We thrive in some teams and hide in others. Some are benign and some are toxic. Most are a mixture. All could be improved!

Team dynamics are very powerful, but notoriously difficult to fathom or talk about because they are largely invisible and have no odour.

Having honest conversations about what’s going on can be tricky without offending, challenging the powers that be and exposing oneself to danger. Teams too often duck the big issues, or opt for informal gossip and politicking thereby making the culture even more toxic.

This is a real shame because real dividends can be reaped if the team feels safe and clear to talk about the things that matter.

Team performance assessment tool

Teams can feel much more comfortable with data that points to what’s working and what isn’t. They feel even more comfortable when they are in charge of the self assessment and if the data is confidential to the team itself. Better still, if the team chooses whether to answer anonymously or be named.

The We-Q team diagnostic tool enables teams to instantly self measure twenty aspects of their dynamics and their ability to fulfill their purpose. It measures people’s ability to ‘be fully themselves’, to ‘get things done’ and to ‘do the right thing’.

The maps and data can be anonymous or named and the results are seen by all. The boss scores count the same as everyone else’s.

The impact on groups is extraordinary. It makes the invisible visible for the first time. It puts scores and dimensions to things which were previously seen as ‘fluffy’.

People react like parents seeing an ultrasound of their baby for the first time… they sit on the edge of their seats and point at the maps on the shared screen.

“I thought I was the only one who felt that way”

“Look, half of us do and half don’t”

Then when we follow up with another test in a week/month the questions change to:

“Our scores have dropped a lot since last time, why is that?”

Recently I worked with a leadership team who discovered their lowest score was for ‘We are clear on roles and responsibilities’. Until then, each member of the team had felt anxious, suspecting that everyone was clear apart from them.

The data enabled a vital focussed conversation to clarify who was supposed to be doing what.

This is just one example of the ‘courageous conversations‘ that occur as a result of using the We-Q tool!

People naturally want to self improve, but they often want to do so within the context of the team as a whole. They want to address the culture within which they can thrive. They recognise the intimate relationship between how the ‘Me’ performs and and the ‘We’ behaves.

When there is data, which shows strengths, weaknesses, alignment (or lack of it) and changes over time, people have something tangible to ‘hang onto’.

This is far better than random subjective opinions which if expressed clumsily can cause upset, and weaken trust.

Team performance

The key is to create a trusted transparent process within which useful, courageous conversations can be had about how the team as a whole behaves and what could be done to improve performance and the ability of the team to be all together brilliant.

To try out our collaborative intelligence tool for free today, please contact us or just fill out the form below.

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