Get to be a team: not as simple as it sounds

Building a team: overcoming challenges beyond meetings

When alignment meetings fall short, building unity or cohesion among team members is a significant challenge.

Teams are formed, develop, evolve, and eventually dissolve. They are the most important gear wheel in a company's organization for driving strategic initiatives, innovation, and project or product development.

Given that, the importance of teams cannot be overstated. No matter how much you emphasize their importance, it would still not fully capture just how crucial they are. Teams play a vital, perhaps even critical, role in achieving success, and their significance is beyond measure. This being said, at what point do we (or should we) begin taking care of our teams?

When a team is brought to life

Let's get started with the romantic side: the idea of teams forming naturally is something I truly believe in. This happens when people choose one another and decide the goals to carry on together. Inspired by a common intent, they naturally share same goals and desires. They provide one another mutual support.

The less romantic side reminds me that teams are often formed in the exact moment the company will be engaged into an interesting business opportunity and quickly will have to find out who is doing what.

What skills are needed? Who is available? How can we make room for other commitments? Not all team members might be internal, which is why external companies are sometimes involved. What guides here is strategic decisions, suppliers’ arrangements, partnerships agreements, and of course, the necessary skills.

Is having all the necessary skills enough? Here is a short story to share with you. Years ago, I was involved in an exciting initiative as a developer. I had the chance to be part of an international team whose people combined really advanced skills. Once the team selection was completed and the project was kicked-off, all activities started. Notwithstanding the considerable potential, we struggled to work cohesively and effectively together: it took us a while to get started, and some people even asked to switch projects along the way.

Just bringing together all the required skills is not enough to form a team. All of this led me to further reflections:

• Okay, we didn't really want this outcome as a team. What did we want instead?

• What could we have done differently?

When a Group Becomes a Team

Sometimes, organizational pressure influences team behaviors to start projects as soon as possible. There's a rush to begin, only to risk stumbling at the very first impediment and being constrained for the rest of the race.

It may be a common misconception that teams (especially those created from scratch) are a “ready to act” as such from day one. Despite their appearance, they cannot be identified as teams but rather as groups.

You may wonder why there is a difference, but actually there is. A group is when two or more people interact and coordinate to achieve personal goals. A team is when two or more people interact and influence one another to achieve a common goal.

So how do you turn a group into a cohesive team? Recall my recent statement about the 'romantic side’? Well, when we're not naturally in that ideal situation, we need to actively strive towards it! This involves being supported by a skilled facilitator and starting being engaged in structured and planned conversations with the team. These sessions are developed to uncover crucial aspects of our collective identity and make our direction forward clear.

• purpose: why we do what we do - the team's deepest meaning - sharing it turns to be like a guiding star for the whole team.

• team objectives: identifying concrete, measurable, and shared goals that represent success conditions aligned with the purpose.

• personal objectives: challenges that each teammate sets to contribute to common challenges and team goals.

• cultural aspects: values and principles that guide and influence decisions.

• getting to know one another: identifying common strengths to take advantage from and areas for improvement, for each single human being and for the whole team, is crucial. This process allows us to leverage what we excel at collectively and address challenges effectively.

• rules and activities: establishing rules and activities is essential from the very beginning and along the whole journey. This includes defining how decisions will be made, when alignment is necessary, what strategies for managing conflicts will be used, the way compelling needs will be addressed, and how non-negotiables will be identified. Agreeing on these parameters ensures transparency and enhances the team's ability to work cohesively towards its goals.

Getting engaged with these elements not only fosters a deeper understanding of one another but also yields two significant effects:

• context is created: team's identity is shaped highlighting its strengths, weaknesses, and areas for improvement while sketching what the work will be and the initial operational procedures to move it forward;

• everybody switches from "I" to "we": it significantly increases our potential without forgetting personal needs and the team's needs are put forward at the same time. Relationships are strengthened.

And now, indeed, the team is born and ready to embark on its journey!

Summing up: creating a team to start activities immediately could be risky. Even when skills are present, people may not fully collaborate and may start with their parking brake on.

Understanding together who the team is and why it exists lays the foundation for building trust and transparency of intent. Focusing periodically to realign is a sign of care.

In this type of activity, having someone skilled in facilitation is crucial. If it cannot be you, together with the new team, identify who could help within the company.

The "team canvas" and "team charter" are essential tools that can effectively steer team conversations. Take a closer look at them: explore their current formats and configurations, yet also try and customize them to your project or to the objectives a team might strive to accomplish, and to the unique needs of those involved.

But can a workshop led by a facilitator or designated leader alone transform a group into a cohesive team? 

If you said “yes”, as I would answer, take it as a starting point.

But I would also say “no”, unless our commitment stays consistent and ongoing.

Those activities are going to make you hit the jackpot.

Well, what are your thoughts so far? Is it finally time to (re)build your team?