TEAM BUILDING TRAINING

MOVING BEYOND GROUP TENSION AND DYSFUNCTION TO
TEAM PROFESSIONALISM AND RESPECT
OR
"ITS MORE FUN TO BE HAPPY THAN SAD"

Groups often experience prolonged tension and interpersonal dysfunction because they lack the skills necessary to: 1. Uncover the true source of their difficulties; and 2. Develop an effective action plan for moving the group beyond its difficulties to reconciliation and healing.

The objectives of "Moving Beyond Group Tension and Dysfunction to Team Professionalism and Respect" are to:

  1. Identify the source of the group tension through honest dialogue.

  2. Introduce the concept of conflict mediation and some basic conflict mediation techniques, which participants may practice in triads.

  3. Introduce the fundamental concepts of team theory:

    • What is a team?
    • What are the various categories of team functions?
    • What are the characteristics of effective teams?
    • What are some of the common dynamics that make teams dysfunctional

  4. Develop a collective "vision" of the group as a highly functioning, professional team, i.e., identification of specific attitudes and behaviors required for the group to operate at the level of its maximum potential.

Interactive learning techniques and experiential exercises including video, small group work, simulations, large group brainstorming and lecturette are used. One and two day workshops are available.

Specific topics addressed in the session include:

  1. As a team, what is productive and positive about our inter-personal relationships?

  2. What dynamics of our inter-personal relationships need to be improved, changed and/or abandoned? Why do we engage in those dynamics?

  3. In view of those dynamics, how does our work environment feel?

  4. How would we like our work environment to feel? What is our vision for how we could be as a team if we consistently practiced the principles of effective team membership to which we have been introduced in this session?

  5. What collective action plan will we adopt to achieve our identified new vision? In other words, what things do we need to start doing, stop doing and continue doing as a group?

  6. For each individual team member: What personal commitment am I going to make that will make me a better team member?