Case Studies

Unsticking Teams-shifting from unproductive to healthy dialogue practices

Presenting Problem

In this unprecedented time of change, teams are needed to engage closely together to support each other through change. Through better team conversations, teams can achieve much more with greater clarity and effectiveness, grow together as they learn and support each other through effective dialogue practices. Teams often are stuck and are involved in unproductive conversations, and don’t know how to get out of these repeatable patterns. Uncovering the “dialogue structures”, the way things really work in teams is key to unpicking unproductive communication sequences. These structures may be visible, invisible or partially visible to those in the organization, but they have significant effect an organization’s ability to produce results.

We’ve worked with many executive teams around the world that have fallen into repeatable unproductive patterns and don’t know how to get out. They experience verbal brawling/conflict and need facilitated help to move forward. In team session(s), we carefully examine the reasons why the team is stuck and how they can self-regulate in real time to move into healthy sustainable dialogue practices. This includes shifting the team to have skillful conversations, reflective dialogue and surfaces the underlying thinking. By running the Assessing in Action & Team Dynamics Profile, we help both the individual and the team understand how they are contributing to the problem at hand and unpick the reasons they are stuck.

The Approach

  • Complete an Assessing in Action & Team Dynamics Profile

  • Assess individual and team profiles/patterns

  • Individual and team coaching sessions

  • Conduct team workshop using real team dilemmas to unpick unhealthy patterns in real time

  • Introduce a common language and approach to help teams self-regulate

  • Explains in teams why you get along with X, but not with Y; why you work well with some people and not others

  • Tells you why, when you encounter certain patterns you react in ways- both positive and negative

Unsticking Teams-shifting from unproductive to healthy dialogue practices photo

The Impact

  • Teams have healthier and more productive conversations

  • Strengthens team performance & their ability to self regulate

  • Surfaces root causes and brings forth solutions that matter

  • Creates sustainable decisions and solutions that drive business performance

  • Help teams identify unhealthy conversations in the moment and break unhealthy patterns