1. Rx for Teams or… Help! We Need Teambuilding!
A Model for Restoring Team Health
Presented by:
Dawn Baker, Medica
Vince Therrien, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota

2. Session Objectives By the end of this session, you will be able to…
Describe a best practice team effectiveness model.
Identify methods to “diagnose” team development needs.
Use a variety of tools and approaches to:
Strengthen a team’s operating foundation (prevention)
Intervene when a team is ailing (treatment)
Evaluate the effectiveness of your teambuilding service.

3. Introduction: What is a Team?
A team is…
A community is…
Differences in issues typically presented by teams vs. communities
Dawn will define a team vs. a community and briefly discuss approaches to working with both types of entities.

4. Evaluating Team Effectiveness
Think about the most dysfunctional team that you either were on, or with whom you provided team building consulting.
Answer the following questions as they would pertain to that team.
Use audience response technology to do polling
This is Vince’s section

5. The purpose of this team is clear to all members of the team.
Strongly disagree
Disagree
Neither agree nor disagree
Agree
Strongly agree
Mean =

6. The goals of the team are clear to everyone.
Strongly disagree
Disagree
Neither agree nor disagree
Agree
Strongly agree
Mean =

7. Each team member knows the role he/she plays in achieving the team’s results.
Strongly disagree
Disagree
Neither agree nor disagree
Agree
Strongly agree
Mean =

8. Work processes within the team are consistently followed.
Strongly disagree
Disagree
Neither agree nor disagree
Agree
Strongly agree
Mean =

9. People on the team treat one another with respect.
Strongly disagree
Disagree
Neither agree nor disagree
Agree
Strongly agree
Mean =

10. A Model of Team Effectiveness
Mission, Vision, Purpose Values
Strategies, Goals
Roles
Relationships
Work Processes
James Shonk
This model corresponds to diagnostic questions you can use in your team needs assessment process. Vince
Adapted from Working in Teams: A Practical Manual for Improving Work Groups, James H. Shonk

11. Exercise: Diagnosing Teams
With your small groups, generate several diagnostic questions related to the section of the model the instructor assigns you.
Example: Roles
“Can each team member describe how his or her role relates to the team’s overall mission?”
Participants divide into five small groups.
Each group tackles one portion of the Team Effectiveness Model.
Each group brainstorms diagnostic questions to ask pertaining to their portion of the model.
Groups share their questions.
We distribute Team Effectiveness Critique as a different kind of assessment tool.

12. Mission, Vision, Purpose, Values Sample Diagnostic Questions
Do you have a clearly articulated mission or purpose in place?
Do you frequently talk about the mission with employees?
Would employees say they’re clear on why they do what they do and how it benefits the company?
Do you use the mission as a guide when you set strategy, make decisions or solve problems?

13. Strategies, Goals Sample Diagnostic Questions
Do you have a strategic plan in place? How does it relate to your mission?
Did you involve the team in making the plan? How?
Do team members share accountability for achieving your work unit’s goals? Do they have individual goals? Collective goals?
Is it easy for employees to see how their individual goals tie to collective goals? How collective goals tie to the strategy?
How does the team stay updated on strategic plan progress?

14. Roles Sample Diagnostic Questions
Are employees clear on their roles?
Are there role boundary issues – areas of confusion on who is to do what?
Are employees in agreement and on board with why the department is structured the way it is and why the roles are in place?
Do any of your team members feel that they are mismatched for their role?
Are there power and control issues present?
Is there confusion around lines of authority?

15. Work Processes Sample Diagnostic Questions
Is the team structured for maximum efficiency and effectiveness?
Are policies, procedures and hand-offs documented?
Are quality expectations clear?
What are the consequences for lack of accountability and follow-through?
Are there issues with task completion? Are tasks dropping through the cracks?
Is there task handoff confusion?
Are processes redundant?
Is the environment structured for maximum efficiency?
Do employees have the tools and supplies they need to do the job?

16. Relationships Sample Diagnostic Questions
At what stage of development is the team? (Forming / storming / norming / performing)
Is there triangulation going on within the team (i.e. two members ganging up on a third)?
Are there issues between levels of authority (problems between the team leader and the team)
Are there interpersonal issues between two team members that may or may not be affecting the rest of the team?
How do team members normally approach and work through conflict? Are there clear team norms for how this is to be done?
What are the team’s strengths when it comes to collaborating, supporting one another, solving problems, achieving collective goals?

17. The Rx Considerations for Formulating your Approach
Motivation Ability
Tap
intrinsic
desire
Build
new
behaviors
Individual
Group
Structural
Foster
mutual
account-
ability
Harness
collective
group
power
Most change initiatives require multiple strategies from all of the above!
Build in
extrinsic
reinforce-
ment
Alter the
environ-
ment
Adapted from Influencer: The Power to Change Anything, Patterson et al

18. The Rx: Tools, Constructs and Approaches
What have you tried?
For Mission, Vision, Purpose Values?
For Strategy, Goals?
For Roles?
For Work Processes?
For Relationships?
(share exercise via paper handout)

19. Prevention Rx for Team Strengthening
Facilitate a mission and visioning session
Structure strategic planning so that employees play a part
Instigate job shadowing, cross training and temporary functional reassignments
Engage the team in high-level process mapping to tie their jobs to the broader company benefit
Facilitate an operating norms session
Hold a Strengthsfinder session
Engage employees in style identification and versatility skillbuilding sessions (using a styles or preferences profile instrument)

20. Treatment Intervene When a Team is Ailing
Coach the team leader on strengthening mission communication practices
Provide a training session on effective goal setting
Facilitate a brainstorming session to generate role or department structure improvement ideas
Use problem solving tools to diagnose and solve persistent process issues
Hearken back to the team’s mission, vision and values, and challenge employees to generate ways they can change their day-to-day behavior to be more congruent with their stated aspirations

21. The Teambuilding Session
Remember that your program is one event in what should be a series of change and behavior sustaining efforts!
Considerations for structuring a custom teambuilding program:
Purpose and objectives
Who should participate
Logical ordering of activities
Balance of modalities
Pre- and post assignments
Follow up activities to sustain behavior change
Dawn
Share a sample teambuilding session proposal

22. Did the Rx Work? Evaluating Your Program’s Effectiveness
What to do…
Determine the expected results prior to designing the team building session.
Discuss ways to determine how you’ll know when they have been met.
Assure that you follow-up when you have agreed to, then conduct that assessment.
Vince to flesh out

23. Did the Rx Work? Evaluating Your Program’s Effectiveness
How to do it…
Informal:
Meet with team manager and/or team at agreed upon time, reviewing expected results.
Others?
Formal:
Pre and post-session surveys.
Custom surveys based upon team building outcomes
Other corporate-wide measures such as employee opinion surveys
Vince to flesh out

27. Conclusion and Evaluation
Did we meet the session objectives?
How will you use this learning?
Please complete session evaluation.