I have issues with 'team building' programmes. Surely the term 'team building' means creating the team - getting the people you need into the team and ... or is that team creating?
Team creating, well .. I guess you could run some training on how to identify personality types and see what kind of a mix would be good for a team (I'm thinking psychometric and behavioural profiling here). But, by the time the word training comes into play and the consultant has been called in, the team is usually already in place and you are stuck with your personality types (all neatly given their own box to sit in with an appropriate description and preferred learning/communication/etc style).
Team development. Sure! Let's develop those people in the team - we can teach them how to work well together, how to consider others ... loads of great stuff (and we won't forget Bruce Wayne Tuckman's superb forming, norming, storming, performing model). Sometimes you can develop them all the way out of the team! But...
Team fixing. Is what most companies want when they call in the management development expert actually a 'team fixer'? And by the time the real dynamics of the team are dissected and the difficult issues identified do the team care? Was it all a 'management' problem anyway? Are the team all pointing fingers at leadership? Well, that could mean the team itself is actually fine.
Team communication. That's probably key to all successful teams. Understanding not only their role in the team, but how to communicate their role and what is expected of them and what they expect of others. Oh, and understanding (with those useful psychometric and behavioural analysis) how people like to be communicated with.
So - innovative trainers out there - who's going to be brave and present a 'Team Fixing - for those awkward beggars who aren't performing' programme?
No takers? Ah well, this is just me thinking out loud having read yet another 'team building' article and letting it rub me up the wrong way.
What do you think?
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There's a behavioral profiling service available on Facebook as a third party application. It's called OpenProfiler (http://apps.facebook.com/openprofiler) which includes assessments, rich media reports and behavioral modification advisories on over 140 performance related factors including Team Building, Team Work, Leading, Coaching, Action Styles, Froup Roles etc etc!
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