can be life enhancing. People who have worked in a strong team rarely forget it. They describe the way that time just seemed to fly past. Everyone had a clear sense of direction, knew what they needed to do and when they needed to step in to help others. The odd thing about these stories is that they are often presented as singular events, as if they reflect an unusual set of circumstances that are rarely repeated.
My research indicates that most of our team experiences are much less satisfying. For many, teamwork is a notional term for working alongside others with no clear sense of purpose and limited clarity around what needs to be done or by whom. I have collected many stories of disconnected leadership, inadequate communication and low group morale. For some people a bad team experience can be emotionally scarring. It can push individuals to change industries, or even to decide to change careers.
It raises the question, ‘why are great team experiences so difficult to replicate?’ What are the critical factors that have been found to influence whether groups of people work together effectively, or simply drift through their working lives waiting for something better to happen? As we will see, there are many elements that contribute to a great team, some of which are practical procedures that can be identified and put in order. Others require the development of a broader set of techniques. This book works through a number of these components and sets out some practical proposals that will help you set up and maintain a strong team. Before we get into the detail, it is first worth considering a few matters that establish the context of the discussion ahead.