1. Conflict Management For Teams: A guide for designing Team Interventions Interagency ADR Working Group Brown Bag Session Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Presented by:
Cheryl Caldwell
USGS Collaborative Action and Dispute Resolution Office

2. Objective
Utilizing an experiential format, share tools and resources for facilitating team interventions.
Upon completion, participants will be able to draft a team intervention framework, tailored to meet their clients needs.

3. Conflict Management For Teams: Team Intervention
Basic Requirements and Suggestions
Allow adequate time for preparation and pre-work ( i.e., assessments, interviews, planning meetings with client)
If possible, work with a co-facilitator to maximize intervention experience
Practice/Create opportunities to try your design
Notebook/scrapbook: (Agenda’s, tools, evaluation, tips, techniques)

4. Conflict Management for Teams: Tools and Skills
Facilitation
Training (Adult learning styles)
Group Dynamics
Consult with client and participants
Flexibility

5. Conflict Management for Teams: Team Intervention Steps
Pre-work/Preparation
Building the framework
Gaining team insight
Visioning
The Meeting: Discussion/ Next steps/Actions
Evaluating team success

6. Pre-work/Preparation
Individual interviews: What’s most important/What does success look like?
Surveys (e.g. Zoomerang, Survey Monkey)
Introduce Assessments Tools (MBTI, DISC etc.)
Agenda Planning/Development
Coordinate logistics/meeting room set up
Most important part in preparing for team intervention: Determine if it’s tem intervention or individual issues between one or two individuals
Make sure room is conducive to effective engagement: small cluster set up for larger groups, u-shape for smaller groups. Don’t be afraid to be creative and move folks around during the session
Light snacks may help

7. Building the Framework
Establish ground rules/guiding principles
Connect to the mission of the team and/or organization
Introduce a decision module that encourages collaboration and consensus
Review team expectations for the session
USGS Guiding Principles/ what are the behaviors demonstrated in the session
Silent Brainstorm
Consensus agreement: Thumbs/Dialogue/Impasse

8. Gaining Insight
Select an assessment tool that will allow individual and team insights. (Note: Some assessment tools may require certification)
Include a “mini” assessment session to foster enhanced understanding.
Example: Personal Discernment Inventory
Show a few slides from the PDI
Most assessment come w/ exercises on how to maximize learning experience

9. Visioning What are the successes? (Celebration)
Envision how team members want to engage each other.
What do they want more of ?
Use facilitation skills/tools to aid their conversation.
Using the high performing team model: Define the elements of a high performing team
What do you already have in place
If multiple issues, break into smaller discussion groups/ask visioning questions.
Take common themes and ask: How do you want this to work/ what do you need more of to successful
Capture celebrations/build from strengths

10. The Meeting: Discussion/Next Steps/Actions
Present common themes/prioritize
Be prepared to facilitate group discussion
Use facilitative tools to foster and enhance dialogue:
Gallery walk, Clock/Appointment Exercise, Open forum: Talking stick
Facilitate next steps/actions
Create a team agreement for signature
Transition from a facilitator to more of a coach
Do some “gap bridging” Coach U term for asking key questions to help team get from point a to point b
Put in the position to have “the conversation” needed to have clear elephant
Example of gallery: roles and responsibilities/expectations
Clock/ Appointment: Key questions? How do we remove the barriers between us….what conversation do we need to have

11. Evaluate Team Success
Facilitate discussion on how the team wants to evaluate their progress.
Make the evaluation process a team commitment to be included in their agreement.
When appropriate, provide recommendations of additional resources that support team goals (i.e., team coaching, training, follow up retreat).

12. References and Resources
Teams That Click, Harvard Business School Press,2004
Appreciative Team Building, Whitney, Trosten-Bloom, Cherney and Fry, 2004
Facilitating with Ease, Bens, 2005
Overcoming The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, Field Guide, Lencioni, 2005

13. Contact Information
Cheryl W. Caldwell, Program Manager
USGS-CADR, Reston, Virginia
(Office)
Terry L. Scruggs, Collaboration Specialist
USGS-CADR, Norcross, Georgia
Department of Interior
Office of Collaborative Action and Dispute Resolution
Washington, DC
Website: