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Team-Building in 2015…

Tough to do—but GREAT payback when done!

Peter Loeb, OD ConsultantMarch 7, 2015

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Why are we here today?

Gain insight into what team-building takes in this “Era”

Reflect on best and worst teams you have been on—and why

Agree upon the global culture we deal with when targeting team-building

Discuss techniques that seem to work

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My BackgroundYale, Trinity: MA, BA (focus on Organizational Behavior)

Athletics: College Varsity Soccer, WrestlingCoached undefeated wrestling state champions

Careers: social work, community organizing, education, high tech, Firefighter/EMT, OD consultant

Current: OD at CCFD#3 (Sequim, WA)

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This Era—confusing to many/threats

Global competition/cooperation/mutual dependency

Generational differences

Speed, influence of technology

State of “capitalism” in U.S. and elsewhere

Is “The whole is > sum of parts…” valid today? Ever before?

How good is “good?”

“Team” increasingly a rhetorical term

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What is a team?

Collection of two or more living beings with a common purpose

People working together towards a shared goalNot all equally skilled, motivated, or empowered

An organization with shared: purpose, responsibility, expectations

A means of accomplishing “something,” such that 1+1 >2

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for team-building

Determining/reaching agreement on the shared goalWhat might it take (actions, resources, help from above, below, laterally) to

achieve it—the level/type of teamwork required to reach “the goal”

Belief in/practice of; “None of us is as smart as all of us”

Who is in charge, what prerogatives, what limitations

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Influences: IF an effective team can be built

Clarity of organization’s mission, vision, values and PURPOSE

Group attitudes: trust, sharing, self-transcendence, workload, freedom

Generational: Millenials surely are NOT Boomers…meaning?

Establishing essentials for building, keeping the team optimally functioning

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Attributes of “Best” Teams

Maximum, thoughtful effort from all

Situational leaders

Situational self-leadership—leading when you are not “in charge”

Transparent tracking of “measures that matter”

Sponsorship by someone with power and grasp

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Organizational Development (OD)

Gibberish?

Create and sustain high commitment/high performance workforce

Easier said than done

BUT—no glide path without OD

Provided outside or inside or both

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Team-building summary

Requires: trust, competence, flexibility, realism

Depends on: goal-orientation, self-transcendence, modeling

Needs: clear picture of “desired outcomes,” goodness if/harm if not

Benefits from: collaborative spirit, guidance

Virtual and F-t-F teams share core approaches, beliefs, outcome optimism