Category Archives: Teams

Team Emotional and Social Intelligence

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There are many measurable skills that contribute to individual high performance.  Furthermore, there are essential soft skills that make possible the delivery of that performance to an organization.

A majority of these soft skills pertain to interpersonal relationships, and so are only visible in team settings.  Working as part of a team is much more difficult than working on one’s own – it means having to rely on others, committing to a common set of objectives, and modifying one’s own behaviors to accommodate those of others and move everyone toward shared goals.

Team EMotional and Social Intelligence

There are, however, simple choices that can improve overall team function, and allow individuals to contribute their individual best – unhindered by team discord.  These choices amount to team emotional and social intelligence, which, in turn, enables sustainable productivity.  Intelligence, here, s used in a non-traditional way – meaning something closer to awareness than ability.  For everyone is able to choose “emotionally intelligent” behaviors, but we to be cognizant of their value and how to put them to use.

To develop this awareness, self-assessment couldn’t be more valuable in providing insight into current behaviors and tendencies as juxtaposed with statistically sound, effective behaviors.  The Team Emotional and Social Intelligence (TESI) soft-skills training program is the perfect way to develop a practical picture of an entire team’s effectiveness.

Team Emotional and Social IntelligenceRevealing a 360 degree evaluation of a team’s “Collaboration Skills,” the TESI shows common strengths and weaknesses in seven areas of teamwork.  Stressing the idea that each member of a team needs a personal association with their team (a reason they have to continue working toward team goals), this program shows participants that it is possible for every team to possess excellent collaboration skills, achieve high performance, and feel emotionally and socially well while acting as part of their team.

An experiential learning program, the TESI will not only allow participants to learn from their self-assessments, but to participate in activities and action planning that will apply directly to their own experience – learning that can take effect immediately, and that will resonate with teams as they work together.

Try TESI today!

The Right Stuff

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Our planet has a specific set of resources.  Independently, they’re just a group of things.  But, under the right conditions, when they interact with one another and begin processes in which they are interdependent, they have the ability to synthesize into a thing that has greater capabilities.  (Liquid water and biogenic elements come together and begin processes facilitated by energy from the sun.  With adequate protection and stability, they become life.)

Life Begins

In the same way, a specific group of people can work together interdependently and communicate with each other to accomplish common goals.  They can be a team.  These conditions, however, do need to be met in order to create a synergistic team:

  • Interdependence

A group is not a team until its members’ actions depend on each other.  Knowing that someone depends on you is a great motivator to regulate and maintain quality, time management, and interpersonal relationships.  Everyone learns from everyone else and applies that new knowledge to their own tasks.  And with acknowledgement of interdependence comes the open communication of needs – of and between individuals and of the team as a whole.

  • Communication/Information Flow

A team requires an accurate and constant flow of information – reinforcing goals, needs, and main points.  This serves, also, to make transitions smooth, prevent individual departures down unexpected paths, and generate a continuous exchange of ideas – turning over new stones and polishing existing ones.  It confirms and reminds of shared assets, shared processes, and shared goals.

  • Common Goals

Communication and Interdependence only make a team if, rather than maintaining the mindset of perfecting their own tasks, individuals are focused on how best to achieve team goals.  Each member needs to understand why everyone is doing what they’re doing, and how they can help to move things forward.  The acceptance of and alignment to common goals will structure and strengthen a group – determining the actions and methods of its members, and uniting them as a team.

Mars Surface Rover

Bring the concept of team-membership to life through experiential learning in a team building game.  Mars Surface Rover will show the members of your organization how to recognize and capitalize on the benefits of being part of a team – highlighting the need for the three conditions above, and writing the formula for success.  Illustrated by a fun and memorable activity, the model presented by Mars Surface Rover incorporates soft skills training beyond team building to communication, time management, problem solving, and more.

Get started with this HRDQ customer favorite today, and watch your teams flourish!

Marco…

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Managing employees is a true feat of soft skills.  Communication, personality style, leadership, and  project and performance management are all put to the test on a daily basis.

Sometimes, the employees you manage might seem like they’re on another planet, even when they’re sitting right in front of you.  So, what if they’re in another building?  Another city?  Another country?  Actually ON another planet?  It happens.

Managing Offsite Employees

When employees are discreetly distributed, the manager’s position becomes more important and requires a broader skill set.  The manager may be the only link between employees – the one to set schedules, allocate resources, and synthesize production.  But he also needs to be the one to ensure alignment – making sure his employees are all aware of and working toward organizational goals.

Although it’s such a basic thing, the loss of face-to-face communication can have a huge impact on how things get done.  Written communication and phone skills become invaluable, and relationships need to be built more deliberately without the luxury of casual interactions.  Managers who are great face-to-face may find themselves struggling in this new system of information transfer.

Managing Offsite EmployeesThey need help filling in the gaps left by the demands of a discreet organizational system.  So help them!  Managing Offsite Employees is a new title from the Reproducible Training Library.  A complete, half-day program, it assesses and builds skills in all areas needed by managers of remote teams.

You can even make your training session into an example of efficient communication and teamwork across distances.  Have your managers print out their own participant materials and try an alternative means of meeting – like a webinar or phone or video conference.

Providing the appropriate supervision training is instrumental to a strong team – wherever they are.  Settling for resources in a convenient location is a thing of the past.  Build your team on a global scale – because you want the best; because it’s possible; because your supervisors know how to manage offsite employees.

I used to think the sum of one and one was two…

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There’s a reason we work in teams.  We’re not that lonely, we don’t really need to make others feel included, and we’re not not-good-enough on our own.  But we can be better.  When individuals face a common problem (or opportunity!), they can produce results that reflect the combined strengths of everyone involved.  Broadening not just the potential for production, but the set of benefactors of success.  More goodness from more people for more people – synergy.

But, if you’re working as a team, and the results you’re coming up with are not better than could be achieved by your single most capable team member, something is broken.  You’re not achieving synergy.

Synergy?

There are many reasons why this may not be happening for your team – but the result of all teamwork comes first from team decision making.  If there are problems with your decision-making process, your implementation will suffer.  Every decision has consequences – choosing to embark down the wrong path can effect each decision that follows, and setbacks can amass exponentially.

In training, it’s important to acknowledge that group decision making can be much more difficult than individual decision making – especially when the decision at hand needs to be made under pressure.  Circumstances that require high-pressure decision making are times of uncertainty, in which people tend to reach for the familiar.  They may rely on comfortable ideas and not consider all available possibilities.  They may be too eager to agree with other group members to preserve relationships, rather than fully sharing their own perspective – unintentionally denying the group their own individual expertise.

Black BearKeeping your group decision-making process at its best is no easy task, especially if there is no opportunity to objectively assess the solution while it’s in progress.  Simulations can provide a non-threatening environment for experiential learning and decision-making assessment.

HRDQ’s Black Bear (part of the Team Adventure Series) highlights a variety of soft skills required by teams, and focuses on consensus decision making under pressure.  Providing a detailed and exciting scenario, Black Bear transports participants into a life-or-death situation in which their individual and group decision-making skills are put to the test.  Specific to teams working under pressure, Black Bear sets out a model for consensus decision making that touches on all aspects of teamwork and improves results and relationships for participants.

Help your team add up to more with Black Bear!

Wear Your Personality on Your Sleeve (or Which Ninja Turtle Should You be for Halloween?)

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Our Personality Style comes through every day, whether we are conscious of it or not.  Awareness allows us to take control of – and improve – our interpersonal relationships.  Developing an understanding of our Personality Style can be the first step in improvement.  This Halloween, you can start by choosing to celebrate your style.  Obviously, you were planning on being a Ninja Turtle.  I didn’t even have to ask.  But which one should you be?

Do you have a Direct style?

Raphael embodies the Direct style.  Never hesitating to take action, he’s always ready when the team encounters conflict and isn’t reluctant to dive in feet first.

Do you have a Spirited style?

Michaelangelo’s big personality always keeps the team engaged and communicating – on a personal level, and when it’s time to get down to business.

Do you have a Systematic style?

Donatello is a total Systematic.  As the team’s technical expert, he’s always thinking of new ways to improve strategy and resources to get things done more efficiently.

Do you have a Considerate style?

Leonardo pulls the team together with his Considerate style – reminding them of their purpose and the teachings of their leader, and keeping everyone working together, harmoniously, toward common goals.

One reason the Turtles are such a successful team is their variety of styles.  Each style has a different way of contributing to the group dynamic and taking on leadership.

Not sure exactly which Turtle you have the most in common with?  The What’s My Team Member Style?  Assessment can help you better understand the contribution you make to your team, and how to capitalize on your personal strengths to benefit your organization.

Try it now at the HRDQ Store!

When show beats tell. The ‘a-ha’ moment.

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A Post by HRDQ President, Brad Glaser.

“Why can’t these people work together as a team?”

There’s no doubt in my mind you’ve heard that cry for help. If you’re a training professional, you’re well-aware that teamwork is vital to workplace success. After all, the once novel concept is now considered part of the modern organizational structure. This trend will only continue to grow in importance with the emergence of virtual, cross-functional, and multi-functional teams.

So why do some teams continue to struggle with the concept of teamwork? Believe it or not, the answer may be quite simple. They probably don’t have a clear vision of how a well-oiled team thinks, acts, or feels.

The Complete Jungle Escape Game Kit

You can stand in front of your audience and tell—even push—them to be better team members, but we have a better idea. Let them experience it. In other words, show them. Hands-on training games like Jungle Escape whisk teams away from the traditional classroom and places them in a learning adventure that’s fun, effective, and memorable. It’s been a perennial favorite among trainers since it was first introduced more than 30 years ago, and it continues to be a bestseller today. And for one reason: It works.

At HRDQ, we believe show beats tell. There isn’t a more powerful way for adults to learn a new skill than to experience it for themselves. It’s what makes the lightbulb go on—the proverbial ‘a-ha’ moment trainers strive to achieve with their audiences.

And that’s what you get with Jungle Escape.

Immersed in a survival scenario, teams are challenged to work together to build a makeshift helicopter with only toy parts, limited access to a model—and each other. Real learning is quickly absorbed through the discovery and practice of critical group-process skills such as planning, problem solving, and decision making. Before they know it, your audience has experienced firsthand the difference between a Cohesive team and one that’s either Fragmented or Divergent. Voila. The ‘a-ha’ moment.

Jungle Escape is an excellent way to introduce basic teambuilding, improve productivity between multiple work groups, or energize mature teams. Give it a whirl. We guarantee it will be an experience your teams won’t soon forget.

Food for Thought: Team Dysfunction

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Teamwork is the ultimate competitive advantage.  Fostering teams is a direct route to higher performance and a healthy organization.  While teams may encounter all sorts of conflict and discord, Patrick Lencioni (author of The Five Dysfunctions of a Team and business expert) suggests that the obstacles to team success boil down to five issues:

  1. Absence of Trust
  2. Fear of Conflict
  3. Lack of Commitment
  4. Avoidance of Accountability
  5. Inattention to Results

Here are some articles we’ve been reading while thinking about ways to keep our team healthy and successful:

Click here to read about Team Dysfunction

Patrick Lencioni has created an assessment to measure your teams’ strengths and weaknesses in these five key areas – allowing for targeted improvement.

Try it with your team today!

Simulation as a Diagnostic Tool

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There are many factors in successful teamwork.  When conflicts arise, or performance declines, it’s not always simple to find the root of the problem.

At HRDQ, we are firm believers in the effectiveness of experiential learning.  What – at first glance – may seem to be an indecipherable problem might become very clear in the context of a simulation.  By taking our everyday habits into a simulation, we highlight the ways we act as a team.  It creates a safe environment, where skills can be measured in action without jeopardizing an important team project.

One of our most popular simulations is Jungle Escape.  It’s been an HRDQ best-seller for 30 years, and continues to build and revitalize teams every day.  Jungle Escape is an eye-opening diagnostic tool that takes teamwork back to fundamentals.  Something as simple as measuring planning time against implementation time can shed light on all aspects of a team’s dynamic – and Jungle Escape does just that.

The scenario charges teams with the (hopefully!) unfamiliar task of constructing an escape helicopter.  After carrying out the simulated task, teams are presented with their planning to implementation ratio, and introduced to 3 types of teams (Fragmented, Divergent, and Cohesive).  After learning which type of team behavior they’ve exhibited, the 9 Elements of Effective Teamwork give participants specific reflecting points to guide improvement.  They help identify problem areas so that solutions and improvements are possible.

While Jungle Escape is about team dynamics, it also provides a look at individual behaviors, and how each individual can take action to improve the function of their group.  Participants will be able to put their knowledge to work in any team situation or group interaction.  It will instill in them a heightened awareness of what it means to be part of a team, and how each member of a team can be a leader – regardless of their title or rank.

This memorable experience will stay with participants throughout their careers.  When learning is fun, people want to keep doing it.  By creating a positive atmosphere for self-assessment and team improvement, Jungle Escape can transform the future of your teams, your organization, and their continued growth.  Get started today!

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Pointing a Finger at Blame

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A company culture of accountability is very different from a company culture of assigning blame.  But, it’s easy to see how the two can become confounded with one another.

In The 85% Solution, Linda Galindo writes,

“Be responsible for the success or failure of the endeavor, for your choices, behaviors, and actions –before you know how it all turns out. Own all of it, even if you’re working for or with somebody else.”

She’s talking about accountability – accepting, through action and reaction, one’s part in the success or failure of one’s team.  Not compartmentalizing a task or project and assigning “property” (positive or negative) to individuals, but engaging as part of the team – expecting each member to be accountable and responsible, equally, for any measure they can take to achieve a team goal.

A special difficulty comes with avoiding blaming behaviors in performance evaluations.  When discussing team and individual performance, it’s important to keep the conversation on a productive track.  Focusing on problem solving and how to achieve better results will help not just you and the individual you are reviewing – but the whole team – move forward together as a strong set of accountable individuals with a real interest in the future of your organization and their contribution to it.

Learn how you can help eliminate blame from the culture of your organization – register for our free webinar, Excuses, Excuses:  How to Overcome the Employee Blame Game, presented by Ken Phillips, on Wednesday, May 16th from 2:00 to 3:00 pm (Eastern Time).  Click here for more information, and sign up today!

The Best Equipment for Your Team

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The necessity for teams in business is undeniable – and the results they produce can be remarkable.  But without guidance, teams – and their performance – can falter or fail.

What does your team need to keep on track?

Somewhere to Go.

Consistent, periodic training sessions are essential to the maintenance and growth of teams – not only for the information and skill-building they provide, but as a forum for gathering experience in functioning and learning as a team.  As each individual in the team is offered a path for growth, the team as a whole will grow better results and stronger cohesion.

The Right Amount of Leadership.

Teams need leadership to rally and move forward.  They need leaders to empower them, guide them, and keep them working towards common goals.  But, at a point, every leader needs to remember that they, too, are members of the team, and step back to allow the strengths of each member to benefit the whole.

A Stake in the Game.

Members of a team must understand that individual results and compensation are not necessarily measures of team success.  It is not just an individual member’s performance that will impact the overall dynamic of the team, but how their performance relates and contributes to team goals.  An individual win never trumps a loss for the team, but a loss for the team definitely calls for reflection by every individual member.

Beyond leadership, accountability, and a path for growth, teams also benefit greatly from open communication.  Each member of a team will have his or her own way of relating to other individuals and to the group at large.  This is an effect of Personality Style.  By clearly understanding our own style, we can be more aware, and more selective of the behaviors we exhibit as a team member.

The What’s My Team Member Style? assessment measures a preference for one or more four basic behavioral styles: Direct, Spirited, Considerate and Systematic. The 18-item assessment also evaluates how individuals typically behave on a team. With increased awareness, they are better equipped to appreciate team member contributions, learn how to become more flexible, and build relationships.

Team success can be among the most rewarding accomplishments of your organization.  Let HRDQ help you develop your team – we’ll continue to develop ours!