What's On · The benefits of the training are fading
A few good days don't change a team. An assessment shows where the team stands; a follow-up assessment shows whether it's changing.
From the demo report
Team PhaseFire hazard“On the surface, it may still seem to be functioning, but beneath the surface, things are brewing.”
First action in the action plan
Operation Reality Check: What's Really Possible?
Why You Shouldn't Let This Slide
Symptom Management
The book explains that when a team is struggling, management offers coaching or a few team-building days to alleviate the worst of the pain. That can certainly be effective. But it often amounts to nothing more than treating the symptoms.
Worse than before
If attention isn't paid to the underlying causes, the problems will often return in a worse form in the long run.
Relapse
Initiatives deserve extra protection and attention in the beginning. If the team doesn't really get on board with them, they can fall by the wayside. Some team members will then go their own way.
You can't tell from the evaluation whether it will last. A follow-up measurement will show.
Cees van der Zwan, founder of Teamenergy
Jump to
A case study from the book
The book follows the secondment team at FinQas, a company in the financial sector, during a coaching program that lasts several months. FinQas is a fictional name.
Talking about targets seemed to be the only lever the team could pull. If things weren't going well commercially, the targets had to be raised.
The team investigated which patterns and habits provide energy and which ones drain it. Everyone agreed: much more energy was being drained than was being replenished.
The team agreed to ask questions during their work meetings as well. They didn't specify what the goal was. The only agreement was that they would do it.
“We’re now having a conversation with each other instead of just exchanging facts and scores.” Performance remained consistent, with much more enjoyment and a stronger sense of teamwork.
The team knows that the old patterns will quickly resurface if they aren't careful.
What the team was working on
Book, p. 23
Energy in the team
Illustration from the book, p. 24
Agreed
Book, p. 25
“We’re having a conversation with each other now instead of just exchanging facts and scores.”
A team member, after more than half a year. Book, p. 26
“What we do is much less ‘frantic’ and ad hoc.”
Another team member. Book, p. 26
The team continued to handle it themselves, during their regular work meetings.
What the measurement tells you
Here are the results for the demo team. A follow-up assessment will show later whether the team has changed and whether it has moved on to a different phase.
Stress 2.11. For the top-performing teams, that figure is 1.25, and lower is better.
Workload: 2.92. A healthy range is between 2 and 3.
Commitment: 3.05; the recommended score is 3.5. Team results: 3.20; the recommended score is 3.5.
Resources 1.09, personal development 1.09, leadership 1.72. The recommended score is 3, and for leadership, 3.5.
Three themes recur in the open-ended questions: the need for a shared direction; ongoing pressure from shortages and external factors; and the desire for better collaboration and greater connection.
In the demo team’s action plan: Border Control Protocol—draft it once and then review it monthly or quarterly.
You take a measurement, read the results, do an exercise, and then take another measurement. That way, you can see if the enjoyment returns and if it lasts.
Frequently Asked Questions
A few team-building days can have an impact, but they often amount to nothing more than treating the symptoms. If attention isn't focused on the underlying causes, the problems will often resurface in a worse form over the long term.
An example from the book: During a coaching program, the FinQas team agreed to incorporate asking questions into their work meetings as well. The team knew that otherwise, old patterns would quickly resurface.
Whether the team changes, and whether it moves on to a different phase. If you choose a one-year period, you can measure it again as often as you like during that year.
One measurement costs €450 per team. To continue taking measurements, you pay €62.50 per month per team, for a minimum of one year. This gives you unlimited retesting. See the prices below.
You pay a single fee per team, regardless of how many employees are on it. Compare that fee to what it costs you to do nothing.
A single sick day costs you 21 times as much as a year's worth of " Teamenergy " for the entire team.
Continued pay plus about 30% in employer contributions. We’re not even factoring in replacement costs and work that gets left undone.
For every figure and every step on this page, you'll see the source. Or view them all together.
You can see what’s putting pressure on your team’s performance, and the team takes care of it on its own. A follow-up assessment after 4 months will show whether the team is making progress.
We'd like to track how this site is used so we can improve it. We'll only do this if you're okay with it.
