Team building for Change Management

Building highly effective change management teams.

When asked what they would do differently next time, most teams would begin their change management activities earlier in their next project, instead of viewing it as an add-on or afterthought.

Team building in the midst of Change

Successful team building in the midst of change requires a decision maker with specific skills and attributes.

• Knowledge about the organization as a whole: Belief systems, climate, desires, values, attitudes and motivations
• A Focused Vision: The team must have a unified mission
• Optimism, faith and trust built on knowledge: Doubt and skepticism will erode the team spirit
• Initiative making sure each person is doing the part of the whole that they feel they can best contribute to the overall mission.

Team building: training and development

1. A producer. This person knows how to get the job done.
2. An administrator. He or she is able to plan and organize.
3. An entrepreneur. This individual has vision and creative problem-solving abilities.
4. An integrator. This person can take an individual goal and transform it into a group goal

Alternatives to these names are Collaborator, Contributor, Communicator and Challenger..

Team building requires a leader try to assemble a group individuals who possess one or more of each of these four qualities. The input of each is critical to build a productive, well-balanced team. The best decisions come from teams in which everyone is committed to contributing and working together.

Team building: The role of team leader

In order for the team to effectively function and maintain good communications with the parent organization, there needs to be a designated team leader. The team leader may be appointed by the team members from among the group or by the individual responsible for team building.

This leadership role can be challenging in that the leader will need to provide structure and support while still being a team member. To accomplish this task, the leadership responsibilities must be viewed differently from those of a traditional manager. Key words for describing this leadership role are guiding, stimulating, coaching, and coordinating.

• Guidance. Guidance refers to the process of directing the discussion and providing structure for planning and action to take place.
• Stimulation. Stimulation involves reinforcing productive team efforts, and checking and receiving feedback to determine if all team members are actively involved in the process.
• Coaching. Coaching may be done both one-on-one and in groups with other team members by giving feedback, asking If they are having problems, giving helpful suggestions, and recommending outside resources that can be helpful in alleviating the problem. Coaches do not repress conflict but manage it so that a constructive solution is found.
• Coordinating. Coordinating will involve improving communication and feedback among team members through improving the work environment, controlling the operational climate, and in general, indirectly doing things that help to produce a cohesive, finely tuned working team.

A successful team leader is skilled at dealing with feelings of people along with practical methods of effective problem solving. The leader needs to use a management approach that encourages team member participation in making decisions that affect the group.

Team building: chose a team leader who can

• link together individuals who can contribute
• bring clarity to objectives
• build a climate that is both supportive and confronting, ensuring that work methods are satisfying and effective
• set an environment that encourages and allows for the discussion of all relevant issues.

Great teams are composed of knowledgeable members, who have a focused vision, believe in their mission, and support each other with their initiative and skill development.

Team building workshop for change managers, leaders AND team members

Team members
and team building managers learn

The basic ingredients of an effective change management team

• Team member availability
• Team communication
• collaboration between team members
• Contributions of each team member

The key roles required for an effective team and the talents each role should posess

The role of a change management team leader

• Guidance
• Motivation
• Coaching
• Coordinating

What unsupported beliefs they have about an effective team leader

To determine which qualities a change team leader should have

What qualities should an effective change team member have

Addressing myths of of what makes a great team.

The real truth about team building.

Team building exercises
Team building exercise: The team test
Teaching tool for finding agreement on how a team can function best.
Results: Team member learn to gain agreement on how teams work together best.

Team building exercise: The hoop exercise
This exercise challenges a team to work together to achieve a common goal. Team members learn that having good relationship and experience working together will help them to be effective. Results: Change teams learn to avoid blame distribution and improve accountability.

Addresses the flowing issues: Blame distribution, Lack of leadership, too much leadership, Lack of communication, irrelevant communication, responsibility

additional management training programs

professional speaker Garrison Wynn: Keynote presentations for change management

additional training programs available from Wynn Solutions