Team Building & Facilitation

To stay competitive in today’s rapidly changing global economy, teams must work productively and effectively communicate.

Success demands building common ground and mobilizing energy for change.

Potentials works with teams to develop mutuality and problem solving, leveraging the diverse strengths of team members to create multidimensional solutions to business challenges.

A team building initiative may include:

  1. Defining team purpose and vision
  2. Clarifying roles and responsibilities
  3. Developing team processes and procedures
  4. Addressing communication issues
  5. Understanding team dynamics and development
  6. Implementing communication strategies
  7. Developing decision making and problem solving skills

Potentials has extensive experience working with multicultural teams at all levels in for-profit and non-profit organizations in the United States, Europe, Asia, Africa, and South America.

A skilled facilitator and influencer can be an invaluable support to a group, greatly impacting its overall effectiveness and productivity.  We have had great success in supporting team members to have open-minded conversations.  Productive team members give empathy and understanding to other perspectives and identify concrete agreements to support goals.  A successful team that can tap into the synergistic energy and talents of its members has no limits to what it can accomplish. Unfortunately, too often teams are disappointed with the experience of working together and their results. An experienced facilitator and team coach becomes a partner in the group process, focusing on the balance of task and process to maximize outcomes.

A skilled facilitator and team coach provides perspective and enables all individuals in the group to fully participate. Some of the specific components of the facilitator role include intervening to help the group:

  1. establish clarity about direction, roles and processes
  2. work through unresolved conflicts that cause barriers to reaching goals
  3. build common ground and mobilize energy for change
  4. appreciate the different perspectives of individuals and groups
  5. establish an appropriate method for making group decisions
  6. improve the way of identifying and solving challenges
  7. understand group dynamics and team development
  8. experience working together, understanding that through effective collective action their reach can be expanded

Each facilitation process is designed to support the unique dynamics and goals of teams. Creative techniques and processes that have proven successful over time and around the world will be used.

We have successfully facilitated executive, project and cross functional teams and large group processes, bringing together major stakeholders for a dialogue to explore multiple perspectives and develop a shared vision.

Team Building Examples:

Financial Services Organization

Potentials helped a leadership team to identify a shared vision and strategy. We supported the team members, who were each responsible for different areas, to take an enterprise-wide perspective. We supported the members in becoming more proactive in shaping change in the organization both collectively and individually.

The team built an esprit de corps and members were able to take the learning and extend it to their teams.

International Organization

Potentials facilitated meetings with directors who had previously each operated independently to form a team and to take a greater leadership role in the organization to make life better for staff and clients.

Participants reported that it was the first time they had really talked with colleagues in over 15 years.

The team formed operating principles and were able to make decisions which rapidly impacted the organization. In a climate of open-minded conversations, the directors were able to improve efficiency and to impact policy decisions effectively. The team spirit and sense of being One Team extended throughout the organization.

Technical Company

Potentials supported a leadership team to become aligned around a shared vision and to integrate different components of the business during a turbulent business time.

We worked with various parts of the organization to become aligned within their divisions and then brought the different parts of the organization together, facilitated dialogue among leaders and supported the organization in working together on a new business strategy. We supported the organization in communicating the new direction throughout the system.

Manufacturing Company

We worked with a team responsible for implementing a single operating system and lean management quality system in an organization that had grown by acquiring a diverse group of companies. We worked with the team to support the organization in achieving efficiency by adopting best practices and reducing waste and creating a unified culture. We supported a new team with a new leader to create a shared vision, clarify roles and responsibilities, develop team norms and quickly develop an understanding among team members with different backgrounds and different areas of expertise. This team supported the organization in creating a significant change of culture, mindset and behaviors with the sense of one organization and one team. In addition, the organization reduced costs and became much more efficient as new synergies were realized. The team operated as a high performing team with rewarding results and satisfaction.

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed people can change the world. Indeed. It is the only thing that ever has.” —Margaret Mead