The Collaborative Team™

For teams to move through tricky terrain like an acquisition, a ministry reorganization, or a major IT upgrade demands deft collaboration skills. Research shows there’s a lot working against us. Large teams, distributed workers and a lack of trust tend to decrease collaboration within a team.

We offer The Collaborative Team to leaders who are committed to exploring the rigour, trust and creativity required for effective collaboration. This program comprises a series of experiential exercises designed to uncover, explore, test and practice the mindset of the creative collaborator. These are the qualities of teams who play for each other, and own excellent performance—together.

In The Collaborative Team, you will:

  • learn to respond constructively to other people’s ideas and initiatives;
  • reflect on the value and purpose of collaboration, and understand when to invite it;
  • build capacity to keep collaborative projects focused and on track;
  • use tools and approaches to improve team trust, willingness to engage conflict, commitment to the work, accountability and results; and
  • engage in a collaborative design that meets a defined and evolving goal.

What Becomes Possible for The Collaborative Team

More aptly, what doesn’t become possible for the collaborative team? When people understand the characteristics of good collaboration, they recognize the power of reflection, timing and consultation in the group-based act of planning and creating. With practice, they learn to embody the behaviours that contribute to deepening trust and accountability among their team. They communicate more competently, becoming more adept at listening and less interested in holding forth. They’re more aware of what we at Roy Group call “what it is time for”, discerning when it’s right to invite input and critique—and when it’s time to take it over the finish line.