Team building

Team building

Team building, team development, team or project coaching: there is a confusing variety of terms that describe programmes in support of teams on their way towards successful collaboration.

To initiate team development processes, team building is the first measure to set the base for trustful cooperation and successful development of the team.

During the ‘Forming Phase’ (in line with the model introduced by Bruce Tuckman), external support can help to start on team work well prepared and to reach optimum results already in the kick-off events.

In later phases team building measures help to provide ad hoc support to the team and solve occurring problems immediately. Please find further information on team building below.

Team development aims at supporting a team over the long-term period and focuses on the maintaining the team’s optimal performance. This includes the team’s systemic integration into an organisation’s overall context, as well as a strategic approach towards supporting the team.

Team and project coaching focusses on a facilitated process of solving problems or dysfunctionalities within the team. It aims at improving the team’s problem-solving skills and at developing and consulting the team in this respect.

Besides the measures for the team itself, coaching for the project or team leader might be advisable. Please have a look at our pages on leadership coaching and intercultural coaching.

Speak to us about your needs. We are looking forward to advising you and developing a customised proposal!

You can contact us under +49 (0)2227 908 6252 and at contact@culturewaves.com. Or just use our contact form.

Team building as a valuable basis for efficient team work

Teams do not create themselves. As a starting point, the company or a manager has a certain goal in mind. To reach this goal, a team is created, made up of members who do not know each other and who are expected to collaborate perfectly from the very beginning.

Team building initiatives create a foundation for such a challenge. They offer possibilities to get to know each other personally, create understanding for the other’s point of view, reach agreement on joint targets, on courses of action, on communication and on working styles and allow insights into the other members’ strengths.

Professional support by an external facilitator and adviser can relieve and strengthen a team leader during the first phase of the team building process. Such an external facilitator takes on the task designing a customized workshop with an appropriate blend of working and learning activities for the team. Activities that create an emotional bond between team members. An external consultant offers an experienced outsider’s view and takes over the responsibility for the team-building process. He or she provides impulses and asks crucial questions, observes team members, evaluates team dynamics and provides a good start into cooperation. Furthermore, the facilitator’s feedback may constitute an important base as well as support for both leader and team to further positive team development.

We often experience that team building measures are requested during the so-called ‘Storming phase’, following the calmer ‘Forming phase’. Leader and team ask for support when working on conflicts to transform them into productive and sustainable results for future team collaboration. External facilitation can also help to achieve better results during the ‘norming’ or the ‘performing phase’.

Team building measures can also serve as a break in daily project routine, giving the team an opportunity to reflect, to check the division of tasks and roles, working processes and targets / milestones.

Specific challenges of multicultural teams

If multicultural teams work together, an intercultural trainer can add extra value with his or her expertise on cross-cultural collaboration. He or she can prepare a team for reality, for challenges and opportunities of multicultural team work at a distance. The team members will get the chance to reflect values, attitudes and behaviours of their cultures of origin and on how the latter influence their behaviour at work. Team members can bring their understanding of work processes to the table, jointly develop a team charter and get a feeling for areas of potential future conflict. This process of co-creation and of getting to know each other leads to a stronger identificiation with the team and prevents misunderstandings and distrust.

Benefits of team building initiatives

  • Identification with the team, its targets, its procedures and its setup in the wider (organisational) context.
  • Exchange of experience and knowledge between team members to facilitate knowledge transfer and add value by exploring synergies.
  • Increased creativity: Studies show that creativity and innovation increase in a diverse team, when members work together an open and trustful way.
  • Flexibility: once team members trust each other, once they identify with the team and know their strengths as well as those of the other team members; they become more flexible to accept and tackle new challenges.
  • Flow of information: In a trustful atmosphere, information flows openly between team members and other stakeholders.
  • Responsibility and autonomous working: as soon as roles and responsibilities are clearly defined and identification with the team is reached, every team member assumes responsibility for his / her field of duty and can act more autonomous within it. This can lead to a team directing itself and needing less monitoring by the team leader.
  • Development opportunities: team members have the opportunity to learn from each other. They train network thinking as well as social and communication competencies. Customised development measures contribute to variety and fun in the daily work routine.
  • Building networks: working in changing teams increases the company’s, or rather the whole organisation’s knowledge. Team members get further benefits from constantly expanding networks inside the organisation.
  • Job satisfaction: working in a well-performing team can be very motivating, new approaches to tasks can also be implemented for other tasks. Job satisfaction can increase with a stronger sense of togetherness and the thrill of being on a winning team.
  • Enhancing performance: close collaboration and synergies lead to an increase in efficiency, which can be pushed to the level of strategic team development.

Do you have specific needs?

Depending on your context, needs and target groups we develop customised team building programmes and integrate the expectations and ideas of our client, HR, the team leader and single participants.

Embracing diversity: the CultureWaves team

The multicultural CultureWaves team consists of more than 120 qualified consultants and trainers with multiple years of international professional experience in various sectors and positions.

Methodological approach

CultureWaves emphasizes the variety of methods applied. With decades of experience in designing and delivering customised workshops and development programmes, CultureWaves has optimized its facilitation methods for your maximum benefit.

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Make use of our experience and competence! We are looking forward to hearing from you!

Since 1999, CultureWaves supports companies in their international business as well as in processes of change and internationalisation.

Benefit from the quality of our virtual and face-to-face programmes!

You can contact us via phone +49 (0)2227 908 6252 and email contact@culturewaves.com. Or just use our contact form.

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