What are the best team building models for improving communication?

É importante entender que cada etapa de um time irá exigir dinâmicas diferentes. No começo, precisamos explorar a conexão para que as pessoas possam criar algum tipo de afinidade e empatia. Quebrada está primeira barreira, podemos evoluir para algo mais profundo que explore o conhecimento entre as pessoas e faça assim com que elas se conectem genuinamente. Depois, entramos em fase de manutenção e performance de acordo com os desafios de cada grupo.

There are 3 STRUCTURAL STEPS that I consider the most relevant while building a team: 1. Clarify team's PURPOSE - why are we together as a team? what is the desired impact of this team? 2. Identify ROLES and RESPONSABILITIES - who looks after what? who supports whom? 3. Define the team GUIDING PRINCIPLES - how do we interact and when? how does information flows between team members? how do we think, decide and act as a team and individually? what do we do when things get tough? With this 3 steps, we lay down the pavement for a fluid communication. Without them, there is never enough clarity among team members which will bring misunderstandings to the communication and interaction processes.

One effective team building model for enhancing communication is the "Five Dysfunctions of a Team" by Patrick Lencioni. It identifies common pitfalls like lack of trust and fear of conflict, offering strategies to overcome them and foster open dialogue. Another model is Tuckman's stages of group development, highlighting forming, storming, norming, and performing phases. By understanding these stages, teams can navigate through conflicts and establish effective communication norms. Additionally, utilizing active listening exercises and personality assessments like Myers-Briggs can deepen understanding among team members. These models encourage trust, collaboration, and empathy, key components of successful communication.

I consider Johari Window to be a powerful team "collaboration" model rather than a team building one. A model that helps individuals and teams understand their relationships with themselves and others. It consists of four quadrants representing different aspects of knowledge about oneself: Open Area (known to self and others), Blind Spot (unknown to self, but known to others), Hidden Area (known to self, but unknown to others), and Unknown Area (unknown to self and others). By increasing self-awareness and sharing information, teams can expand the Open Area and improve communication and trust.

Another model that helps is - The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni which outlines five common dysfunctions that teams face, one of which is a lack of communication. By addressing these dysfunctions, teams can improve their communication and overall effectiveness.

5️⃣ Dysfunctions of a Team: ❌Absence of Trust ❌Fear of Conflict ❌Lack of Commitment ❌Avoidance of Accountability ❌Inattention to Results As a facilitator, you're uniquely positioned as an observer and will likely pick up on dysfunction faster than someone in group. Here's how to use this power effectively: ✔Be a mirror back to the team & offer observations ✔Facilitate a conversation about the 5 Dysfunctions and guide the team to recognize where they are guarded, trapped, etc. ✔Be a neutral mediator in disagreements ✔Run a retrospective event on 5 Dysfunctions to derive improvements from the team ✔Set norms for shared accountability ✔Facilitate team building exercises for trust ✔Guide setting team goals for focus on commitment & results

I view these as characteristics rather than pitfalls. You first build trust which enables healthy conflict that drives commitment and accountability and finally a common goal.

At the core of this is really creating psychological safety for the team. Facilitate trust and cohesion and then the conversation on results can happen.

Rapidly increase shared understanding of team members’ tasks, interests, ideas and plans. That creates a foundation for working on the soft stuff. Https://actionmap.com

There are many great tools and assessments available but many of them are challenging to remember and difficult to implement on the job. I find the 5 Behaviors to be memorable and effective. I let people know how, when, and why group and team dynamics change using Tuckman and add active listening exercises I have learned as a coach to round out the group training experience.

For new teams or teams with new members, i usually go for Tuckman's Stages of Group Development. If there are conflicts within an established team, i usually use MBTI to help team members understand who they are and what makes them different from other team members. The ultimate goal is for team members with different personalities and approaches to work to learn how to effectively reach out and work with one another.

I have a background in HR, and I use the Enneagram, Strengthsfinder, and the Myers-Briggs assessments to figure out how to best facilitate teams into being their most effective. Belbin's Team Roles are very conducive to using people's existing strengths. Some of the most dysfunctional teams I've worked with are caused by multiple team members trying to cover the same roles, when actually many roles need to be covered. Using Belbin's roles as an example, if a team is primarily made up of implementers, they'll all try to strategize but are unable to accommodate other's ideas. If there's mostly investigators on the team, nothing will be actually implemented. It's imperative in team communication to have different roles and strengths displayed.

I’ve used MBTI (Myers–Briggs Type Indicator) to help individuals in teams discover their personal communication styles, and then discover how they adapt to each other and more broadly how interpersonal communication can be adjusted between types. It also gives insight on how to support each other when under stress. It is also possible to determine the team’s preferred communication style and establish tendencies in the team and how they might clash with other team’s styles. These insights have been eye openers to some of my clients. I definitely recommend doing the real test and not the simple free versions that are not very accurate. Also to determine the type there is a process mixing self evaluation with a test result and some coaching.

Team DyNAmics is a model that measures the overall effectiveness of teamwork, and 16 areas of teamwork, including Purpose, Trust, Collaboration, Planning and Communication. The in-depth report, based on the anonymous responses by team members, enables them to understand whether they are a team that is developing, average, good or high-performing. It helps them to understand and celebrate what is working well in their team, and have discussions about what needs to be improved, by implementing practical solutions, that the team agree, are both effective and efficient. The model and report can then be used as a benchmark to re-measure team effectiveness at a future date, to see whether the solutions implemented, have had a positive effect.

In addition to the mentioned models, consider incorporating active listening exercises, conflict resolution workshops, and cultural competency training. Encourage regular feedback sessions and utilize tools like Myers-Briggs Type Indicator or DiSC assessments to enhance understanding of communication styles. Foster an environment of psychological safety where team members feel comfortable expressing ideas and concerns. Lastly, integrate experiential learning activities such as outdoor challenges or team simulations to reinforce effective communication skills in real-world scenarios.

O trabalho de team building também passa pela etapa de conhecer melhor os demais membros do time, e nesse processo podemos utilizar diversas abordagens, inclusive os perfis comportamentais. O método mais utilizado e conhecido é o DISC, em que os 4 fatores (dominância, influência, estabilidade e conformidade) nos indicarão, com um certo grau de precisão, qual o perfil predominante de cada pessoa, tanto em sua essência, quanto na forma como ela está utilizando os fatores no momento (situacional). A devolutiva em grupo é uma forma divertida de autoconhecimento e de empatia, ao permitir que conheçamos mais sobre o outro, e a tendência é melhorar também a comunicação interpessoal.

Marshall Rosenberg’s 4 elements of NonViolent Communication (NVC): Expressing observable facts without criticism (especially when giving feedback), connecting with what’s really important in the situation (the need) to clarify the “what for” and address a conflict, making assertive, concrete and measurable requests makes communication much more fluid and efficient. The change of paradigm of NVC also makes it possible (with practice) to express with authenticity and vulnerability bringing people closer together, enhancing trust and collaboration within the teams.