Team Development
Building Inclusive, High Performing Teams
Our team development approach is based on our commitment to cultivating inclusive, high-performing teams. We believe that when a diverse group of individuals come together in an environment where they feel valued and empowered, they can achieve remarkable outcomes.
Inclusive teams harness a wealth of perspectives, fostering creativity and driving innovation. By embracing diversity, organisations can navigate complex challenges more effectively and adapt swiftly to changing markets. Moreover, inclusivity enhances employee engagement and satisfaction, leading to reduced turnover and a more resilient workforce.
Our passion stems from witnessing firsthand how inclusivity transforms teams, unlocking their full potential and propelling organisations toward sustained success. We are dedicated to partnering with you to build teams where every voice is heard, every member thrives, and collective achievements know no bounds.
Our Team Development Approach
Our Team Development approach is based on our Inclusive Team Model, which was developed by Melody Moore, founder of Liberare Consulting and author of ‘The Inclusive Team: How to Build and Develop Inclusive High Performing Teams’.
The model is the culmination of extensive research and 25 years team development experience, addressing the critical need for inclusivity in team dynamics. It offers a structured approach to fostering high performance environments where diversity thrives.
At it’s heart is the belief that inclusion and high performance are linked, but that focusing solely on inclusion is a mistake because there are other elements that also contribute to team performance. We also believe that the performance of the team is a collective responsibility, and that team members need to fully engage in and take accountability both for their own and the team’s performance.
You can read more about the model here.
The Team Development Process
Rather than having a fixed, prescriptive process, we like to work closely with our clients to design a team development approach that is aligned to the team’s needs and desired outcomes. This means we start with a diagnosis phase to get to know the team before designing the development activities.
Phase 1 - Diagnosis
The diagnosis phase always begins with at least one meeting with the team leader to get their perspective on the team and to understand what they want to achieve from the team development activity.
Depending on the outcome of this meeting, we may also have meetings with other team members.
We also recommend the use of the Inclusive Team Diagnostic, which is a 50-question online survey that measures the five clusters and ten sub-clusters of team inclusivity and high performance. This assessment provides a baseline understanding of the team’s current dynamics and areas for improvement. You can find out more about the diagnostic here.
At this stage we will also agree the evaluation criteria and strategy
Phase 2: Team Development Activities
We design the team development activities based on the outcomes of the diagnosis phase. This typically involves one or more team away-days, and may also include 1-1 coaching for team members.
The away-day agendas are flexible – We have developed a range of activities that support teams to work on each of the 10 sub-clusters of the inclusive team model. These activities are rooted in the actual work of the team. This ensures that the activities feel practical and relevant to the participants. And that they can immediately apply their learning when back in the office.
We typically focus on the sub-clusters which are scoring lowest for the team. We may also include the use of personality diagnostics such as MBTI, TKI or Firo-B.
Evaluation
Although the exact evaluation criteria and process will be agreed in the ‘Diagnose’ phase, we do have a perspective on evaluation that aligns to our underpinning philosophy of shared accountability.
Most evaluation methodologies place an emphasis on the participants evaluating the initiative. This invites them to see themselves as passive recipients of the activity – something is being done to them. It encourages them to critique the initiative rather than ask themselves, ‘How do I make the most of this opportunity being given to me?’ It does not recognise that the outcome of any initiative is also down to the investment and effort of each individual.
Our approach is to establish early on the principle of shared accountability, and to make it clear to team members that they share responsibility for the success of the team development work. Therefore, when we seek feedback, in addition to the usual questions about impact, we encourage them to reflect on how much work they put in, and to capture what they could have done differently to ensure the initiative was a success.
Our questions encourage them to take responsibility for their own learning and behaviour and encourage the participants to see themselves as active players in the success of the team development work.
