What are the most effective team building models for building trust among team members?

1 Tuckman's Stages of Group Development

One of the most classic and widely used team building models is Tuckman's stages of group development. This model describes four stages that every team goes through: forming, storming, norming, and performing. In the forming stage, team members get to know each other and establish expectations. In the storming stage, team members experience conflicts and differences as they try to align their goals and roles. In the norming stage, team members resolve their issues and develop norms and trust. In the performing stage, team members work effectively and efficiently towards their shared vision. As a team facilitator, you can use this model to understand where your team is at, and what interventions or activities you can use to help them move to the next stage.

2 Lencioni's Five Dysfunctions of a Team

Another popular and useful team building model is Lencioni's five dysfunctions of a team. This model identifies five common problems that prevent teams from reaching their full potential: absence of trust, fear of conflict, lack of commitment, avoidance of accountability, and inattention to results. According to this model, trust is the base of the pyramid, and without it, the other dysfunctions will arise. To build trust, team members need to be vulnerable and honest with each other, and share their strengths, weaknesses, fears, and aspirations. As a team facilitator, you can use this model to diagnose your team's dysfunctions, and implement strategies and exercises to overcome them.

3 The Trust Equation

A more specific and analytical team building model is the trust equation. This model was developed by David Maister, Charles Green, and Robert Galford, and it measures the level of trustworthiness of a person or a team. The trust equation is composed of four factors: credibility, reliability, intimacy, and self-orientation. Credibility refers to how believable and competent you are. Reliability refers to how dependable and consistent you are. Intimacy refers to how safe and comfortable you are to share with. Self-orientation refers to how focused you are on yourself or on others. The trust equation is calculated as follows: trustworthiness = (credibility + reliability + intimacy) / self-orientation. The higher the numerator and the lower the denominator, the higher the trustworthiness. As a team facilitator, you can use this model to assess and improve your own and your team's trustworthiness, and identify areas for development.

4 The Johari Window

A more interactive and dynamic team building model is the Johari window. This model was created by Joseph Luft and Harry Ingham, and it helps team members increase their self-awareness and mutual understanding. The Johari window is a four-quadrant diagram that represents the information that you and others know about yourself. The four quadrants are: open, hidden, blind, and unknown. The open quadrant contains the information that you and others know about yourself, such as your name, skills, hobbies, etc. The hidden quadrant contains the information that you know about yourself, but others don't, such as your feelings, secrets, fears, etc. The blind quadrant contains the information that others know about you, but you don't, such as your habits, biases, blind spots, etc. The unknown quadrant contains the information that neither you nor others know about yourself, such as your potential, talents, subconscious, etc. The goal of the Johari window is to expand the open quadrant and reduce the other quadrants, by giving and receiving feedback, disclosing and soliciting information, and exploring and discovering new aspects of yourself. As a team facilitator, you can use this model to facilitate trust-building exercises and conversations among team members, and help them learn more about themselves and each other.

5 The SCARF Model

A more recent and neuroscience-based team building model is the SCARF model. This model was developed by David Rock, and it explains how the brain responds to social threats and rewards. The SCARF model stands for status, certainty, autonomy, relatedness, and fairness. These are the five domains that influence how we feel and behave in social situations. Status is the perception of our relative importance and competence. Certainty is the predictability and clarity of our environment and expectations. Autonomy is the sense of control and choice over our actions and outcomes. Relatedness is the feeling of connection and belonging with others. Fairness is the perception of justice and equity in our interactions and exchanges. According to this model, when any of these domains is threatened, our brain activates a fight-or-flight response, which reduces our trust, collaboration, and performance. When any of these domains is rewarded, our brain activates a reward response, which increases our trust, collaboration, and performance. As a team facilitator, you can use this model to design and deliver team building activities and interventions that minimize social threats and maximize social rewards for your team members, and create a positive and trusting team culture.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?