A Two-Day Team-Learning Seminar

Purpose

• To build alignment and commitment among members of a leadership team around a shared vision and its translation into strategic priorities and team ground rules.
• To enhance the team’s capacity to learn and act effectively and in synergy, on                         its journey to becoming a high-performance team.

Intended Outcomes

• Understanding of the characteristics of a high-performance team and of the                                     conditions for practicing the five learning disciplines in a team.
• Alignment of the team members around shared values, a shared vision for the team, and the desired contribution of each team member in realizing it.
• Shared and systemic understanding of current reality and of major gaps                                     between vision and reality.
• Agreement on a few strategic priorities to address major gaps and on                                                 accountabilities for implementing them within the team.
• Ground rules for working effectively as a team.
• Agreement on next steps to expand, enrich and refine the shared vision                                     and the selected priorities, and to involve others in their successful                                                 implementation.

Participants

• Team of senior executives, partners or leaders that need each other to act in the pursuit of a common vision.

Design

 Day One

• Welcome and brief review of the purpose and outcomes of the retreat.
• Individual introductions and expectations.
• Assessment of the team’s current position on the Team Performance                                                 Curve and Quadrants (see attached Preparation file).
• Brief review of the characteristics of learning and high-performance                                                 teams.
• Clarifying and sharing personal values and visions.
• Conditions for surfacing and challenging beliefs and mental models, and practicing dialogue.
• First exploration of the team’s vision for the organization in 3 to 5 years                                                 from the viewpoint of major stakeholders (e.g. customers, suppliers,                                                 partners, staff), including agreement on a compelling audacious goal.
• Evaluation by the team of the corresponding aspects of current reality                                                 from the viewpoint of each stakeholder.
• Identification of the major gaps or areas of creative tension between vision and reality for the team, and focus on some key leverage points.

Day Two

• Dialogue and consensus on key strategic priorities for the team over the                                                 next 12-18 months to address major gaps between current reality and                                                 vision and take advantage of key leverage points.
• Accountability charting for each priority within the team.
• Choosing ground rules for the team in order to move upward on the                                                             performance curve.
• Agreeing on next steps to enrich and implement the vision and strategic
• priorities within the team and organization, and to monitor progress as a learning team.
• Evaluation of the retreat vs. intended outcomes and individual                                                             expectations.

Format

• Brief presentations of concepts and tools followed by individual reflection                                     periods and interactive application in pairs, small groups and large group.
• Optimal number of participants: between 6 and 18.

Preparation

• Advance reading on organizational and team learning.
• Individual assessment of the team’s current position on the Team Performance Curve and on the Team Performance Quadrants (see attached Preparation file).
• Individual reflection on expectations and potential contribution to team.
• Communication of current strategic plan and surveys of key stakeholders.