A diagnosis based on observations from conversations and meetings, prepared confidentially.
team development
Team development: turning departments into teams
Team development that starts with the work
For me, team development does not mean taking a team out of the business for two days of trust exercises. It starts with the work: the shared goal, roles, handovers, decisions and how problems are discussed.
In the workshop, we first clarify the team’s purpose, then roles and responsibilities, then collaboration. The result is a set of concrete agreements the team can follow up itself. Communication is usually at the heart of it, not because people cannot talk, but because suitable structures are missing.
Sound familiar?
Team problems rarely arrive as team problems.
What you get
A team that knows why it exists and how it works together:
A tailored team workshop or support with a coaching approach, facilitated by me.
A written team agreement formulated by the team itself: purpose, roles, rules for collaboration, handling conflict and decision paths.
Methods the team can use independently afterwards.
A follow-up session after a few weeks to review together how collaboration is working.
Frequently asked questions
Common questions about team development
What is team development?
It is the work of turning people who work alongside each other or in different locations into a team pursuing a shared goal. It addresses the team’s purpose, roles and handovers, decision paths and the way people treat one another.
How does a team development workshop work?
It begins with individual conversations and observation in daily work, including the team’s meetings. From this I prepare a confidential picture of the starting point. In the workshop we then clarify: Why does the team exist? Who does what? How do we work together? At the end, the team records its own agreements in writing. After a few weeks, we review together how those agreements are working in daily life and how the team experiences the collaboration.
What is the difference between team development and team coaching?
Team development is a defined project with a clear goal: it results in agreements that the team supports. Team coaching accompanies a team over a longer period through several sessions, without fixing the result in advance. Which is more suitable depends on the starting point. A newly formed team will usually begin with a workshop, while an entrenched situation is more likely to need a coaching approach.
Does team development work for production teams and shifts?
Yes, especially there. Shift teams have one particular feature: they are rarely all together, and much depends on the handover. I therefore work directly at the interface between shifts and, where necessary, in several sessions so that every shift is included.
How long does team development take?
That depends on the situation. A newly formed team, the merger of two departments and a team with a long-running conflict each need something different. Agreements can be reached quickly. Changing the team’s attitudes takes longer. That is why the follow-up session is part of the process. We agree the scope together beforehand.
What if the team itself does not see a problem?
Then that is the first question to clarify. Sometimes only the manager sees a problem, and that too is a signal worth taking seriously. I therefore speak with those involved before the workshop. If it turns out that the team views the situation differently, I say so openly. We then consider together whether team development is the right approach at all. A workshop imposed against a team’s will achieves nothing.