Team building     I'm often asked to facilitate team building when a team has a new manager, or when a team isn't producing the results that were projected for it. The work I do with teams focuses on identifying how people can work together collectively and cohesively.       The characteristic I love about team building is that everyone has a part to play. When the group discovers the energy it needs to achieve its goals, we go with that, and my task is to facilitate them in finding their solutions. If they own what is happening and believe it's going to make a difference, that's the vital thing. Then they can go back to their work and make it happen. This whole process has to be theirs. We might start by looking at the team's corporate goals, and then ask: what can the individuals in the team contribute to meeting those goals? Often we spend time analysing the current state of the team, and then imagine how things might be in the future. There are many ways of doing this, but I might ask, for example: "If you could describe the team as it is now as an animal, or a mode of transport, what would it be?" When we turn to the future, I might ask: "In an ideal world, how would you like the team to be in a year's time? What qualities and behaviour do you need to bring to your work to fulfil your ideal as a team?" Sometimes there are huge apparent breakthroughs during team building sessions, but then it becomes crucial to follow up afterwards to find out how the breakthrough is substantiated. It's important to maintain momentum, to revisit what has happened. If people have learned a new way of relating to each other, then the one or two days of the team building session will probably not be enough to consolidate what they've learned. That's when follow-up becomes invaluable, asking, how is it going, now you're back in the office? Learning, followed up by consistent reflection, is the key to making team building truly effective.       Click here to view a video interview with Alison. "We go with where the group sees the energy needs to go, to achieve what they want to achieve..." Video also available in Real Player and Quicktime format.       © Alison Hodge 2011 Tel: 020 8995 5485