The Superintendent of the Greater Clark County School System hosts an annual staff development day. This year, arrangements were made for a shared book discussion of Patrick Lencioni’s The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, and for the first time, a team building event facilitated by Magnovo.

Making Good Teams Great in Franklin, IN

We met the executives, administrators, and department heads of the Greater Clark County School System at Franklin College in Franklin, IN. This was a group that has worked together for a long time. It’s been a successful team; however, they sought improvements in communication and collaboration while having a day of fun, too.

Team Synergy™ workshop participants work through entertaining games and challenge. Activities highlight three key elements. The first establishes typical workplace settings. The second identifies key issues. The third develops steps toward positive and long-term change. We customized the activities to incorporate some of the themes from The Five Dysfunctions of a Team. We helped the group explore topics such as trust, conflict, commitment, and accountability.

Minimizing Dysfunction, Building Synergy

Activities and challenges target client goals. Team Synergy™ activities elicit thoughtful responses through play that get translated into action. In the first part of the day, members of the school district gained a basic understanding personality styles and how they affect their interpersonal communication. Learning how to read and respond to others appropriately goes a long way toward minimizing conflict, improving communication, and building relationships.

By building in a discussion of the book The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, we developed a framework through which school administrators, department heads, and school district executives could explore critical elements of success and the obstacles the group may face along the way. An awareness of personality and behavior styles established early in the day provided a shared vocabulary that was useful in talking about frustrations, challenges, and opportunities faced by educators.

New Approaches to Communication and Collaboration

Greater Clark County School System educators enthusiastically participated in all of the day’s activities. They worked together with sincerity. We heard honesty in what motivated and inspired participants, as well as what they felt the group’s greatest needs were. New communication strategies helped folks articulate their thoughts. Our facilitator ensured that all voices were heard. Educators agreed upon a unified set of guidelines for greater teamwork and better communication.

By the end of the day, the general mood of the room was upbeat. People remarked at how much fun the Team Synergy™ workshop had been, and how satisfied they were to be able to return to work with new tools and a plan for continued success.