Team development has been found to be one of the strongest factors in improving organizational performance.

Our organizations are structured around divisions, departments, offices, shifts – each of which is a grouping of individuals with certain tasks, goals and objectives in common. In short, a “Team”.

Teams are most effective when members are interdependent, knowledgeable and experienced, and when organizational leadership actively establishes and supports the team.

Key dimensions of an effective team include:

• Synergy – “2 heads are better than 1”; the essential reason for having Teams “think” together
• Clarity by members on team goal(s) and objective(s)
• Clarity on roles – understanding by members of their own and others talents, skills, contributions and duties
• Positive interpersonal relations and trust – effective communications, giving and receiving support, constructive feedback
• Facilitation – guidance from the team leader (manager or other designated member) of conversations and other interactions to insure collective focus on clearly defined issues and execution of effective actions.

Regular and consistent involvement of employees in effective team problem solving and decision-making is the single most important factor in creating an engaged workforce.  Employees who identify, define, and resolve their own operational issues and opportunities are motivated and committed to the organization which responds to their inputs. The Lakeland Group has decades of experience working with team leaders and managers at all levels to give them the skills for these critical employee interactions.

Women Team Leaders (managers) may see their role as developing the skills and capabilities of each team member, thereby improving and expanding the team’s outcomes. However, women in leadership positions can be met with gender biases: beliefs that women will not wield authority in an assured, even-handed manner; decisions will be made based on relationships rather than business imperatives; motherliness and gratuitous confidences may complicate the business at hand. The Lakeland Group works with women in our client organizations, helping them identify and expand upon their leadership talents, gain power in influencing others with integrity, and participate in every conversation with confidence and generosity.

The Lakeland Group is committed to the effectiveness of shared behavioral models among the members of the organization. Links shown are to the behavioral models and the tools used by The Lakeland Group in training leaders and managers.