Page 9 - NWC Guide on Team Management_ English

● Provide constructive feedback on the
Activity 2: Defuse the bomb ideas to build confidence and team
spirit.
● Organise a one-to-one conversation
with the facilitator if there were
aspects that raised your concern
during the activity such as lack of
interest, poor involvement or
disrespectful comments.

1.3 How to collaborate with and within
my team

1.3.1 Conceptual framework: How to
collaborate with and within my
Start by asking for a volunteer among your team
employees without going into further details. Collaboration is the result of getting, at least,
The person that stepped forward becomes the two people to work together towards a
facilitator who will be in charge of keeping common goal. As simple as it might sound, it is
time, managing speaking turns and a soft skill that requires predisposition,
encouraging participants' involvement during practice, social skills and time. If there is no
the activity. Once the role is fulfilled go onto collaboration, there is no team, just a group of
describing a fictitious problem scenario that individuals that only care about the tasks that
could perfectly be real in your work context have been assigned to them. Little solidarity
(i.e. customers’ complaints, project delays). can develop on this ground and overall results
Give the group a reasonable amount of time to will be negatively impacted. Therefore, it is key
discuss the issue and to come up with an to have a strategy that prevents this scenario
optimal solution (30-40 min). Once they have from happening, and as we have stated
finished the facilitator will present the group’s previously it all starts with a strong
inputs and outcomes. communication system.

Suggestions: At the physical office, the challenges to
implement a collaborative approach are
● Turn off your camera to monitor the usually less: i.e. obsolete ways of working, rigid
activity and mute your mic, this way governance structures, reluctance to
participants might feel more delegation or lack of social and interpersonal
comfortable as they don’t know if you skills, but still employees share a space where
are behind the screen or not. discussions can open up or foster changes.
● Avoid intervening unless the facilitator Meanwhile, in hybrid environments these
cannot cope with bullying or harmful issues don’t go away and what is worse,
comments. obstacles might become even harder to
● If you have a large group split them in overcome due to the isolation of the
two or three and gather them around employees.
different scenarios.
● Wrap-up and summarise the main Even in cases where leaders are prone to
insights right after the presentation to facilitate a positive working together context,
check that you have understood this can be assumed and implemented more
correctly. naturally and faster in the traditional office

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