Description

Team Building Skills

Team building skills refers to a wide range of activities, presented to businesses, schools, sports teams, religious or nonprofit organizations designed for improving team performance.

Team building is pursued via a variety of practices, and can range from simple bonding exercises to complex simulations and multi-day team building retreats designed to develop a team (including group assessment and group-dynamic games), usually falling somewhere in between. It generally sits within the theory and practice of organizational development, but can also be applied to sports teams, school groups, and other contexts.

Team building is not to be confused with “team recreation” that consists of activities for teams that are strictly recreational. Team building can also be seen in day-to-day operations of an organization and team dynamic can be improved through successful leadership. Team building is said to have benefits of self-development, positive communication, leadership skills and the ability to work closely together as a team to solve problems.

Course Outline

Principles of Team Building

• Define success criteria
• Lead by example
• Value all contributions
• Reward group success

Team Examples

• Development Team
• Customer Support Team
• Steering Team

The Four Cs of Team Development

• The Search for the High-Performing Team
• Context: Laying the Foundation for Team Success
• Composition: Getting the Right People on the Bus
• Competencies: Developing Team Skills for High Performance
• Change: Devising More Effective Ways of Working Together
• Bringing the Four Cs Together
• Designing a Team-Building Program

Solving Specific Problems Through Team Building

• Managing Conflict in the Team
• Overcoming Unhealthy Agreement
• Reducing Conflict Between Teams

Team Building in Different Kinds of Teams

• Managing the Temporary Team
• High-Performing Virtual Teams
• Managing Inter-organizational (Alliance) Teams

The Challenge of Team Building for the Future

• Challenges for Building Effective Teams