Are we working well together? – Here’s a way to find out

Now that your team members have been performing their roles in different locations from each other for some time, it’s time to find ways to check how well you are all working together.

The past couple of months have seen many teams go through revolutionary change.   Our view is that this change has had 3 phases:

Phase One – “React and Set-Up”:  organisations and teams have had to rapidly get their people to work from home, requiring IT set-ups, online security risk-management actions, re-organising schedules and finding workspaces.

Phase Two – “Find Our Way”: this has involved the establishing of new progress reporting and communication practices and routines, new working patterns and availability, new socialising and wellbeing approaches.

Phase Three – “Moving to Effectiveness”: having been through the first two phases above, teams are getting more used to this remote way of working.  Many are expecting this to continue, others are predicting that hybrid versions of both co-located and remote working teams will be the ‘new norm’.  Maximising the effectiveness of teamworking is now moving into clearer focus. It’s time to consider how well the team is working together.

This move to effectiveness needs team conversations, decisions and some targeted actions.  These conversations can be light-hearted and enjoyable, building on the trust that is developing between team members in this new context.

Team Effectiveness Checklist

Here is a checklist of conversation topics for leaders and their team members to talk through with the aim of identifying how well they are working together and to improve Team Effectiveness:

1. We’re working towards our team’s vision and goals
2. We have our sights firmly on the deliverables and collective results
3. We are taking action on the “right” things at this time
4. We are demonstrating accountability for what we have committed to
5. We are discussing, creating solutions and solving problems collectively
6. We are sharing what we are learning as a team
7. We are working well with other teams in the organisation
8. We are showing the agility we need to adapt
9. We have a high level of trust amongst team members
10. We have a high degree of engagement and motivation
11. We are maintaining our good working relationships under pressure
12. We are showing care and support for each other in this team
13. Each team member is clear about the role they are playing
14. We have effective remote working methods and processes in the team
15. We have an effective mix of capabilities to achieve our tasks and goals
16. We pay attention to the detail in an effective way

We thought it might be useful to busy Team Managers to also make the checklist available as a free to use questionnaire that can be distributed to your team members who then submit their responses. If you’d like a copy of the questionnaire, send us an email with the title “Team Questionnaire” to Rob McWilliam – rob@changeformation.co.uk – and we’ll send it to you.

The responses can be collated and analysed.  You can then identify the priorities for your team which can be discussed and acted on.

Change Formation can support you with the administration and analysis of the questionnaire.  There are also major benefits to work with one of our skilled, experienced team coaches who is neutral and has the ability to facilitate the support and challenge in your team’s conversations.  This will enable all members of the team, including the leader,  to take part in the discussions. It also can increase the confidence of all the team members so they contribute to the identification of strengths and improvements and to the next steps towards effectiveness.

Understanding the personality preferences of each of the team members can also add to the effectiveness of your team.  We often use the Insights Discovery tool to develop individual self-awareness and to identify the potential collective strengths and blind spots in teams.

Contact us to discuss how we can support you in developing your team’s effectiveness.

Visit our Team Development page to find out more about our services and approach here.