Team Building

Team building is not always thought of as a function of mental health. For a team building facilitator to be effective, however, they must have knowledge of human interaction, healthy relationships, and the pitfalls and obstacles that can create challenges to productive team interactions. In addition, the facilitator must be aware of a variety of interventions which can reduce these challenges.

A team can be thought of as any group of individuals who must function in association with each other to produce an end product. The amount of interaction necessary for a positive outcome determines the level of team work. The end product may be goods, a common objective, or services.

In any given day an individual may find themselves involved in a variety of teams: a church choir, a golf foursome, the bridge club, a PTA meeting, a sales group, or watching a game with friends. All of these situations involve interaction for some end result. If an individual has difficulty functioning productively in every ‘team’ with which they are associated, they may need individual counseling, or life coaching. However, if a team of normally productive individuals is having difficulty functioning, team building intervention may be necessary.

The basic focus of team building is to have the group members agree upon a common goal, be aware of how much they are dependent on each other to achieve that goal, and to determine what personal cost they are willing to experience for the success of the group. There are a variety of activities, questionnaires and formulae to assist a group in answering these questions. Interventions may also include clearly defining the role of each of the team members, and rehearsing or practicing those roles working together.

(Duane provides team building services to corporations, non-profit agencies, civic groups, churches, and through clinical supervision.)