Creating Conditions for Team Effectiveness
Background & Challenge
The client, a medium sized technology firm, was a long-standing client. I worked with each member of the leadership team on coaching. Throughout my months coaching them, I noticed a common theme amongst the team. It was clear that they were not operating as one team, but rather as if their department teams were their primary team. This was creating a silo effect throughout the organization. Most notably too was their dissatisfaction with the way decisions were made and the lack of transparency. I presented these findings to the CEO and recognizing the need for change, the organization sought a solution to overcome these barriers and improve overall teamwork.
Journey to Transformation
To better understand the root causes of the team's dysfunction, individual interviews and team meeting observations were conducted. This provided valuable insights into the team dynamics and informed the design of a leadership offsite—a 3-day strategy planning session aimed at addressing the identified issues.
During the offsite, the team focused on achieving several key objectives:
1. Sharpening team purpose and vision: Defining a clear sense of direction and shared goals.
2. Establishing behavioral norms: Understanding individual styles, needs, and values to foster better collaboration.
3. Creating leadership imperatives: Identifying key actions and behaviors necessary for success as a team and organization.
4. Building a high-performing team: Understanding the conditions needed to cultivate a strong, productive, and supportive team environment.
Embracing effective teamwork and driving positive change:
By leveraging the insights gained from interviews, the team engaged in open discussions about their strengths and opportunities for improvement. They developed actionable strategies to leverage their strengths and address challenges collaboratively. Clarifying roles and responsibilities for each team member was a crucial step, enabling everyone to understand how they could contribute to the team's success.
The team dedicated time to defining what makes an effective team and establishing clear processes for communication, decision-making, meetings, accountability, and feedback. They also implemented new communication channels, such as a team Slack channel, to address challenges collectively and promote transparency. These changes fostered a stronger sense of trust and allowed the team to find solutions together.
Outcome & Impact
The intervention revealed that the team's frustration with decision-making was, in fact, related to how decisions were communicated. By creating clear norms and processes, the organization ensured that decisions were effectively shared, improving overall understanding and alignment. Additionally, the team developed a clear purpose statement and goals, breaking down silos and promoting collaboration.
The team continues to use these norms and they have seen such positive results and improved team dynamics that they were inspired to extend similar interventions to other leadership teams within the company. By replicating the structures and practices that proved successful, the organization aims to build a culture of effective teamwork throughout the entire organization.
Through a series of targeted interventions, the technology firm successfully transformed their team dynamics, enhancing collaboration, communication, and overall performance. By clarifying their purpose, establishing clear norms, and implementing effective communication channels, the organization created a more cohesive and productive work environment. This case study demonstrates the power of investing in team development and highlights the potential for similar approaches to drive positive change in any organization.