Today’s organizations increasingly rely on teams to accomplish
important business goals. Sales teams, project teams,
patient care teams, leadership teams, retail teams, product
teams, service teams and more: teams are essential for
achieving results. When an organization needs to make important
changes, a team is often formed to look at the issues, generate options
and plan for and implement new approaches. Innovation,
strategic change, digital disruption and fast moving markets all
benefit from the diverse knowledge, perspectives and skillsets that
teams can offer.
Despite the importance of teamwork, many teams are not operating
in a way that brings out their best. According to research
conducted by the Human Capital Institute, 92 per cent of employees
surveyed saw teams as important for organizational success,
while only 23 per cent believed their teams to be effective. Poor
communication and lack of clearly defined roles and responsibilities
were noted as top challenges for teams. Like people, teams
can form patterns and habits. They develop certain ways of doing
things and may not take time to question their approach. People
on the team may just tolerate or live with the status quo.
If teams are crucial for organizational success, what can HR
professionals do to help their organizations to create the conditions
and supports for teams to thrive?
Research indicates that teams that regularly conduct debriefs
outperform those that don’t by 20 to 25 per cent. Debriefs are a
quick and powerful way for teams to enhance their performance.
Providing team members with skills and tools to conduct effective
debriefs can lead to improved results and increased engagement.
Since many employees are on multiple teams, debriefing skills
gained with one team can benefit other teams as well.
WHAT IS A DEBRIEF?
During a debrief, team members discuss the team’s recent experiences
and explore where they can make improvements. Structured
debriefs produce better results and allow team members to prepare
for involvement in the discussion. To get the most out of a
ESB Professional/Shutterstock.com
Using Powerful Questions to
Enhance Team Effectiveness
EQUIP YOUR TEAM WITH TOOLS TO BECOME MORE SELF-RELIANT AND PRODUCTIVE
By Carolynne Fletcher Wintrip
organizational effectiveness
HRPROFESSIONALNOW.CA ❚ SPECIAL CONFERENCE EDITION 2017 ❚ 57