Team Operating Guidelines

David Hutchens & Go Team David Hutchens is an author whose book series, The Learning Fables, features titles such as “Outlearning the Wolves”, and has sold more than a quarter million copies. He is the creator of “GO Team,” a library of 18 modules on team-related topics that allow you to easily assemble a learning agenda to support the teams in your organization. Learn more at or This Powernoodle Solution was created with Powernoodle Expert David Hutchens

Why Powernoodle? ► Powernoodle sessions are built to help groups quickly and respectfully make decisions that everyone understands, supports and is willing to implement. ► In this Powernoodle, your team will identify and agree on a set of shared operating guidelines. 3

Every team needs operating guidelines to work together towards its shared goals. Many teams – including advanced ones – never have this critical conversation. Once operating guidelines are established, the team will have a shared set of principles for working together and holding one another accountable. While a Team Leader may organize this Team Assessment Powernoodle, many teams find that an outside facilitator brings added value and objectivity to the Team Assessment. A facilitator can pull the background information together and keep the group moving forward. 4 Building a more successful team.

Characteristics of a great team In this Powernoodle session, your team will define and agree to a shared set of operating guidelines; that is, behavioral expectations that will set boundaries for how the team accomplishes its mission. A well-functioning team has the following characteristics:  Acts according to shared operating guidelines;  Has a clear, shared understanding around team purpose and team goals;  Recognizes and leverages the style differences of different team members; and  Exercises team creativity.

 Create efficiencies and increased coordination and alignment.  Experience a unifying effect as teams begin to work with greater alignment and commitment to maintain the team identity (which they themselves have helped to define).  Have a shared understanding of behaviors that define how the team accomplishes its work.  Reduce misunderstandings and conflict around behavioral boundaries.  Provide standards for holding one another accountable. 6 When your team has a shared, mutually agreed-upon set of operating guidelines, they will:

The Powernoodle Report is a tool for action.  The Powernoodle Report is a powerful tool in the strategic planning process.  The report is created automatically moments after your session ends.  It is available as an EXCEL spreadsheet download to all participants.  It captures every discussion thread for future reference and action.

Using this guide: A Powernoodle session has an Organizer and any number of Participants. This guide is designed for an Organizer and discusses some features of Powernoodle that are available only to the Organizer. This guide also contains information about the role of Participants in a Powernoodle session.

Desired outcome: an Action Plan to support the smooth operations of a successful team. 1.In this Powernoodle session, the Organizer will: 2.Create the Powernoodle Session. 3.Create two operating guidelines Questions, for example: “What operating guidelines and behaviors will all team members exercise in order to accomplish its mission?” “What behaviours from members will this team not accept?” 4.Invite all participants via into the Powernoodle Session. 5.Provide guidance to Participants at each step throughout the Session. Looking for more detailed directions? Watch the Organizer Training Series videos Looking for more detailed directions? Watch the Organizer Training Series videos

The Organizer’s Session Room 10 Explain the purpose of the session. This will also appear on the Agenda and the Invitation to Participants. Your group can work on one or several related questions in a session. List of invited Participants.

The Organizer’s job: In this Powernoodle, the Organizer will lead the group through Brainstorm, Vote, Rate, and Action Plan steps. The Organizer will lead the group through the two Questions concurrently. The group will finish the Brainstorm step in both before moving to the Category step in each, then complete the Voting in each, then the Rating step in each and the two Action Plans.

The Organizer’s job: Brainstorm – encourage Participants to add all their ideas in each Question. You will have a stronger set of guidelines and a more successful team if you phrase your ideas in a positive tone. Try to think of the behaviors you wish to see, for example, "hear and consider everyone's ideas" instead of “don’t be critical.”

The Organizer’s job: Vote – set the number of votes per Participants and make sure everyone has a chance to vote. Set the ‘single-criteria’ Rating for the Powernoodle sticky notes to range from 0 =strongly disagree to 10 = strongly agree for the following statement: “This will have an impact on the ability of this team to work together effectively to achieve its purpose.” Create an Action Plan – what tasks should the team do to nurture the desired behaviors and counter the undesirable behaviors?

Voting begins to filter the best ideas to the top. 14 You give each Participant a number of Voting arrows. Voting is customisable and a little bit of fun. The Organizer will filter ideas that do not receive any Votes. However all ideas are now documented in the downloadable Report.

Preparing for the next step with the Powernoodle Report. 15 Each tab captures all content from each step. Spreadsheet available for immediate download for all participants. Saves time and maintains buy-in to decisions.

 Now that the team has an agreed-upon set of guidelines, put them into action!  Refer to the guidelines frequently, and demonstrate how they have influenced your thinking, choices, and behaviors.  When team members do not honor the guidelines, hold them accountable. This is your team and your success! 16

Now that team members have a clearer idea of their areas of strength or deficit, they should plan for their own development. GO Team provides a library of easy-to- deliver training modules that address the very same team needs that were highlighted in this Powernoodle session. Pick the modules that are specific to your team’s development needs, and build your own training agenda! More resources for you 17 Explore GO Team’s Library of 18 Modules! Level 1: Setup for Success 1.Getting Grounded in Team Basics 2.Creating Team Operating Guidelines 3.Establishing Team Purpose and Goals 4.Clarifying Team Roles 5.Building on Style Differences 6.Assessing the Team Level 2: Go Team! 7.Enhancing Team Communication 8.Running Effective Team Meetings 9.Making Team Decisions 10.Avoiding Groupthink 11.Resolving Team Conflict 12.Solving Team Issues Level 3: See You at the Top 13.Building Team Trust 14.Giving and Receiving Feedback 15.Sharing Leadership 16.Sparking Team Creativity 17.Managing Change 18.Leveraging Team Learning

For detailed examples and directions, you can:  Watch the Powernoodle Organizer Training Series videos.  Log in and visit the Help section.  Contact us at  Join the Powernoodle user groups online. Powernoodle Help and Support 18

David Hutchens and GO Team

Powernoodle Template Team Operating Guidelines by Dave Hutchens and Powernoodle Inc is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License. Based on a work at and and