Team purpose
Featured in the Developing an Emotionally Intelligent Team training manual
By Mike Bagshaw
Category: Emotional Intelligence
Credit price: 2 download credits (Single user)
Finding a common purpose is an important first step for a successful team. Research shows that teams that do not achieve their objectives have often skipped the stage of exploring, shaping and agreeing on the aims that matter to them. The be4st teams put a lot of time and effort into this at an early stage, and continue to do so until the project is complete. The common purpose needs to be translated into smaller goals. These small goals are the building blocks for the whole project. Achieving each one energises the team, and creates a momentum that moves them forward to the next goal. It also fosters trust and commitment that helps the team to continue through setbacks. The problem is that team members rarely discuss their true desires, and don’t say what they feel, so they are less committed to the defined purpose. They might seem to be exploring, when actually they are asking the same old questions in the same old way, and getting the same old answers. In this training activity, participants are invited to explore team purpose in a novel way, so as to bring to the surface hidden concerns and desires.
You begin this training activity by presenting a framework for the four domains of experience of the team and go on to discuss this concept with the group. You then introduce the ‘image theatre’ work of Augusto Boal as a way of revealing insights about the way we work together. The participants take part in an improvisational exercise where they create tableaux depicting the current state of their workplace teams and their preferred team scenarios. Polaroid photographs are taken of the tableaux and are used to draw out deeper level understandings of the domains of team experience.
Who is it for: This training resource is intended for use by trainers to show participants how to illustrate the current and desired states of their teams, bringing out deep understanding and leading to positive development within the team
| Resource Type: | Activity |
| Min Group Size: | 4 |
| Max Group Size: | 12 |
| Typical Duration: | 01:30:00 |
| No of Pages: | 8 |
Resources: View standard resources for Fenman training activities
Additional resources: Polaroid camera.
Purpose: This training resource is intended for use by trainer, as a foundation activity representing the essentials for enhancing team EQ, with groups of people who need to improve the way they function as a team. The resource assumes that you are working with existing teams, or groups that are about to become teams. However, the activity can be reshaped to work with groups of participants from different teams.
Download the training activity, Team purpose as featured in the Fenman training manual; Developing an Emotionally Intelligent Team