Juan Test – Teamraderie offers teams an opportunity to rethink their approach by exposing them to new ideas. Here is a summary we developed with Summer to summarize learnings.
Rise Up
Summer described the 1992 NCAA Swimming championship. The vulnerability of her teammates and the transparency inherent in swimming conditions are the prerequisite conditions for individuals to find ways to give more of themselves to help a team win.
Fold
Summer described the dynamics on The Apprentice and argued that it did not promote either the transparency of vulnerability that leads teammates to thrive. In companies, ask whether people are comfortable exposing flaws during root cause analyses.
Be a Goldfish
Summer described the 2004 NBA Finals – won by a team that lacked highlight reels or superstars, but by a cocktail of people who behaved cohesively. She articulated how everyone on the team ‘had complete clarity on their role’ – and this led to team chemistry that defeated dynastic competitors.
You may want to begin a future meeting with a team exercise or activity to reflect on and extend the learnings from your Teamraderie experience. Here are some discussion ideas we developed for your team along with basic guidelines for organizing the exercise.
Set aside 10-30 minutes at the start of the meeting or as its own event. Stress to your team that this time is not a “meeting” but a dedicated space to have a break together. Have a clear plan to involve all team members whether virtual or in-person.
Pick one reflection/discussion pair from the options below or mix and match!
Option 1: Objective Tasting and A Beginner’s Mind
Option 2: Discuss the “Vibe” During Your Experience. How might “Vibe” Be Connected to Psychological Safety At Work?
Teamraderie has been asked by some managers for a ‘post-experience summary email’ that they can share with the team members after the 45-minute Teamraderie experience. In collaboration with Lilly, we drafted a memo for you to customize:
Team,
Thank you for joining our “Speedos” experience this week.
Beyond a shared team experience, there were three reasons we did this together.
First, it is important to have an ongoing discussion on team norms; Summer’s story of how three women ‘rose-up’ to deliver personal-best swim times at the NCAA Championships reminds us how much more potential we can unlock when we have the right culture.
Second, it is vital to recognize what ‘shuts people down’; Summer’s story about The Apprentice reminds us of the importance of accountability that we admire in athletes.
Finally, it was a celebration of our potential. Like the Detroit Pistons, we can go farther and do more than anyone imagines.
I look forward to sharing more stories with each other – on these topics and others – as we go about trying to do our best work.
Sincerely,
Manager
Teamraderie experiences are designed in collaboration with management professors at Stanford University and Harvard Business School. Here are the principles Summer Sanders incorporated into your experience:
A Rotterdam School of Management (2021) study showed asking members of the team to express unique viewpoints and perspectives (showcasing diversity – but within an inclusive environment) led to higher creative expression on teams.This Teamraderie experience helps satisfy both “uniqueness” and “belonging” needs of teams.
A Harvard University (2014) study found open discussions of ‘failure’ or ‘vulnerability’ – particularly by those in leadership – led to team environments in which members subsequently exhibit higher degrees of creativity and personal ratings of one another.This Teamraderie experience helps satisfy both “uniqueness” and “belonging” needs of teams.
A University of Nebraska (2006) study found employees’ perception of authentic leadership serves as the strongest predictor of job satisfaction and can have a positive impact on work-related attitudes and happiness.This Teamraderie experience helps satisfy both “uniqueness” and “belonging” needs of teams.
Teamraderie recommends the documents and publications below for additional perspective:
Author: Daniel Coyle (bestselling business author) summarizes ideas from Jeff Polzer (a professor of organizational behavior at Harvard)
Highlight: “Being vulnerable gets the static out of the way and lets us do the job together, without worrying or hesitating.”
Author: Hayagreeva Rao, Stanford Graduate School of Business Professor, Organizational Behavior
Highlight: “A great workplace is one where people do the right thing, even when no one is looking”. Plus, learn an effective and easy exercise that you can do with your team…
