TEAMS – transformational containers to change an organizational system

Work in 2025 started for me just as it ended in Dec 24: with a team development.

This past two engagements for a team development did not deal with with Lencioni ′s kind of team issues. It is something different, these teams carry. The teams belong to different companies, in different industries, in different cities with different team goals. That′s what they have in common:

• They belong to a SME B2B organization
• They are small (3 team members, 5 team members)
• They are internal service providers
• They have a unique and important task in their organization: one deals with internal collaboration and events, one deals with sustainability
• They are high PERFORMING – nothing about Forming, Storming, or Norming needed!
• The team members have a great service mentality and like their jobs. They get a very positive feedback on their contributions for the company

?And both teams are on their limits - they don ′t want to continue the rat races of the past months. They are overbooked with work. With all of their creative potential they run in the mode of just being reactive, trying to catch up with and handle everything. There is no redundancy, no back-up for a task: each team member is overbooked not being able to jump in to support a team mate in case of illness - there’s a high sickness ratio.

?As a systemic thinker I ′m common with the phenomenon that an element of a system – in this case a team – discloses major issues of the surrounding system – the whole organization. I.e. issues like economic challenges, leadership and company culture, multiple stakeholder issues, etc. The root cause analysis of the team issues basically requests efforts on the organizational level but those probably won ′t be funded in the current situation.

?In the same logic of systemic thinking however there is an approach to help not only the team: as the system influences its elements equally an element might influence the whole system. So the task for the team developer might be – to speak in the logic of Theory U - to help a team become a transformational container with the potential to influence the whole organization towards something better. But of course the first goal is to help the team and its members to cope with the challenges and improve their situation.

?How can this be achieved? Here are a few suggestions what to do on team level:

1) RAISE AWARENESS????????

• …? about their achievements. Make them aware that their achievements are not natural, its extraordinary given their circumstances.
• … about the system as represented by its stakeholders and their interaction with the team
• … about their SWOT

2) SHARE YOUR EXTERNAL PERSPECTIVE & OBSERVATIONS

• Give them honest feedback from an outside-in-perspective on where and how they might be able to cope with their challenges

3) ACTIVATE THEIR POWER TO TAKE THEIR FORTUNE IN THEIR OWN HANDS

• … to take care about themselves
• … to mutually take care about each other
• Work with them on their mindset and on a hands-on vision, a north star which might guide them through 2025
• Introduce and let them feel “the agile way of working”
• Plan with them an upcoming project in the “new mindset” to sustain what they have learned

?I ′m curious for the follow up calls with both teams to see how they succeed.