Future Oriented TeamsConsulting | Customized Training

This multi-module-teaming program builds alignment with your organization's goals. It has four core modules that set up a team culture, and a series of electives geared toward team building skills. The team members' modules are two hours long and are delivered every two weeks. Each module has an assignment to be completed between sessions.

In the past, organizations looked at the mission, goals, roles and responsibilities flowing down to their customers. Today, organizations and individuals need to align and work together to reach their customers. Alignment is needed to build the customer relationship and increase productivity.

Future Oriented Teams helps organizations develop in the following five areas:

1. Teams - The evidence suggests that teams typically outperform individuals when the task being done requires multiple skills, judgments and experiences. Organizations have turned to teams to compete more effectively and efficiently.
2. Communication - For teams to perform effectively, they need to maintain member's control, stimulate members to perform, provide for emotional expression, and a way to make choices. These are the four major functions of communication in an organization.
3. Change - If an organization is to survive, it must respond to changes within its environment. Planned change occurs when activities, such as implementing teams, are directed toward responding to the environment. Planned change is also concerned with changing the behavior of individuals and teams within an organization.
4. Leadership - Leaders influence a team toward the achievement of goals. Leaders who are employee-oriented in their behavior are associated with higher job productivity and higher job satisfaction.
5. Ethics - Members of organizations are increasingly finding themselves facing ethical dilemmas, where they are required to define right and wrong conduct. Today, organizations need to create a healthy climate for their employees so that productivity is increased.

Phase 1: Core Modules

Mission/Vision: Addresses how teams develop and change. Team members participate in a team assessment and develop a team vision statement.

Goals and Values: Team members develop goals that are aligned with the team's vision. They then develop values that are aligned with the team's vision.

Roles and Responsibilities/Personal Purpose: Characteristics and activities of each team member's personal role are identified. Each member describes how their responsibilities help to operationalize the team's goals. Members then develop and present a statement of their personal purpose as part of the team.

Alignment with Trust: Describes stages of team development. Team members are invited to make a commitment to participate fully in the functioning of the team.

Phase II: Skill Building

Communication Styles: The team learns and practices basic communication skills of listening and questioning.

Conflict Management: Identifies three levels of conflict and how they develop - task, relationship and personal. Five stages of confrontation and the typical responses of the four communication styles are described. Techniques are given to reduce conflict and minimize back-up behavior.

Feedback: Describes the purpose of constructive feedback and identifies the stages of the key feedback model. A process is described for effectively giving and receiving constructive feedback.

Time Management: Recognizes four types of personal beliefs that interfere with effective time management. Personal and team time-wasters and a plan for eliminating them are identified.

Managing Your Emotions: Recognizes the effects of self-talk on judgments, decisions and outcomes. A five-step process is applied to develop neutral self-talk and gain emotional control.

Continuous Change: Characteristics of continuous change are described and four organizational patterns for coping with change are presented. Personal change patterns are also identified.

Problem Solving: A situational analysis tool and steps for solving problems are explained.

Organizational Roadblocks: Tactics are given to communicate within the organization and balance the "Ripple Effect."

Risk Taking: Characteristics that define risk for individuals are discussed. A process is given for analyzing risk in given situations.

Creative Talents: Addresses the question "Where do good ideas come from?" Team members explore tools they can use to tap into these creative talents.

New Team Members and Training Others: The impact of new members on team development is addressed. The principles of adult learning, the four primary adult learning preferences and effective learning techniques for each learning style are incorporated.