Team building
Team coaching and team building are two different but complementary approaches for supporting change in a
team. The purpose of team coaching is to optimise processes and collective operating methods for sharing
information, making decisions and taking action.
It differs from team building essentially in the
approach and methods used by the coach and by the length of the intervention (several months). Actions to
reinforce team cohesion or dynamism (known as team building) target a precise result to be achieved and
can have a variety of objectives.
Whether the aim is to strengthen communication, cohesion and
leadership in the team, resolve internal conflicts or prepare the team to meet major challenges, these
interventions, often led by an external facilitator, are by definition occasional and conducted in the
form of seminars no longer than one or two days.
Team building: for whom ?
For teams in difficulty, lacking perspective, with inefficient processes and chaotic operating methods; for
the members themselves, to help them know each other, communicate and act effectively. Beyond the initial
objective of the seminar, whether it is to evolve behaviours or for the group to get to know each other, to
facilitate a transition or adopt a strategy, transfers of learning arising from the team building
experiences must be made concrete by reinforcing all the team's practices.
The tools and techniques used in team building are many (management games, experiential training,
creative, sports or fun activities etc.) and aim to reinforce group cohesion, encourage the emergence of a
collective strategy, implement an action plan and strengthen relationships.
Team building: why ?
Regulating tensions
Taking over the leadership of a new team
Bringing two different teams, companies or cultures together
Improving team leadership and decision-making processes
Facilitating team transitions
Practical methods
The team building service is engineered in a tailored process. The planning of the sessions is defined based
on the issues following an examination of the context and the manager's objectives with the team. It aims to
understand the whole collective in all its complexity and diversity, with the determined goal of making all
the systems within the organisation into committed players serving the required evolution, transition or
transformation. A contract covering the proposal is drafted with the steering committee, the executive board
or the team's manager (or their line manager or the client).
The session generally takes place over two days, with an additional session a few months later, and is
broken down into a sequence guided by a precise central thread. After the return to the company and its
daily demands, the third session is an opportunity to review the progress made (what has been done or
remains to be done) and to complete or revise the action plan.
The seminar is led by a pair of coaches (or specialist consultants), one focusing on leading and conducting
the seminar and the other on observing the group. This complementarity generally offers very rich scope for
regulation, particularly when tensions or conflicts arise
| Sequences | Why |
|---|---|
| Inclusion | Reinforcing team unity |
| Introducing a lever | Enabling the team to advance |
| Learning together | Enabling the team to make progress |
| Working together | Improving operating methods |
| Solidifying | Establishing a plan of action |
| Revitalising | Strengthening relationships |
A meeting can be organised with each team members before the seminar begins to create a climate of
confidence and answer any questions or anxieties they may have.
At the end of the service, a final evaluation of the support is carried out with the CEO, the executive
committee or the manager to assess the results (both qualitative and quantitative).
While actions to reinforce team cohesion or dynamism (known as team building) are by their nature occasional
and time-limited, they are often part of a wider team coaching framework, and in this case may include the
following over the longer term :
- Coaching the CEO (strategic thinking)
- Coaching the executive committee (decision-making processes)
- Coaching managers (implementing operational change)
- Coaching teams (maturity)