Team Development Guide

Team Canvas Activity

• Team size: 2-20 team members
• Total run time: 90-120 minutes
• Link to Team Canvas download: Team Canvas 1:0

Aim:

To empower your team members to share their roles, understand the team’s ways of working and clarify individual and group goals.

Materials:

·Print-out of Team Canvas on A3 or recreated on a whiteboard.

·Variety of coloured-sticky notes.

·Flipchart pens or coloured pens.

Instructions:

Provide a high-level overview of the Team Canvas tool and the aim to align the team in understanding goals, individual roles, and responsibilities, and clarify the teams purpose and values.

Move through the segments on the Team Canvas template. Underneath, there is a layout of how you may wish to facilitate this session starting with People and Roles. During each phase, ask the team questions to answer and contribute to each segment. They can do this by writing their answers on sticky-notes and then placing these sticky notes under the segment you are working on. By the end of the activity, you will have received a multitude of responses allowing you to wrap the session up with commitments towards a common goal.

Facilitator notes: There are 5 segments which should be worked on as a group to ensure fair and equal opportunity for each team member to be heard. These are 1. People and roles; 2. Goals; 4. Purpose; 5. Values; 9 Rules and culture.

 

Step 1: People and Roles (5 minutes)

Ask your team to place their names on sticky notes and to include their roles. If a person has multiple roles, use separate post-its.

Questions:

·What are our names?

·What are the roles we have in the team?

·What are you responsible for?

 Step 2: Common goals (10 minutes)

Ask the team to agree on common goals.

Questions:

·What do we as a team aim to achieve?

·What is our key goal that is feasible, measurable, and time-bounded?

 

Step 3: Personal goals (10 minutes)

Ask the team members about the individual goals they are working towards.

Questions:

·What are our individual personal goals that you are working towards?

 

Step 4: Purpose (10 minutes)

Ask the team to go one step beyond their common goal, and ask them why they do what they do?

Questions:

·Why are we doing what are doing in the first place?

·What is something more important, which makes us pursue our common goal?

·How do we fit into the University Strategy? (Flash the Strategy on screen to clarify.)

 

Step 5: Values (10 minutes)

Ask the team what their core values are – the most important principles – that they want to share as a team. The team should agree on values, so everyone accepts the final set. Allow 1 minute of individual thinking, then place members into pairs or small groups to share their thoughts. Finally, share as a team in a small debrief and agree on a consensus. Share Warwick’s Values and Behaviours to find common ground with the University strategy.

Questions:

·What do we stand for?

·What are our guiding principles?

·What our own personal values?

·What are the common values that we want to be at the core of our team?

 

Step 6: Strengths & Assets (15 minutes)

Ask the team to share the key pieces of skills (both hard and soft skills) and assets available within the team. Do not dismiss ‘insignificant’ stuff. You might find that the team has the capacity for martial arts, running marathons or persuading people. There are core skills in hobbies or activities that team members can utilise in a workplace. For example, someone who coaches a sports team has experience in mentoring and training. Encourage team members to share something about themselves, as well as noting important qualities they see in their team members.

Questions:

·What are the skills we have in the team that will help us to achieve our goals?

·What are interpersonal/soft skills that we have?

·What are we good at, individually and as a team?

Examples:

·Coding (iOS/Python etc.)

·Design

·Being devoted and driven

·Being creative

·Energy

·Sales and pitching

 

Step 7: Development Areas (15 minutes)

This is an opportunity to consider any pitfalls in the current ways of working and how to improve on these. This is not an opportunity to pile on other team members with opinions. Remain objective for example, a lack of communication slows down progress towards a goal. Team members may wish to share their own personal development areas i.e. new to a particular system. The aim is to identify weaknesses and plan to adapt and improve. Advise that you want the team to grow together.

Questions:

·What are the development areas we have, individually and as a team?

·What should our team members know about us?

·What are some obstacles we see ahead of us that we are likely to face?

 

Step 8: Needs & Expectations (10 minutes)

Ask the team to express the needs they have in order to be successful. This is a follow-up of the two previous sections. As team members have expressed both their own strengths and areas for development, this is an opportunity to capture how to amplify strengths in the team and tackle pitfalls. This can enable more team collaboration and sharing strengths and skills.

Questions:

·What does each member of the team require to be successful?

·How could the team help each member with their needs?

 

Step 9: Rules & Activities (10 minutes)

Ask the team to agree on common rules and activities. Think of this as an outcome of the previous sections: a concrete set of rules and activities they want to implement.

Questions:

·What are the rules we want to introduce after this session?

·How shall we communicate and keep everyone up to date?

·How do we execute and evaluate what we do?

 

 Wrap-up (5 minutes)

This is an opportunity to consolidate learning taken from the session. Ask team members to consider one insight they have gained from doing this session. Ask them to consider one thing they are going to commit too, following the session. This is an opportunity for you as a manager or leader to gain insight on what ‘stuck’ with your team. Finally, wrap up by confirming your commitment to action and how long this may take.

 

Tips for running this activity online

• Pick an online whiteboard tool that allows to use a large, zoomable canvas.
• Set up each topic at a different area of the board, spread them out just like you would do it on the walls of a room.
• Invite participants to zoom in and visit each section and add their ideas.

 

Alignment and Autonomy

Team size: 2-20.

Total time: 60-120 mins.

Aim:

If your team needs to get to grips with their roles and responsibilities, Alignment and Autonomy is a good activity that enables you to engage your group as individuals on where they feel they have been productive and where they need more support or autonomy to reach their goals. This activity requires honesty, no judgement or bias, and offers you as a leader with a chance to clarify how the team should be operating.

Pre-work:

If your team does not have a clearly defined purpose, culture and working routines, you may wish to consider beginning with ‘Team Canvas’ activity before running the Alignment and Autonomy Activity.

You may wish to familiarise yourself with the content of this framework. Consider how you would define these 3 key areas:

1.Set parameters for what is an acceptable level of autonomy for your team.

2.Alignment: Define what it is that you want each team member to align around. This is around the University’s goals, purpose, culture, strategy etc…

3.Personal responsibility/Autonomy: Define what it means in this team for everyone to take Personal Responsibility. This is defined as ‘each member follows through on their tasks and their agreements.’ Sticking to agreed processes (like check-ins, feedback, reflection, communication, self-directed, following through, taking ownership, being curious).

Finally, prepare the Alignment and Autonomy model on a flip chart before your team session. Copy of the grid below:

Materials:

Use A3 paper/flipchart paper/a whiteboard to draw out the grid.

Sticky notes.

Flipchart/whiteboard pens.

If virtual use Mural or Microsoft Whiteboard.

 

Instructions:

Step 1: (15-20 Mins)

Invite your team to reflect on the past 3-6 months of the team’s work.

Building on the shared understanding of the model, ask them to think about moments when they felt:

·Highly aligned, highly autonomous

·Highly aligned, not so autonomous

·Not so aligned, highly autonomous,

·Not so aligned OR autonomous

It is fine if members of the team cannot think of a moment for each one but encourage them to reflect deeply and explore their own relationship to the team and the organisation. Encourage members to make notes as they reflect.

Once everyone has had time to think, ask them to pair up and share ideas. After 5-10 minutes, ask each pair to feedback ideas for each section.

It could be helpful to setup a timeline for the last 3-6 months and allow team members to apply their thoughts to the timeline.

 

 

Step 2: (20 Mins)

Now ask the team to reflect as individuals on the following questions:

·What would support me to be more aligned with the team’s purpose and goals?

·What is hindering my alignment?

·What would support me to be more autonomous?

·What is hindering my autonomy?

Encourage members to be as open and honest as they feel comfortable to be. Encourage them to be specific about what hinders them and what would support them.

Ask them to share responses one-by-one. If confidentiality is preferred, then ask them to write ideas down on sticky notes and create a pile to be read out by you.

As the manager/leader facilitating this activity, it is your responsibility to ensure that you address any misconceptions or misunderstandings. Ensure to clarify what level of autonomy is available.

 

Step 3: (10-15 Mins)

Finally, invite the team to suggest tangible actions that the team could take to increase alignment and autonomy.

Each team member can be given an opportunity to write their thoughts on sticky notes and placing them on a wall. Once suggestions have been made, review them and decide together how to proceed with each.

 

Step 4: (5-10 Mins)

Wrap-up the session with a quick ‘check-out.’ Invite team members to consider one key takeaway from the session.

 

Kolb’s Cycle of Learning

Team size: 1+

Total time: 10-20 mins

Aim:

This activity is best used as an opportunity to reflect on an activity, event or learning experience, pulling out what has been successful, and to encourage new modes of working. This enables your team to try new things, learn from these experiences and build a culture of continuous improvement.

A four-stage learning cycle: (10-15 Mins)

 

Concrete Experience – the learner encounters a concrete experience. This might be a new experience or situation, or a reinterpretation of existing experience in the light of new concepts.

Reflective Observation of the New Experience – the learner reflects on the new experience in the light of their existing knowledge. Of particular importance are any inconsistencies between experience and understanding.

Abstract Conceptualization – reflection gives rise to a new idea, or a modification of an existing abstract concept (the person has learned from their experience).

Active Experimentation – the newly created or modified concepts give rise to experimentation. The learner applies their idea(s) to the world around them to see what happens.

Explain each stage of the model to team members before providing them with time to reflect on their learning, whilst planning on next steps to take. This style of learning can be applied following any activity in this guide.

Conflict Resolution

-Team size: 2-20

-Total time: 60 mins

Aim:

Aim: As a team, reflect on past conflicts, and use them to generate guidelines for effective conflict handling.

 

Materials:

·Flipchart/whiteboard

·Markers

·Notebooks

·Pens

·Sticky-notes

 Instructions:

Step 1: (5-10 Mins)

Invite team members to consider a team conflict that they have experienced. These can be from within or outside your current team, and within or outside the University.

To begin with, ask them to consider their experiences individually, asking them to identify as many conflicts as possible, going back a few years if they need to. Ask them to write down some examples in their notepads.

Facilitator’s note: if team members are using conflicts from outside the team, please ensure that they observe confidentiality and do not attribute names or roles to people in the organisation. See Chatham House rules for more information.

 

Step 2: (5 Mins)

Focusing on the historical conflicts that they have written down, ask them to individually rank each from 1-3.

·1 = Conflicts I handled well

·2 = Conflict handled so-so

·3 = Conflict I handled poorly

 

Step 3: (10-15 Mins)

Introduce the Thomas-Kilmann model for managing conflict to the group. To support your explanation you may wish to use this video sourced from YouTube: 5 Ways Of Approaching Disagreements And Conflict | Thomas Kilmann Conflict Model (long version – 12 mins) or (313) Managing Conflict - Thomas Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument - YouTube (short version – 3:50 mins)

Invite your team to consider their scores from the previous steps. Which mode of conflict did they use in each one? After a couple minutes of individual thinking, pair them up to discuss the following questions:

·Which modes of conflict were effective at resolving conflicts? What behaviours and actions did I take?

·What behaviours and actions were not effective at resolving conflicts?

 

Ask the pairs to share common themes from their conversations.

Facilitator’s note when conducting this activity in virtual teams, use the breakout rooms option in Microsoft Teams when pairing team members. Here is guidance from Microsoft: Manage breakout rooms in Microsoft Teams - Microsoft Support.

 

Step 4: (15-20 Mins)

Finally, either in small groups or as a whole team, ask the team to share some guidelines to handle conflict effectively. These will be based on common themes from their previous reflections. Once these guidelines have been set and agreed by the whole team, share them digitally after the session.

 

Ugli Oranges exercise

-Team size: 2-20

-Total time: 30 mins

 

Aim:

The overall aim of this exercise is to determine the real needs of all the stakeholders to better address perceived conflict or competition. It is possible for all parties to have an optimum outcome, but only if participants engage positively with each other to understand the real needs of each group.

Setting the scene 

To explore managing conflict and difficulty with these situations we will do a practical exercise involving a negotiation.

Role play involves three main characters: 

• Mr Cardoza – owner of oranges – you (team leader, supervisor, or manager)

• Dr Roland – Pharmaceutical company 1 researcher (group 1) 

• Dr Jones - Pharmaceutical company 2 researcher (group 2) 

 

One group requires the peel of the oranges, one group requires the pulp. This is deliberately only mentioned in passing in the case study. As the facilitator, it is recommended not to mention this until the debrief.

Stress that this is an opportunity to think about conflict styles and what approach they may take. For example, how will you influence the seller/owner of the oranges. What are the motivations of people involved? Etc. 

Participants split into two teams one for each competing pharmaceutical company in the role play. Each team has specific instructions to purchase the limited supply of Ugli oranges. (Ensure teams cannot see the instructions for the other side). The leader takes the role of Mr Cardoza.

Give teams 10 minutes to read the brief to prepare for the negotiation. Reiterate that they will be negotiating with Mr Cardoza (the facilitator) to purchase the oranges. To run this virtually, place the two groups into a separate breakout room to have their initial grouped discussions.

The first decision the teams must make is if they would like to talk to each other before negotiating with Mr Cardoza. This decision will have possible ramifications, as without knowledge of exactly what part of the orange each group needs, it is nearly impossible to have a positive outcome for all parties.

If parties decide to meet and discuss before, the leader should observe and note what approaches were taken by the teams e.g. competitive, arguing on moral grounds etc. Key point - are the teams trying to engage in understanding the needs of all parties or concentrating on “Winning.” Is there a willingness to collaborate, understand and seek an optimal solution?

Teams will adopt different strategies to “win” the negotiation.

The facilitator then debriefs task and observations made on approaches. If groups reach agreements and understanding reflect on importance of this and how it was not immediately obvious, discuss the value of engaging to understand and getting to the root cause of the issue at hand.

If the group did not reach an optimal outcome explore why this was emphasising the points above around root cause, engagement and understanding, rather than “winning”

Roles for each group are below. Print out copies of both roles and distribute to teams.

Role for Dr. Roland

 

You are Dr. P. W. Roland. You work as a research biologist for a pharmaceutical firm. The firm is under contract with the government to do research on methods to combat enemy uses of biological warfare.

Recently several World War II experimental nerve gas bombs were moved from the U.S. to a small island just off the U.S. coast in the Pacific. In the process of transporting them two of the bombs developed a leak. The leak is presently controlled but government scientists believe that the gas will permeate the bomb chambers within two weeks. They know of no method of preventing the gas from getting into the atmosphere and spreading to other islands, and highly likely to the West Coast as well. If this occurs, it is likely that several thousands of people will incur serious brain damage or die.

You have developed a synthetic vapour that will neutralize the nerve gas if it is injected into the bomb chamber before the gas leaks out. The vapour is made with a chemical taken from the rind of the Ugli orange, an exceedingly rare fruit. Unfortunately, only 4000 of these oranges were produced this season.

You have been informed, on good evidence, that a Mr. R.H. Cardoza, a fruit exporter in South America, is in possession of 3000 Ugli oranges. The chemicals from this number of oranges would be sufficient to neutralize the gas if the serum is developed and injected efficiently.

In addition, you have been informed that Dr. J. W. Jones is also urgently seeking the purchase of Ugli oranges, and he is aware of Mr. Cardoza's possession of the 3000 available. Dr. Jones works for a firm with which your firm is highly competitive. There is a great deal of industrial espionage in the pharmaceutical industry. Over the years, your firm and Dr. Jones' firm have sued each other for violations of industrial espionage laws and infringement of patent rights several times. Litigation on two suits is still in process.

The Federal government has asked your firm for assistance. You have been authorized by your firm to approach Mr. Cardoza to purchase the 3000 Ugli oranges. You have been told he will sell them to the highest bidder. Your firm has authorized you to bid as high as $250,000 to obtain the rind of the oranges.

Before approaching Mr. Cardoza, you have decided to talk to Dr. Jones to influence him so that he will not prevent you from purchasing the oranges.

 

Role for Dr Jones

 

You are Dr. J W. Jones, a biological research scientist employed by a pharmaceutical firm. You have recently developed a synthetic chemical useful for curing and preventing Rudosen.

Rudosen is a disease contracted by pregnant women. If not caught in the first four weeks of pregnancy, the disease causes serious brain, eye, and ear damage to the unborn child. Recently, there has been an outbreak of Rudosen in your state and several thousand women have contracted the disease. You have found, with volunteer victims, that your recently developed synthetic serum cures Rudosen in its early stages. Unfortunately, the serum is made from the juice of the Ugli orange which is an exceedingly rare fruit. Only a small quantity (approximately 4000) of these oranges were produced last season. No additional Ugli oranges will be available until next season, which will be too late to cure the present Rudosen victims.

You've demonstrated that your synthetic serum is in no way harmful to pregnant women. Consequently, there are no side effects. The Food and Drug Administration has approved the production and distribution of the serum as a cure for Rudosen.

Unfortunately, the present outbreak was unexpected, and your firm had not planned on having the compound serum available for six months. Your firm holds the patent on the synthetic serum, and it is expected to be a highly profitable product when it is available to the public.

You have recently been informed, on good evidence, that Mr. R.H. Cardoza, a South American fruit exporter, is in possession of 3000 Ugli oranges in good condition. If you could obtain all 3000 you would be able to both cure the present victims and provide sufficient inoculation for the remaining pregnant women in the state. No other state currently has a Rudosen threat.

You have recently been informed that Dr. P. W. Roland is also urgently seeking Ugli oranges and is also aware of Mr. Cardoza's possession of the 3000 available. Dr. Roland is employed by a competitor. He has been working on biological warfare research for the past several years. There is a great deal of industrial espionage in the pharmaceutical industry. Over the past several years, Dr. Roland's firm and your firm have sued each other for infringement of patent rights and espionage law violations several times.

You've been authorized by your firm to approach Mr. Cardoza to purchase the 3000 Ugli oranges. You have been told he will sell them to the highest bidder. Your firm has authorized you to bid as high as $250,000 to obtain the 3000 available oranges.

Before approaching Mr. Cardoza, you have decided to talk with Dr. Roland to influence him so that he will not prevent you from purchasing the oranges.

 

 

Heard, seen, respected (HSR)

-Total time: 35-45 minutes

-Group size 4+

 

Aim:

Being able to actively listen and show empathy towards each other is vital to any team that wants to not only be successful, but to move out of the storming stage. This activity provides a chance for team members to pair up, share a time when they felt they were not heard, seen or respected, and their ‘teammate’ is there to listen, not fix the solution or give advice on what could have been done differently. It allows our teams to listen more empathically to our colleagues, increasing interpersonal relationships.

 

 

Materials:

None

Instructions:

Five Structural Elements –

Step 1: Structuring Invitation (5-10 mins)

• Invite participants to tell a story to a partner about a time when they felt that they were not heard, seen, or respected.
• Ask the listeners to avoid any interruptions other than asking questions like “What else?” or “What happened next?”

Step 2: How Space Is Arranged

• Chairs facing each other, a few inches between knees
• No tables

 

Step 3: How Participation Is Distributed

• Everyone has an equal amount of time, in turn, to participate in each role, as a storyteller and a listener

Step 4: How Groups Are Configured

• In pairs for the storytelling
• Then foursomes for reflecting on what happened

Step 5: Sequence of Steps and Time Allocation

• Introduce the purpose of HSR: to practice listening without trying to fix anything or make any judgments. - 3 min.
• One at a time, each person has 7 minutes to share a story about NOT being heard, seen, or respected. - 15 min.
• Partners share with one another the experiences of listening and storytelling: “What did it feel like to tell my story; what did it feel like to listen to your story?” - 5 min.
• In a foursome, participants share reflections, asking, “What patterns are revealed in the stories? What importance do you assign to the pattern?” - 5 min.
• As a whole group, participants reflect on the questions, “How could HSR be used to address challenges revealed by the patterns?”- 5 min.

WHY? Purposes

• Reveal how common it is for people to experience not being heard, seen, or respected.
• Reveal how common it is for people to behave in a way that makes other people feel they are not being heard, seen, or respected.
• Improve listening, tuning, and empathy among group members.
• Notice how much can be accomplished simply by listening.
• Rely on each other more when facing confusing or new situations.
• Offer catharsis and healing after strains in relationships.
• Help managers discern when listening is more effective than trying to solve a problem.

Tips and Traps (for introducing HSR)

• Say, “Your partner may be ready before you. The first story that pops into mind is often the best.”
• Make it safe by saying, “You may not want to pick the most painful story that comes to mind.”
• Make it safe by saying, “carefully Protect the privacy of the storyteller. Ask what parts, if any, you can share with others.”
• Suggest, “When you are the listener, notice when you form a judgment (about what is right or wrong) or when you get an idea about how you can help, then let it go.”

 

Tips for virtual:

• Use a video conferencing tool where you can assign the pair of participants into breakout rooms (e.g. MS Teams).
• When briefing the exercise and assigning the pairs to work together, keep all participants in the main video conference room and explain best practices.
• After this step is completed, turn on breakout rooms so each pair can work on being a storyteller and listener.
• After the first pair breakouts are completed, bring everyone back together, explain the next step and separate them into four-person breakout sessions.
• After the group breakout groups are completed and participants return to the main room, debrief the exercise.
• When facilitating full group discussion, participants can use non-verbal means to indicate they would like to speak. You can use tools like Team’s nonverbal feedback tools, a reaction emoji, or just have people put their hands up. The facilitator can then invite that person to talk.

Norming:

Appreciations exercise

-Total time: 5-15 minutes

-Team size: 6-12

Aim:

In the norming stage we want to focus on our strengths, compassion and celebrate our successes. The appreciations exercise is a simple method that takes 5-15 minutes to facilitate. In this activity, each member of the team is invited to write a few words of what they most value about their colleagues on a piece of paper before passing it on. Eventually, it returns to that person, and they can see what the team appreciates about them. It’s a great activity to continue relationship building and have a little bit of fun!

Instructions:

This version works best in groups of six to twelve; outside these limits you will want to adapt it, by breaking into smaller groups.

Step 1: Have people sit in a close circle, including the facilitator (supervisor/manager/leader).

Step 2: Explain the value of feedback about strengths. (Boosts confidence; enhances performance; encourages growth; increase engagement; fosters a positive environment.)

Step 3: Give everyone a sheet of A4 paper, including the facilitators.

Step 4: Ask them to write their own name on the bottom of the paper clearly.

Step 5: Pass the paper to the person on the left.

Step 6: That person writes a phrase or a few words, at the top of the page, to describe what they most value about the person whose name is on the bottom of the sheet.

Step 7: Fold the paper neatly so the comments are covered.

Step 8: Pass the paper on to the next person and repeat steps 5,6 and 7 until everyone has had a go and has the paper back with their own name on the bottom.

Step 9: Everyone reads their own comments quietly.

Step 10: Ask each person to mark the one they like the best.

Step 11: Ask people to stand up in a close circle and ask everyone to say the strength they liked using positive words like "I am...." or "I have...."

Step 12: Remind people to take their pieces of paper home and treasure them.

For virtual:

Mural – this is a template that you use online with your teams. Instructions are included in the template.

 

Circles of influence

-Total time: 30-40 minutes

-Team size: 2+

Aim:

After progressing from the Storming stage, it is vital to give teams a chance to continuously improve and grow. The circles of influence is a way to allow your team to focus on what is in their sphere of control and influence. This way we can prioritise tasks and important goals over out-of-our-control or novel things.

Materials:

-Markers

-Sticky-notes

-Flipchart or whiteboard

Instructions:

Step 1: (10-15 Mins)

Draw up Covey's circles on an online whiteboard or flipchart (if in person). Make sure that everyone in the group understands the basic theory and how you are going to use it in this workshop.

Give everyone post-its and a marker and ask them to write down:

• Things that affect this team, in a meaningful way, both internal and external

Things can be defined broadly here – members can include whatever feels relevant. One thing per post-it note. And as many as they can think of in 5-10 minutes.

 

Step 2: (5 Mins)

Now ask the group to place the post-its onto the circles, one-by-one, deciding whether each thing is in the circle of influence or the circle of concern.

The rest of the group can pitch in with opinions and support at this point. It should be a collaborative effort.

Cluster any that are the same or similar. Remove duplicates.

 

Step 3: (10-15 Mins)

Now start a discussion. Invite the group to reflect on the following questions:

• What observations or impressions do I/we have when looking at our circles of influence?
• What actions could I/we take to affect those things I/we CAN influence?
• How should I/we relate to those things in our circle of concern that we have little or no influence over?
• How might I/we reevaluate my/our priorities based on this reflection?

Capture any actions that come out of this discussion in a separate spot on the wall. Each action should be clearly defined with a deadline and a person responsible.

 

Team self-assessment

-Total time: 60 minutes

-Team size: 2-10

Aim:

In this activity, teams are given an opportunity to assess the strengths and weaknesses of the team based on their current experiences. By giving all team members an opportunity to share their thoughts in this task it enables you to see what their concerns are and therefore as a team, build a plan to address these concerns.

Materials

-Flipchart paper

-Post-its (one colour)

-Thick markers (black)

-Small coloured sticky dots (one colour)

-Masking tape

Instructions

Your team is a system. It is complex with multiple and interlocking parts. It’s possible to think of the team using the software term “operating system” to denote a complex system that supports people to work (programmes to run) and is improved over time through constant, small iterations.

This activity is an essential starting point for any team that wants to update its OS and evolve the way it works. Most teams work and grow organically, with little deliberate attention given to designing the working process, exploring interpersonal relations, and challenging traditional notions of hierarchy.

By taking the time to do a self-assessment a team can surface things that are implicit and make them explicit. Only once they are explicit can a team talk about them and change them.

 

Step 1: (20-25 Mins)

This workshop uses six dimensions to frame the reflection and discussion. Write these on a whiteboard, flipchart paper, or show them on a screen for the team to copy.

• Team Relations & Environment
• Information & Decision-Making
• Responsibility & Accountability
• Learning & Individual Purpose
• Collective Purpose
• Profit & Productivity

Give each team member a sheet of flipchart paper, portrait orientation. Instruct them to draw 5 horizontal lines, splitting it into 6 equal sections and label each section with a dimension.

Allow up to 20 minutes to individually reflect on these dimensions. Individuals should write down statements that apply to each dimension. Sentences should follow the below flow:

As a team, we...

Some will be positive or celebratory, others will be critical or development oriented. Ask members to arrange their statements on the paper, with the most development-oriented on the left and the most celebratory on the right.

Facilitator notes:This workshop is not about blaming individuals for the team performance. When reflecting and analysing the team we are talking about the team as a whole, as an organism in and of itself.

 

Step 2: (10 Mins)

On a whiteboard or flipchart draw a large version of the 6 sections that they have been working on. The aim of this step is to bring everyone's statements together to see where the team agrees and disagrees on the 6 dimensions.

One-by-one, invite the team members to share 2-3 post-its from each dimension. They should just read out what they have written. No other explanation or justification is necessary at this point.

Again, they should put the more development-oriented statements to the left, and the more celebratory statements to the right.

 

Step 3: (10 Mins)

The aim of this step is to narrow down the statements and remove any clear duplications.

Invite someone from the team to cluster the statements. When they feel they are finished, ask the group if anyone feels strongly about changing the clusters. If they do, invite them up to make the changes.

Repeat this until nobody objects to the clustering. It may take a few rounds, but eventually you will arrive at a choice of statements that nobody strongly disagrees with. This is a consent-based group decision.

 

 

Step 4: (5 Mins)

The aim of this step is to see what statements the group feels strongly about. You're going to do that through dot voting.

Give each team member a sheet of small, coloured sticky dots. They should all be the same colour, so you cannot tell who voted for which statement.

Ask the team members to look at the clustered statements. They should stick a dot on the statements that they think are important to this team. The things they think should be addressed, changed, or celebrated. There is no limit to the number of dots they can use.

When everyone is finished voting, step back and look at the board / flipchart. The spread, density, and frequency of the dots will give you an immediate sense of what the team thinks is important.

 

Step 5: (10-15 Mins)

The aim of this last step is to digitise the insights from the workshop and figure out the next steps!

Ask the group for a volunteer to turn what is on the board / flipchart into a digital image. They should take a picture(s) on their phone, and transfer the information onto a collaborative, editable document. Something like a Word document saved in your local SharePoint or teams group.

Now is the time for a group discussion. The team should decide what to do with this information. Here are a few suggestions:

• Formally celebrate the positive statements in some way.
• Schedule discussion sessions over the next few weeks, each one focused on one development-oriented statement from one of the dimensions.

Facilitator’s note: Editability and collaboration is key to this document being useful. The information and insights belong to the team. It is now the team's responsibility to make change.

 

Tips for running this activity online

• Pick an online whiteboard tool that allows you to use a large, zoomable canvas.
• Set up each of the six dimensions for the exercise on your canvas and invite participants to zoom in and add post-it notes to each section during the review stage of this exercise.
• When facilitating group discussion, we recommend participants use non-verbal means to indicate they would like to speak. You can use tools like Team’s nonverbal feedback options, a reaction emoji, or just have people put their hands up. The facilitator can then invite that person to speak.
• In step 4, use voting features such as Mural’s voting session tool during the dot voting process.

 

Appreciative inquiry

-Total time: 60 minutes

-Group size: 4+

Aim

Appreciative inquiry is a strengths-based approach focusing on what is working well and how to build on it. This exercise aims to lean on this concept by finding successes in our challenges and sharing these with our colleagues. Learners can take this opportunity to reflect on how they achieved these successes and focus on building a strengths-based approach for future task or project-related work.

Materials

Chairs for people to sit in pairs face-to-face; no tables needed, Paper/Post Its for participants to take notes, Flip chart to record the stories and assets/conditions.

Instructions

Step 1 (3 Mins)

Describe an overview of the process and then specify a theme or what kind of story participants are expected to tell. See Step 2 for an idea.

Step 2 (1 Mins)

Structuring Invitation

Ask, “Please tell a story about a time when you worked on a challenge with others, and you are proud of what you accomplished. What is the story and what made the success possible? Pair up preferably with someone you don’t know well.”

 

 

Step 3 (15-20 Mins)

In pairs, participants take turns conducting an interview and telling a success story, paying attention to what made the success possible. 7–10 minutes each.

 

Step 4 (15 Mins)

In groups of 4, each person retells the story of their pair partner. Ask participants to listen for patterns in conditions/assets supporting success and to make note of them.

 

Step 5 (10-15 Mins)

Collect insights and patterns for the whole group to see on a flip chart. Summarize if needed.

Step 6 (10 Mins)

Ask, “How are we investing in the assets and conditions that foster success?” and “What opportunities do you see to do more?”

Virtual tips:
Share a breakdown of the activity in the main meeting room.
Use breakout rooms for steps 3 and 4 on MS Teams.
Return team members back to the main meeting room to debrief steps 5 + 6.
You could use an online whiteboard or an application like Padlet (access is through digital learning Insite webpage) to collect insights in steps 5 + 6.

I used to think…but now, I think…

-Total time: 5-15 minutes

-Team size: 2+

Aim:

In this activity, team members are given an opportunity to reflect on how their perspectives and ways of working have changed and been positively affected by the team or individuals. This can reveal much about how the team feel about their progress and are able to understand how they have changed.

Materials

• Post it
• Pens

Instructions

Set Up

Depending on group size, either a circle of chairs, or tables set up for small groups to interact.

Instructions (5-15 Mins)

This is a good reflection protocol following an activity or event that should lead to experiencing or learning something new, or perhaps to a change in attitude about something. Participants are asked to answer two questions quietly (in writing if it's a large group or if it's been a lengthy activity with lots happening).
1. I used to think...
2. But now I think...
Give two to five minutes for reflecting or writing depending on the length of the activity and the learning expected. Then people can share their answers to the group. You may want to collect them on flip chart paper or even type them to share later with participants or others. If you have a large group, you might want to break them into smaller groups so that each person can share.

 

Virtual teams: Guess the desk

-Total time: 5-15 minutes

-Team size: 4+

Aim:

A light-hearted and fun activity for any team working virtually. This can be used a warm-up activity which will enable your team to competitively guess whose desk belongs to who. Each member of the team gets an opportunity to guess another team member’s desk. The aim of this activity is to continue to build team spirit, especially in a virtual environment where it is more difficult to build and maintain team spirit.

Materials:

None.

Instructions

A gently competitive twist on an old remote-working standard, Guess the Desk is a game to help online teams get to know each other, share their workspaces while also having fun and getting energised!

Step 1:
Have every participant take a photograph of their desk or work set-up. Whether this is an actual desk, the kitchen table or the sofa, everything and anything works! Recommend that your participants remove any obviously identifying things from their desks where possible!

Step 2:
Each participant sends the photograph to the facilitator over a private message and the facilitator then puts these randomly into an online whiteboard or a shared document.

Step 3:

The facilitator elects the first Desk President randomly. During each round, the Desk President gets to decide on the final vote of whose desk is whose. In the first round, have the group debate on who the first desk belongs to. Timebox this so they have only 60 seconds to decide.

When this time is up, the Desk President casts the vote. If they get it right, the Desk President gets a point. The Desk President then chooses the next President and play moves to the next round.

Continue in this way until all the desks have been guessed!

Additional rules for play:

If your desk is being guessed, your job is to convince the group it belongs to someone else. If the Desk President votes that your desk belongs to someone else - you get a point!

As Desk President, you cannot go against the group's decision if your desk is the one being deliberated.

(These rules are part of what makes the game fun and competitive - you can play without them, but they make participants bluff and really consider whose desk is whose!)

Step 4:

Total all the points, find the winner, and then debrief. Share best practices from the desk photos for remote work - pointing out good working set-ups and inviting participants to contribute on what ideas they might take from someone else's desk.

 

Adjourning:

History map

-Total time: 60 minutes

-Team size: 2+

Aim:

History map provides you with a chance to reflect on the entire journey of a team or project. In this activity, it is encouraged to consider deeply the successes, difficulties and changes made. This activity reminds all who are involved of the journey you have been on, the major learning points and how to take these into future projects or teams.

 

Materials:

• Multi-coloured markers
• Roll of paper
• Old magazines
• Glue
• Scissors
• Sticky notes

  

Instructions

Step 1:

Prepare by rolling out a long piece of paper (5-10 meters) on the floor or on a wall or use a whiteboard. Draw a timeline representing the period of a project or team experience. Include dates and a few key events, but not more. If virtual, use an online whiteboard to draw a timeline.

Step 2: (15-30 Mins)

Ask participants to draw in elements of their experiences. They can include their highlights and lowlights of the journey, as well as insights, emotional highs and lows, challenges, successes, frustrations, stories and surprises, situations, learnings, and anything else that meant something. An alternative is to do this step using images from magazines. Spread out a large pile of old magazines, along with scissors and glue. Participants do the same as above but using magazine cut-outs rather than drawings.

Put on music while participants do this. Give enough time that the paper becomes as full as possible.

 

Step 3: (5-10 Mins)

After the map has been created, ask participants to walk around the map, reflecting in silence on the experiences they have shared. Ask them to begin thinking about the most important moments for them, individually. Give about 5-10 minutes for this step.

 

Step 4: (10 Mins)

Finally, have participants sit or stand around the map in a circle. Then, one-by-one, participants place a sticky note on the moment that has been the most important to them. After placing the sticky note, they briefly describe the moment and its significance. Continue until all participants have placed a sticky note and shared.

 

Tips for running this activity online

• Pick an online whiteboard tool that allows you to use a large, zoomable canvas.
• Draw the timeline in the online whiteboard and invite participants to add to it throughout the exercise.
• Instead of placing a sticky note, have your team place a symbolic image, emoji, or shape. A GIF or meme might also work.
• When facilitating group discussion, we recommend participants use non-verbal means to indicate they would like to speak. You can use tools like MS Team’s nonverbal feedback options, a reaction emoji, or just have people put their hands up. The facilitator can then invite that person to speak.

 

Bus trip

-Total time: 10 minutes

-Team size: 10+

Aim:

In comparison to the History map, this is a much quicker way for teams to celebrate each other and the success of the team or project. This is like the appreciations exercise seen in the Norming stage. The aim is to focus on the positives and share appreciate comments with the person sat across from you.

Instructions

Setup

Put as many chairs as there are participants in two rows. Place the chairs tightly, facing each other. If there is an odd number of participants, put a single chair in front for the bus driver.

Flow

Brief the participants. Welcome them to a great invention. Explain that you have a fantastic bus that does not pollute the air, because it runs on positive energy. On this bus everyone gets to speak with everyone, and they are for sure going to have a great trip together.

Load the bus. Ask the participants to go and sit on the chairs, close to each other. If there are odd numbers of participants, one person will play the bus driver and will just listen.

Start giving positive feedback. Ask the participants in one row to give as much positive feedback as possible to the participants seated in the opposite row (who will listen quietly). Give the following types of examples:

• What I like about you is…
• What I appreciate about you is…
• I feel happy whenever you…

Announce a time limit of 45 seconds.

Change the roles. After 45 seconds stop them and then ask the participants in the other row to take their turn.

Rotate the participants. After another 45 seconds, it is time to rotate the passengers. If you have an even number of participants, select one person to stay on the same chair. Ask everyone else to rotate one chair clockwise. If you have an odd number of participants, ask everyone to rotate one chair clockwise. This will result in a new person becoming the bus driver.

Continue the positive conversations. As before, ask the participants in the two rows to take turns sharing positive feedback. Keep rotating the participants depending on the available time.

Debriefing

Conduct a debriefing discussion after several rounds of this activity. Ask the participants to discuss what happens when people give positive and appreciative feedback. Talk about the energy created in the room. Ask them how they can give more positive feedback within this group, within the organization, and in their families.