The old adage goes that “if you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it” and although I can think of a few exceptions, when it comes to managing the way a team works together, measuring the dynamic in some way is almost always the first productive step. When we first started Resologics services and began to meet with potential buyers we heard the same thing over and over again; “yes indeed we have team dynamics issues that are holding us back on a number of fronts, but we are afraid to bring it up with the team as it may make things worse or single out people who may get upset.” We set out to find a new type of conversation starter for teams.

We searched for an ideal tool to help teams and team leaders look objectively at themselves in a non-threatening way. We landed on one that is both proven and ideal for small to mid-size teams (2-40 people). We’ve found that when we match this diagnostic tool together with our conflict focused services, the teams improve dramatically as do their results.

Our search parameters:

1. Metrics. The tool must measure and output a team dynamic in numbers that everyone can understand and it must allow for a before and after comparison.
2. Awareness not blame. It is sometimes difficult to get a conversation started and so a tool that looks at the team as a whole, where individuals are counted but not singled out, is critical to start a conversation.
3. Positive. Results focus on positive attributes of the team dynamic.
4. Conflict Pairing. Resologics’ focus is on using conflict to a team’s advantage and a significant portion of the tool must address the competencies that make a team conflict ready.

Team Coaching International provides the Team Diagnostic™ tools to measure the current efficiency of a team and identify areas that are working well and those to target for improvement.

For our purpose, which always involves turning conflict into positive outcomes, the Team Diagnostic is perfect. Just in the last six months it has opened the door for five executive level managers (including two founders) to start conversations with their teams that they could not figure out a way to do before. For Resologics, it not only opens the door for great conversations within the team, it also identifies possible first steps to helping a team make itself more productive and more resilient. It also shows us areas of the team that we need to pay special attention to so they do not fall prey to destructive team conflicts.

Tool Basics:

• 80 questions. On-line.
• Results are confidential. Distributed only by Resologics
• 30 minutes needed per team member
• Team leader and/or any combination of team and stakeholders can participate. Multiple views of the team dynamic are possible.
• Results are aggregated so everyone only sees what the whole team looks like, not individuals
• Results are displayed as numbers on a scale of 1 to 9 and are represented in a series of charts and graphs
• 14 common areas of team dynamics are measured and are simple to understand.
• Results are actionable by the team both with the support of a coach and on its own.
• Results can predict team productivity going forward. Before/after measuring can prove out team methodology and ROIs.

What Gets Measured Gets Managed

The Team Diagnostic measures fourteen competencies, seven of which fall into the category of “Productivity” and seven of which fall into the category of “Positivity.”  The team is measured on a scale of 1 to 9. 9 being the highest performance possible. 

Productivity: Productivity Strengths support the team in achieving results, accomplishing tasks, staying on course to reach goals and objectives. The Team Diagnostic™ model identifies seven attributes necessary for teams to achieve high performance.

1. Accountability
2. Alignment
3. Goals and Strategies
4. Decision Making
5. Resources
6. Team Leadership
7. Proactive

Positivity: Positivity Strengths focus on the interrelationships between team members and the spirit or tone of the team. The Positivity Strengths create the culture, the ground conditions for the work of the team.

1. Trust
2. Respect
3. Constructive Interaction
4. Communication
5. Optimism
6. Values Diversity
7. Camaraderie

Here is a set of before and after results from a sample team.

On a scale of 1 to 5, how important is it that your team has tools to measure itself and know how it is doing?

Tools Shmools

Super Important