This is a great activity to create a space for team discussion on strengths and opportunities for improvement. It works with any group size and takes 20 to 30 minutes.? You will need to have on hand: easel paper, marking pens, red and green removable dots, and a prepared easel chart with characteristics written down in the center.
- Start with a space large enough for each team member to see the others and the easel. Introduce the concept of an extraordinary team — a high-performance team that accomplishes the desired results quickly, efficiently, and effectively. As each team journeys toward becoming a high-performance team, it should periodically pause and reflect on what’s working well and how to improve.
- Then, confirm the characteristics of a high-performing team. There are two ways I like to do this:Ask the team to reflect on the BEST TEAM EVER and note what made that team so awesome!? ?For smaller teams, you can have each team member share the name of the team and its characteristics.? For larger teams, have them share with their neighbor(s) and then debrief the characteristics, all while capturing the ideas on a flipchart.Give the team a prepared list of characteristics and ask the team to contribute anything that is missing.? Here are some starter ideas:
- Clear goals. Everyone understands the purpose and direction of the team. Everyone pulls in the same direction for success. Shared roles. Team task and maintenance roles are clearly defined and easily shared between team members. A key shared role is the team leader. The “leader” shares the responsibility and the glory, is supportive and fair, creates a climate of trust and openness, and is a good coach and teacher. The leadership role shifts at various times and, in the most productive teams, it is difficult to identify the leader during a casual observation.Open and clear communication. Poor listening, poor speaking, and the inability to provide constructive feedback can be major roadblocks to team progress. For success, team members must listen for meaning, speak with clarity, engage in dialogue and discussion, and provide continual feedback through the communication process.Effective decision-making. The team is aware of and uses many methods to arrive at its decisions. Consensus is often touted as the best way to make decisions — and it is an excellent method — but the team should also use command decision, expert decision, majority vote, minority control, and command decision with input. Depending on the time available and the amount of commitment and resources required, a successful team selects the appropriate decision-making method for each decision.Valued diversity. Members are valued for the unique contributions they bring to the team. A diversity of thinking, ideas, methods, experiences, and opinions is encouraged. Whether you are creative or logical, fast or methodical, team members recognize each other’s individual talents and tap their expertise — both job-related and other skills they bring to the team. Flexibility and sensitivity are key elements in appreciating these differences.Conflict managed constructively. Problems are not swept under the rug. Some may compete to have their opinions heard, while others may accommodate the stronger team members or avoid the conflict altogether. A successful team has discussed its philosophy about how to manage conflict and sees well-managed conflict as a healthy way to create new ideas and solve difficult problems.A cooperative climate. The atmosphere encourages participation, trust, and openness. Members of the team are equally committed and involved. They know they need each other’s skills, knowledge, and expertise to produce something together that they could not do separately. There is a sense of belonging and a willingness to make things work for the good of the whole team. People are comfortable enough with each other to be creative, take risks, and make mistakes. It also means you hear plenty of laughter and the team members enjoy what they are doing.
3. Give each team member three green dots and three red dots. Ask them to place three green dots on the characteristics they believe the team does well (to the left of the name on the chart) and three red dots on those they believe the team can use some improvement (to the right of the name on the chart).? Make sure EVERYONE understands each of the characteristics.? Merge those that are very, very similar.? A note of caution to your team:? All teams can get better, so a red dot does NOT mean the team is awful...) See Team Activity: Red Dot, Blue Dot?for more info on how to do this.
4.? After all have placed their dots on the chart, debrief the results:
- What does this information tell us?
- What seem to be the strengths of the team?
- What seem to be the areas for improvement (recognizing that all teams can get better)?
- What are some of the things we can do to improve our teamwork?
If you like this activity, check out my book, Team Energizers, for 49 other team activities!
Kristin J. Arnold, MBA, CSP, CPAE Speaker Hall of Fame, CPF Master is a professional panel moderator and high-stakes meeting facilitator who shares her best practices for interactive, interesting, and engaging panel presentations.
