Want Faster, Better, and Deeper Solutions From Your Team?

Scenario 1: The 20-80% MeetingYour team is filled with talented people and you have some wicked problems to solve. When you all get together, the team dynamics seem to get in the way of really making headway on them. One of your star employees has lots of ideas and strong convictions. Once the conversation starts, he takes over and dominates the meeting. At that moment, you can see others lean back and listen (to varying degrees) until he finishes. One or two other people respond largely to the ideas he presented and the conversation becomes a discussion of the pros and cons of his proposals.Some people barely speak at all and yet you can see on their faces that there are things they might want to contribute. When you ask, one may suggest another direction, but the more dominant team members don’t pick it up. So, the idea lies there orphaned and the discussion moves back to the original proposal. One of your most insightful thinkers stays quiet throughout. As you run out of time, there is a final suggestion to research the ideas originally presented and report back the next time. After the meeting the silent team member has a closed door meeting in which she raises a whole new perspective.You are frustrated with the lack of progress but not sure how to change this dynamic to get everyone’s best thinking and agreed upon solutions.

Scenario 2: The 100-100% MeetingNow let’s start over. You begin again by stating the important problem the company faces and the need to arrive at a shared solution soon.A Serious Play® facilitator walks your team through simple exercises that show how to express ideas using LEGO models. “Think with your hands,” the facilitator says, demonstrating how to do it. Your super star, the one with ideas and strong convictions, sits quietly, intent on building his model. Next to him, the insightful thinker builds her model. (Is that a smile on her face? You’ve never seen that before!) Once everyone’s done, each person shares their LEGO model with the broader team. You see curiosity on people’s faces; they’re genuinely interested to hear what each model represents.Then the team works together to create a shared LEGO model that represents their best thinking. Each member in turn rates the quality of the combined model and makes any changes needed to get full agreement. Finally, they create strategies that translate the model into concrete, action steps. There is a tremendous sense of shared accomplishment and commitment.If you want to get Scenario 2 team dynamics and results, contact us for more information.LSP_Scenario 1 or 2