EXTRAORDINARY GROUPS: How Ordinary Teams Achieve Amazing Results with Kathleen Ryan 1Bellman/Ryan © 2009

Today  Your own experience with an amazing group  Key concepts from our field study  Application of concepts to your role within training and development  Personal insight 2Bellman/Ryan © 2009

Who’s Here?  Name  Organization, Role  Dilemma? c. 2010, Bellman and Ryan3

Flow of the Day  Your own experience with an EG  Core concepts  You and the core concepts  Lunch  Design and facilitation  Dilemmas: putting the core concepts to work  Wrap up reflections, take-aways  Close by 4:30 c. 2010, Bellman and Ryan4

Meet Geoff c. 2010, Bellman and Ryan5

Starting Questions  Why do some groups achieve amazing results while most others do not?  What do extraordinary groups have in common that sorts them from the rest?  How might we create these terrific results more often? 6Bellman/Ryan © 2009

What’s Your Experience? 1.When you join or are assigned to a group, what do you hope for? 2.Think of an amazing group experience you have had. Identify three things that enabled that experience to be so memorable. 3.What feelings do you associate with that experience? 7c. 2010, Bellman and Ryan

Our Field Study  Sixty groups of 2-20, incl. virtual  Work, volunteer, personal life  Self-identified as “amazing”  Interviews with 1-3 members  1.5 to 2 hour phone interviews  Open ended questions and stories 8Bellman/Ryan © 2009

Extraordinary Groups, in a Nutshell  As humans we have a set of mostly unconscious core needs (hopes or longings) that we bring to any group we join, in any part of our lives.  When those needs are met by a group… A set of identifiable behaviors or circumstances show up in the group experience The experience can be transformational—and thus extraordinary!  Any group member, leader, or facilitator can intentionally act in ways that will support his or her group in becoming extraordinary. Copyright © 2010 Bellman, Ryan & Coray

An Extraordinary Group… Achieves outstanding results while members, individually or collectively experience a profound shift in how they see their world. 10Bellman/Ryan © 2009

Eight Performance Indicators 1.Compelling Purpose 2.Shared Leadership 3.Just-Enough Structure 4.Full Engagement 5.Embracing Difference 6.Unexpected Learning 7.Strengthened Relationships 8.Great Results 11Bellman/Ryan © 2009

Intangible Results  Learned about one’s self  Gained or deepened knowledge/skills  Applied to other parts of life  Built new or strengthened relationships  Increased pride of accomplishment  Heightened self confidence  Greater sense of community 12Bellman/Ryan © 2009

Groups in Human History  Thousands of years of living in groups  Survive together, perish alone  Genetically, instinctively informed to group  It’s easy to relate to a group; it’s hard to relate to a large organization  Groups are the way to get things done 13Bellman/Ryan © 2009

Getting Below the Surface Why do we human beings group? What is it that motivates us to join with others? 14 Bellman/Ryan © 2009

15 Six Group Needs  Accept one’s self while moving toward own Potential  Bond with others while pursuing common Purpose  Understand Reality of the world while making an Impact Bellman/Ryan © 2009

Think of a group…that really clicked!  As you listen to and think about the Group Needs, do you see them in this group?  If yes, which ones? Bellman/Ryan © 2009

ACCEPTANCE: Knowing and appreciating myself for who I am. POTENTIAL: Sensing and growing into my fuller and better self. 17Bellman/Ryan © 2010

BOND: Connections among us that create a shared sense of identity and belonging. PURPOSE: The reason why we come together. 18Bellman/Ryan © 2010

REALITY: Understanding and accepting the world as it is and how it affects us. IMPACT: Our intention to make a difference and our readiness to act. 19Bellman/Ryan © 2010

20 Four Feelings at the Heart of Transformation Energized ! Connected ! Hopeful ! Changed ! Bellman/Ryan © 2009

21 Energized Connected Hopeful Changed Bellman/Ryan © 2009

Getting Below the Surface 22 Eight Performance Indicators Four Feelings of Transformation Bellman/Ryan © 2009

Sometimes They Work…and… Sometimes They Don’t! Staff Meetings Reviews of Work Progress Group Problem Solving Visioning Planning Sessions Information Sharing and Updates Group Discussions Employee Engagement Team Development Collaborative Decision Making Conflict Management Brainstorming 23 c. 2010, Bellman and Ryan

Using EG Concepts: Designing 1.Given the outcomes, what Group Needs do I want to meet? 2.Which of the 8 Indicators do I most want to see in action? 3.What’s the least structured, most spacious way to achieve the outcomes? 4.Knowing myself, what strengths will I bring into the room? 5.Where might I get hooked and put myself-in-the- center? Bellman/Ryan © 2009

Using EG Concepts: Facilitating 1.What kind of observations/questions will support meeting members’ Group Needs? 2.What’s the least amount of talking I can do? 3.When the group shifts away from my design, what’s my purpose? 4.How do I manage myself so that I truly embrace difference? 5.How can I use the GN to engage the ‘difficult’ member? Bellman/Ryan © 2009

Designing and Facilitating 1.How do these questions apply to your work with groups? 2.What additional questions do they raise? Bellman/Ryan © 2009

Dilemmas to Address  When you think about helping a group go from ordinary to extraordinary, what’s one dilemma you’d like to address? About a group dynamic About yourself in your role?  Where does Design or Facilitation show up in your dilemma? Bellman/Ryan © 2009

Small Groups: Moving Toward Extraordinary 1.Quickly share interests to find your Purpose; decide on how you will use your time (15m) 2.Apply the Group Needs or other EG concepts to support success 3.Track – Strategies to employ – Ideas to ponder – Questions to bring to the whole group 4.Reflect on your group experience (10m) Bellman/Ryan © 2009

Meeting Group Needs, or Not… Group NeedsResultsThe Group Experience Meet Group Needs (intentionally or not) Increases likelihood for great tangible and intangible results and personal transformation Amazing! Don’t meet Group Needs Group does the best it can when it comes to both task achievement and relationship development Some groups better than others Less-than-effective dynamics Ordinary Contradict Group Needs Individuals feel directly ‘dissed’: disrupted, disliked, disconnected, disrespected Destructive conflicts Ineffective to Awful c. 2010, Bellman and Ryan

Using the Group Needs to Embrace Difference c. 2010, Bellman and Ryan Compelling Purpose Embracing Differences Engagement: What could we do to meet our Group Needs as a way to go from ‘me to we?’ Assessment: What’s going on in the situation that contradicts someone’s Group Needs? Using Group Needs to Assess and Engage Self Acceptance: knowing and accepting ourselves for who we are Potential: sensing and growing into our fuller and better selves Purpose: why we come together Bond: our shared sense of identity and belonging Reality: understanding and accepting the world as it is and how it affects us Impact: our intention to make a difference and our readiness to act

The Power of Embracing Difference c. 2010, Bellman and Ryan Just-Enough Structure Compelling Purpose Shared Leadership Embracing Differences Full Engagement Unexpected Learning Strengthened Relationships Great Results Transformation: a fundamental shift in individual perceptions that accelerates behavior change and personal vitality True Collaboration which leads to discovering or creating something new together

32 Life is too short to spend time in groups that do not fulfill their promise. Energized Connected Hopeful Changed Bellman/Ryan © 2009