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Building Teams
Content provided by Anne Massaro
In this time of rapid change, and doing more with less, the most effective way to succeed is through teamwork. When people criticize each other, withhold resources and information, and think only of their individual needs, it’s difficult, if not impossible, to achieve extraordinary results.
When people work together cooperatively in an environment of respect, and draw on all the talent and resources available, it becomes much easier to achieve great results. Strong teams build an environment of openness and trust, personal accountability, and respect for diverse thinking. This allows the group to set aside distractions such as turf issues and politics, and collectively focus on the task at hand. This collaboration leads to increased productivity, innovation, and a more effective use of resources
Click on the links below for tips and tools on building teams, and managing effective teams.
Activities and Tools
- The Cookie Thief: Use this story to illustrate positive intentions.
- Using Behavior Styles to Get Results: Use this activity to help your team understand and appreciate how each style contributes to getting results.
- Here are tips on how to more effectively work with different behavior styles.
- Use these meeting starters to reinforce these concepts.
- With any team, there will be occasions when difficult conversations are necessary. There are several models for difficult conversations. Choose the one best suited to you and your circumstance.
- Strengthening how well team members know each other builds openness and trust. Two tools for this purpose:
Articles, Books and Research
- "The Five Dysfunctions of a Team" by Patrick Lencioni is a great read. Here is a high level summary of the five dysfunctions.
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