We know that “constructive conflict” is an important part of effective team decision making. If individuals within a team do not feel comfortable proposing alternative ideas to one another then the first idea suggested might be approved or, maybe worse, whatever idea the boss suggests will be adopted. Many authors, including Patrick Lencioni (The Five Dysfunctions of a Team), … [Read more...] about Healthy Team Debates
Teamwork
Better Brainstorming
The cover article of the new March – April edition of Harvard Business Review* is on Better Brainstorming and includes a number of interesting ideas. It’s written by Hal Gregersen, who is a faculty member at MIT and author of a forthcoming book, Questions are the Answer. Gregerson has invented a process he calls “Question Burst” which focuses the brainstorming process on … [Read more...] about Better Brainstorming
The Ideal Board Chair
This column is written in honor of Richard R. Gibbs, who was the first Board Chair I worked for and who passed away during this past week. Richard was an exceptional leader and was a very supportive Board Chair of a very young Executive Director who didn’t really know what he was doing. I learned a lot from Richard and am very thankful for him in many ways. Here are some … [Read more...] about The Ideal Board Chair
Your Summer Staff Retreat
Many organizations like to take a day during the summer to call a “time out” and gather the staff together for a retreat. Depending on the size of the organization, this could involve everyone or, at larger organizations, departments may end up having their own retreats. What makes for a successful retreat? Here are some tips: *It’s a Retreat. Some organizations say … [Read more...] about Your Summer Staff Retreat
Foster HQCs to Enhance Mission Impact
HQCs = High Quality Connections If you want a workplace in which: *Individuals are thriving *Teams are more effective *The overall organization performs at a higher level Then you should consider encouraging more High Quality Connections among those you work with. Ground-breaking research by University of Michigan professor Dr. Jane Dutton* and others demonstrates that … [Read more...] about Foster HQCs to Enhance Mission Impact