Upon completion of this course, participants will be able to:

• Understand the stages of team development (**Forming, Storming, Norming, Performing**) and diagnose current team maturity.
• Master key communication skills and protocols for high-quality, efficient team meetings and decision-making.
• Apply the principles of psychological safety to build an environment where team members feel safe to speak up and take risks.
• Develop strategies for constructively managing interpersonal conflict and disagreement within the team.
• Understand and leverage individual differences and diversity (style, background) to enhance problem-solving and innovation.
• Establish clear team norms, roles, responsibilities, and accountability standards for improved performance.
• Utilize tools and frameworks (e.g., shared documents, collaboration platforms) for seamless information flow and project tracking.
• Develop a targeted action plan for applying learned principles to address a specific, current team challenge.

• Intact work teams, project teams, and cross-functional groups
• Team Leaders, Supervisors, and Managers seeking to improve team performance
• HR Business Partners and **OD** Specialists supporting team effectiveness
• Individuals seeking to improve their collaboration and communication skills
• Leaders of remote or hybrid teams facing collaboration challenges

• Group activities and simulations designed to highlight team dysfunction and practice consensus decision-making under pressure.
• Role-playing scenarios practicing a constructive conflict conversation using a structured framework.
• Workshops on developing a comprehensive set of team norms (e.g., meeting protocols, communication expectations).
• Team exercises diagnosing the current maturity stage (**Tuckman model**) of a real or hypothetical team.
• Discussions on strategies for building psychological safety and trust in a hybrid or remote team setting.

Unit 1: Foundations of Team Dynamics and Performance

• Defining a high-performing team and the business case for superior collaboration
• Understanding the five dysfunctions of a team (**Lencioni model**) and how to address them (trust, conflict, commitment, etc.)
• The stages of team development (**Tuckman model**) and techniques for moving through "Storming" constructively
• The critical role of psychological safety in enabling creativity and performance

Unit 2: Communication and Alignment Protocols

• Mastering active listening and clear, candid feedback as the foundation of team communication
• Developing effective protocols for virtual and in-person meetings (agendas, clear outcomes, time management)
• Techniques for achieving genuine commitment and alignment during decision-making (e.g., consensus vs. consent)
• Establishing clear roles, responsibilities, and shared accountability for team goals (**RACI**)

Unit 3: Managing Conflict and Leveraging Diversity

• Differentiating between healthy task conflict and destructive relationship conflict
• Strategies for facilitating constructive conflict: surfacing ideas, questioning assumptions, and managing emotional responses
• Leveraging cognitive diversity and individual differences to improve problem-solving and innovation
• The leader's role in modeling vulnerability and encouraging respectful, honest disagreement

Unit 4: Tools, Technology, and Hybrid Collaboration

• Establishing clear team norms for communication channels and response expectations (e.g., email vs. chat)
• Utilizing collaboration technology (e.g., project management, shared drives, video conferencing) effectively and consistently
• Best practices for leading and participating in highly engaging and inclusive remote/hybrid team meetings
• Strategies for maintaining social connection and informal communication in a distributed work model

Unit 5: Team Effectiveness Measurement and Growth

• Developing a team performance dashboard and key metrics (e.g., project completion rate, quality, team effectiveness scores)
• The process of conducting a team retrospective or after-action review for continuous improvement
• Strategies for maintaining "Norming" and "Performing" stages by periodically reviewing team norms and processes
• Action Planning: creating a 90-day team effectiveness action plan focused on one or two key areas for improvement