Services

Working with Teams

How we work with your team:

Why is it that teams can be a source of satisfaction but also (and often at the same time), so difficult?

Team dynamics is our thing. It is what we do and well! We work with the whole system, even when there are just a few of you. Looking under the surface in a practical way, so we can reach places quickly that will make a long-term difference in results because when stress arises or things seem puzzling, you will understand more of what is going on. You will see it more quickly and know what to do in the situation. Performance is key and return on investment is experienced in the whole organisation.

Our specialist expertise and extensive experience in team dynamics, along with a practical, results oriented, approach, means we can quickly get to the places that really make the difference to ongoing results.

We keep teams keep on track so our work we do together continues long after we have gone. Using a greater understanding of what happens under the surface –unconsciously and more understanding of the wider system. If you like to work in or lead productive and positive we are here to help.

Team Programmes/Packages

Typical packages will blend these once we have understood your core aims. We may work with more than one team or a temporary team for longer organisation leadership projects. To have an idea of these typical elements please see below:

Team working – New projects

While you are working on a team based project we come and work with you. You can get the job done while we identify and work with what is happening in the group dynamics.

New Team – Working from the outset of a new team formation is really valuable. Keeping your team healthy, curious and positively realistic. You will improve performance initially and have a stronger, more cohesive foundation for the future.

Team Tools - to identify individuals and whole team dynamics in a group. We adopt well known and used tools that give an excellent framework to start seeing things more clearly. Tools such as Myers Briggs will identify your preferences, and how you work with those in a team. Your weaknesses and ways to grow to optimise your strengths and minimise the impact of your weaknesses on others. The things you once thought of as irritating in a team member you will see as positive and needed, when approached correctly.

Team Activities - we may suggest simply a different setting or simple task, creative or action based. We can bring problems to these groups an work on them together - Action Learning Sets

Team Pressure – teams under persistent pressure need to be resilient. This doesn’t mean piling on more actions and activities for mindfulness, but realistically looking at workloads, the task and what is realistic. Understanding what has happened so you carry forward any earning and insights more lightly, and are stronger for future surges of work and stress.

Leading Teams: Here we share with you, applied in practice key theories and frameworks that can help you. Understanding leaders and followers, what happens during transformation, boundaries and managing them. Using systems thinking to understand the wider organisation and how to bring that into your team.

The Leader as Coach: How can you use well adopted coaching tools and understanding to improve your 1:1 meetings. Not only the ones you give but the ones you attend with your manager. You will have clarity around roles, who the individual at work is and the organisation context.. As you catch up to look at the work you are doing, using these tools and frameworks make the sessions more powerful and strategically useful.

For further information about these or other packages, please contact us:

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What is Organisational Development - The Tavistock Tradition

Organisational Development (OD) enables people to transform systems. It is the application of behavioural science to organisational and system issues to align strategy and capability. It enhances the effectiveness of systems through interventions that enhances people’s collective capability to achieve shared goals. If you are bringing in change factor in organisational development into your bid/costings so you can have support from colleagues with skills or training to be released or OD leads.

The current challenges we face can be eased by working on these 5 areas of focus–

Influencing without formal authority
Challenging the status quo
Releasing the potential of human systems
Consulting mindset and skillset
Self as courageous role model

In light of systems psychodynamics for example ‘rather than functioning as a leaders of change, the role of organisation development is one of providing containment, understanding and facilitation for others to take up their roles responsible in their change process’ David Lawlor, 2023

OD facilitators and practitioners are trained to enable organisational development through a variety of intervention techniques.

‘Organisation development (OD) as a practice involves an ongoing, systematic process of implementing effective organisational change. Organisational Development encompasses

OD is both a field of applied science focused on understanding and managing organisational change and a field of scientific study and inquiry. Systems psychodynamics draws upon Psychoanalysis, psychodynamics, social anthropology, complexity theory, action research, open systems theory, systems thinking and socio technical systems (STS) which is an Organisational development is an approach to complex organisational work design that recognises and studies the interaction between people in their different roles, tasks and sub-systems and the technologies of their workplace.’ Lawlor, Sher 2023 p3 Tavistock Institute

Learn here how an OD practitioner applied this approach Frances Unsell How the client was shifted to reality and transparency to listen. The facilitator staying in role can be highly challenging with what can feel like fierce challenge but in role we are trained or experienced in using the insight we can help real shifts. How to stay in role and consider everyhting is data and that we are not here to be liked or be friends we are here for the organisation and those navigating within it ‘everything is welcome’ This level of practice is highly specialised and can take many years of experience or training. To note we are not advocating poor behaviours toward the consultant, rather that reflexive practice may help the consultant understand what is going on that, if trained, can make use of for the OD intervention.

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The Approach and Consultancy Options

The Approach

The systems:psychodynamic approach to organisations incorporates three overlapping frameworks: systems thinking, group behaviour and psychoanalytic theory. The outcome is a powerful combination, whereby clients gain a depth of understanding that gets to the heart of a situation.

Organisation Role Analysis focusses on the role, a little like executive coaching. Looking at the person, the role and the organisation and placing that in current times/situations.

In terms of organisations and groups, what we want from leaders had already evolved over the decades, but now in this global crisis we see the trend of demanding certainty from leaders, when in fact there are limited clear facts. Leaders face a great challenge to remaining sufficiently agile to build the new normal, while also trying to contain the anxieties in their team to offer clarity and direction. All the time while managing their own response to the world changes.

Organisations are complex and in this time of crisis, coupled with unprecedented change, the way we work has changed overnight. Many individuals, groups, organisations and countries have also experienced significant trauma. In some ways the pandemic has been the great revealer of part and indeed whole systems gaps. It has also been a time of opportunity for long awaited change and exciting fresh new thinking and ideas. Prism offers a trusted and reliable space to think, so that client actions are powerful and in the right direction. The next normal requires that, more than ever, our systems support thriving, not simply surviving. This is a big ask in these times of real hardship, with a basic need to survive all around. Leaders, followers and innovators making the best of what resources they have available will lead to healthy organisations, this in turn will help us rebuild our world. The question is how could that look?

We work across all sectors, examples include health, corporate, marketing, education, creatives and humanitarian, as well as in central and local government. Currently we are engaged in national and international role consultancy for leaders and followers in changed roles, varying from small to large organisations. Group work includes accessing part of a whole system virtually within an organisation or indeed a country, with the aim of supporting individuals and groups in leading change. Understanding how they take up their own authority and how to operate in their role effectively in a way that works for their wider system.

Principal consultant Sarah Phillips networks globally with colleagues and also works with a local Psychoanalyst, who is also qualified to Masters in Organisation Consultancy System:Psychodynamic approach at The Tavistock in 2007 and is now a visiting Tutor on the MA course and Mentor for students on leadership courses.

We partner with business/systemic/leaders with expertise from an expert level psychoanalyst who offers an in-depth analysis into what is going on in and around the organisation, person and group. If further personal psychotherapy may be of benefit this can be accessed separately with our own registered psychoanalyst or one recommended in a specialist area.

The first 15 minutes is available to determine a if there is a fit with the consultant. This is not charged and can be on Zoom/Botim/whatsapp or phone.

Prism Insight

Sarah explaining the prism effect