Coaching
• Tools... once the above questions have been answered, you will then have the required information and context to decide upon tools to use. For example, do you go with further analysis tools such as team climate surveys? Do you use team psychometrics such as Belbin? Is implementing the Tuckman model relevant? After this, what type of team exercises, games or events do you utilize? Again – this needs to go back to the context and required outcomes
Evaluation
I’m not saying that we need to fully utilize each level of Kirkpatrick – but in the current climate of needing to demonstrate returns on most investment, there needs to be a strategy to illustrate that a team build has delivered the required effect.
We can obviously use basic tools such as feedback forms and have conversations with team members once back to the workplace – but there is a lack of scientific measurement in such tools.
If there have been subsidiary outcomes such as sales or service to focus upon, then we can look at the movement in such metrics. If we have used Tuckman or team climate surveys, then again, we can look at the movement in the sub-topics within these types of questionnaires, after a given time period to implement the learnings from the event.
Effective analysis and context building at the start should provide you with clear SMART outcomes that can be measured afterwards. But again, that is assuming you take a more scientific or training cycle approach to arranging team builds.
I will leave you with one message. “Team building” arranged internally often is treated less seriously than external (mainly due to significantly less capital investment). However if you as the people practitioner treat it as any other people strategy with an effective process to follow in planning and following up, you can demonstrate to the business that these events are not just a “fun jolly”! They are an important tool in any practitioner’s toolkit that can add value to individuals, team and the organization as a whole.
Chris Jones has worked in the learning & development space for 15 years, at all levels within a number of customer-oriented businesses. He has led L&D functions across the UK, European, Asia-Pacific and MENA regions, as well as holding roles as an independent consultant for world class automotive and FMCG organisations. He currently heads up the L&D function for Home Centre, a large concept within the Landmark Group spanning ten countries. He is also a tutor on the MBA at Durham Business School, UK.