Team Developer

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Develop Effective Teams

Selecting Team Members

Getting the right people on the team is a prerequisite for developing effective teams.

• First is the need for team members with tacit knowledge of the subject. In the case of business strategy, they should have a tacit knowledge of the business, from the front lines to the back office. They should know what makes the business tick.
• Secondly, effective teams are composed of cognitively diverse people. Cognitive diversity generates more perspectives, fosters creativity, and avoids group think.

Team Dynamics

Independence of thinking and participation is essential for both creative exercises and sound decision making.

• It is critical to guard against group think. A team is easily dominated by any one member, whether intentional or not. Independent facilitation guards against any one team member being overly influential and narrowing the discussion.
• Guard against commonly known biases. Know what works best in a team setting and what does not. For example, extensive research of decision making and group dynamics finds the without such things as anonymity in brainstorming and "blind" assessments, unintentional biases and influences stifle the effectiveness of the team.

Change Management