Each of us has more hidden inside us than we have a chance to explore.
– Muhammad Younus –
Everyone has to work in teams, but it is not obligatory to engage in teamwork. Many teams we work with have evolved all sorts of unhealthy behaviours that affect the health of the team and impede performance and outcomes. Yet much of what really goes on in such teams is never talked about openly. Under the typical pressures of modern organisational life, most teams concentrate on trying to get the job done – regardless of team blockages that might be getting in the way, such as lack of understanding of each other, unhealthy but unspoken norms of behaviour, poor meetings or unresolved disagreements and their resulting ‘baggage’.
The impact on performance, motivation and enjoyment of team blockages is immense and rarely understood – if it was, surely people would do more about addressing it?
Often what is needed to help such teams make a step-change in performance is a review mechanism to address the issues that are getting in the way. But this is hard to do if the team leader, who is normally expected to initiate such discussions, is also part of the problem or needs to be involved in the discussion. Such difficult discussions require skilled facilitation in order to provide effective structure and manage the process of the meeting to ensure discussions are free, frank and above all, seen to be fair by all parties.
We offer a range of facilitation techniques that can help. We can provide meeting facilitators for small groups and for large conferences who are skilled in meeting management and conflict resolution. We also offer highly regarded training courses for people who want to become more effective in managing group situations. For more information on our Facilitation Services please contact us.