Team Work – What is it?

The obvious and visible output of a team is the tangible result of its work.  This might be the score at the end of the football match, the number of boxes leaving the factory, or switching on the new computer programme.However, the end result is only part of the story.  More and more, organisations are looking at how their teams achieve their results.Team development looks at the way in which team members work together to achieve better results – for themselves, for the team, and for the organisation.

What is team working, and how can it help me?

• Option 1 - for  Individual team leaders
  Team working takes a group of people who normally work in different teams and gives them some tools and ideas to take back to work and use with their own teams.As a result of a team working experience, individuals will go back to their work teams with a better understanding of how teams work.  They can then share new their knowledge with their work [real] teams.  This knowledge includes [such things as]:•  The stages in team development•  How conflict arises, and how to deal with it•  The importance of managing the people as well as the task
• Option 2 - for  whole teams
  Misunderstandings between teams are a frequent source of inefficiency and ineffectiveness in organisations.  If a group of people from different teams in the same organisation have a team working experience together, this can have two distinct sets of benefits.  First, the individuals will be rôle models of good practice in their own teams.  Second, they will have formed closer relationships with colleagues in other teams, which will improve cooperation between teams.

How does it work?

Threshold spends time with you, the client, discussing the current situation.  We will ask you what you would like to change about how your teams currently work, and will then design a programme to address the issues that you have raised.  The programme itself will include a mixture of theory and practical tasks.  It will also include plenty of time to review the experiences in order to draw out the learning, and to look for ways to apply it back at the workplace.Depending on the circumstances, it may also be helpful for us to meet some of the participants before designing the programme.To be most effective, team working should be more than just a "one-hit wonder".  In other words, we can also provide support to participants after their programme, in the form of follow-up meetings or one-to-one coaching.

What are the outcomes and benefits of team working?

• understanding of how teams work: provides some theories to explain what happens in practice
• managing the people as well as the task: shows how to support and motivate team members
• improved problem-solving and decision-making: encourages everybody to share information
• better communication: supports trust and honesty within and between teams