Exercises for Team Development

Citation

(1999), "Exercises for Team Development", Journal of European Industrial Training, Vol. 23 No. 8. https://doi.org/10.1108/jeit.1999.00323hae.001

Exercises for Team Development

Exercises for Team Development

Alison Hardingham and Charlotte EllisIPDLondon1999300 ppISBN 0 85292 773 8ringbinder/booklet, £175.00 (£157.50 to IPD members)

Keywords Team learning, Development, Team building

Business psychologists, Alison Hardingham and Charlotte Ellis argue that teams at all levels need to communicate better and develop shared objectives - often at the same time as having to undergo changes in personnel.

They have written Exercises for Team Development, published by the Institute of Personnel and Development (IPD), to cover every aspect of team building from the business of setting objectives to how to celebrate success.

"In the past, there was much more of a touchy-feely approach, with teams abseiling down a mountain together. Now there is very much more a demand for a united common purpose and for the ability to hold effective and enjoyable conversations", says Alison Hardingham.

The 32 exercises cover issues such as "dialogueing" - changing how conversations are carried out. The aim is to change the way issues are often explored in meetings: "Typically, talking in a meeting will be a discussion, with various points of view taken around the table and advocated with some rigour by those who hold them.

"A decision may well be made by the team member with the greatest stamina or the loudest voice, but is unlikely to be bought into by everyone in the room. Decisions will be lobbied against, undermined and weakened from the moment the meeting ends", says Hardingham.

The alternative is a new form of dialogue where the issue is addressed through questions. What is working well? Exactly how is it working? What is wrong? Does it motivate? Ideas should flow from an open discussion with the objective of reaching a shared understanding of the status quo first and a way forward second.

"Teams are becoming much more fluid", says Alison Hardingham. "There is movement into and out of teams and there is a need to pick up very quickly and move easily between different teams within organizations."

Exercises for Team Development are designed to be used in this changeable environment and many incorporate real business issues within the assignment. Each of the exercises is accompanied by the necessary background information and handouts for participants and includes a description of the risks and opportunities they present in practice.

A matrix analyses how each exercise contributes to developing the team against certain challenges such as developing trust, dealing with conflict and managing change. Exercises can take from an hour to half a day and can be combined for events of a day or more.