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Managing High Performing Teams

Dr. Tanvi Mankodi

By the end of the course you will be able to:

1. Analyze the stages of team development to assess team maturity and identify strategies for guiding teams through each phase to foster psychological safety and high performance.

2. Evaluate team communication strategies by comparing the effectiveness of active listening, open-ended questioning, and constructive feedback techniques in enhancing team collaboration and relationship-building.

3. Identify functional and dysfunctional conflicts and implement strategies that transform conflict into opportunities for team innovation.

By the end of the course you will be able to:

1. Analyze the stages of team development to assess team maturity and identify strategies for guiding teams through each phase to foster psychological safety and high performance.

3. Identify functional and dysfunctional conflicts and implement strategies that transform conflict into opportunities for team innovation.

4. Critically analyze the role of continuous improvement in maintaining high team performance, and design systems for ongoing feedback, performance metrics, and team motivation that align with both team and organizational objectives.

5. Interpret the dynamics of psychological safety within teams and propose actionable strategies for fostering trust, openness, and vulnerability that support a high-performing and innovative team environment.

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What's inside

Syllabus

Foundations of High-Performance Teams

In this module, first-time managers will explore the essential characteristics that define high-performing teams and the stages teams undergo as they develop and grow. Through the lens of Tuckman’s model, participants will learn how to support their teams through the Forming, Storming, Norming, and Performing stages, gaining insights into the critical role managers play in fostering a safe and productive environment. We will examine diverse team roles and dynamics, illustrating how each member’s unique contributions enhance overall performance. Additionally, this module will provide managers with practical strategies for setting clear team goals and aligning expectations from the outset, establishing a solid foundation for sustained high performance. Through real-world scenarios and interactive exercises, participants will leave with actionable techniques to lead and nurture high-performing teams effectively.

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Career center

Learners who complete Managing High Performing Teams will develop knowledge and skills that may be useful to these careers:

Team Leader

A Team Leader guides and motivates a group of individuals towards achieving shared objectives, fostering a collaborative and productive work environment. This course, "Managing High Performing Teams," is perfectly tailored for those in or aspiring to this role, as it directly equips learners with crucial skills. It delves into analyzing team development stages, a fundamental aspect for any Team Leader to guide their team through Forming, Storming, Norming, and Performing phases to foster psychological safety and high performance. The focus on creating a shared vision, setting clear goals, and aligning expectations from the outset provides practical techniques foundational for sustained team success. Moreover, the emphasis on effective communication, feedback, and conflict resolution offers direct tools for navigating team dynamics and building trust.

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Agile Coach

An Agile Coach mentors individuals, teams, and organizations in agile principles and practices, aiming to cultivate high-performing, adaptable units. For an Agile Coach, the "Managing High Performing Teams" course presents an exceptionally strong foundation. The comprehensive coverage of team dynamics, trust, and collaboration directly informs how an Agile Coach guides teams toward self-organization and continuous improvement. The course’s emphasis on psychological safety is critical, as coaches often help foster environments where teams feel secure enough to experiment and learn. Analyzing team development stages provides a robust framework for assessing team maturity and identifying tailored strategies for growth. Additionally, the focus on effective communication strategies, conflict resolution, and designing systems for ongoing feedback and performance metrics equips an Agile Coach with practical tools to enhance team cohesion and drive organizational agility.

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Scrum Master

A Scrum Master facilitates agile development teams, fostering a self-organizing and continuously improving environment while removing impediments. This role is deeply intertwined with the principles taught in "Managing High Performing Teams." The course's exploration of psychological safety is paramount for a Scrum Master, as it lays the groundwork for fostering trust, openness, and vulnerability essential for an innovative team environment. Understanding team development stages, particularly how to guide teams through Forming, Storming, Norming, and Performing, directly benefits a Scrum Master in coaching their team. The module on effective communication and feedback, including active listening and constructive feedback techniques, aligns perfectly with the need to enhance team collaboration. Furthermore, identifying and transforming conflicts into opportunities for innovation is a core responsibility for a Scrum Master, aligning with this course's specific objectives.

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Team Facilitator

A Team Facilitator guides group discussions, workshops, and meetings to help teams achieve their objectives effectively and collaboratively. This role is a direct application of many skills taught in the "Managing High Performing Teams" course. The course's focus on evaluating team communication strategies, including active listening, open-ended questioning, and constructive feedback techniques, is at the core of a Team Facilitator's toolkit for enhancing collaboration. Learning to identify functional and dysfunctional conflicts and implement strategies that transform conflict into opportunities for team innovation is also vital for managing group dynamics. Furthermore, interpreting the dynamics of psychological safety and fostering trust, openness, and vulnerability are essential for creating an environment where all team members feel empowered to contribute, directly supporting a Team Facilitator's goals. This course helps build a strong foundation for cultivating resilient and engaged teams.

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Department Manager

A Department Manager oversees the overall success and operations of a specific department, leading multiple teams or a large functional group. This role necessitates strong leadership in cultivating resilient, productive, and engaged teams, making the "Managing High Performing Teams" course highly relevant. The course's focus on creating a shared vision and developing team roles is crucial for aligning diverse groups within a department towards common goals. Department Managers will find the exploration of effective communication and feedback strategies particularly useful for fostering collaboration across various teams and handling difficult conversations. Furthermore, the ability to identify and implement strategies that transform conflict into opportunities for innovation, as taught in this course, is vital for maintaining a harmonious and high-performing departmental environment. This helps a Department Manager to ensure sustained success across their purview.

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Project Manager

A Project Manager orchestrates the efforts of a project team, ensuring successful delivery of initiatives within scope, time, and budget. This role demands exceptional leadership and an acute understanding of team dynamics, making the "Managing High Performing Teams" course highly relevant. Project Managers must excel at creating a shared vision and fostering accountability, skills explicitly covered in the course through practical tools for building trust and ensuring sustained team success. The module on conflict resolution, including techniques like the Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Model, is invaluable for navigating inevitable project challenges. Furthermore, the course's emphasis on continuous improvement, designing systems for ongoing feedback and performance metrics, directly supports a Project Manager's need to maintain momentum and adapt to evolving project requirements. This course helps build a foundation for effectively managing diverse personalities and driving results.

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Program Manager

A Program Manager oversees a portfolio of related projects and initiatives, coordinating multiple project teams to achieve strategic business objectives. This role demands a high level of leadership and proficiency in managing complex team interdependencies, making the "Managing High Performing Teams" course highly suitable. The course’s emphasis on creating a shared vision and aligning expectations across multiple teams is crucial for a Program Manager to ensure overall program coherence and success. The modules on effective communication, feedback, and conflict resolution provide essential tools for navigating the intricate dynamics of various teams and stakeholders. Furthermore, the course’s focus on continuous improvement and designing systems for ongoing feedback and performance metrics is vital for monitoring program health and ensuring sustained high performance across all initiatives under management. This helps a Program Manager to cultivate resilient, productive, and engaged teams.

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Product Manager

A Product Manager leads cross-functional teams to define, develop, and launch successful products, often without direct authority over team members. This requires exceptional skills in vision-setting, influence, and team motivation, making the "Managing High Performing Teams" course particularly helpful. The course's emphasis on creating a shared vision and aligning expectations from the outset is fundamental for a Product Manager to unify diverse stakeholders and development teams. Effective communication strategies, including active listening and constructive feedback, are essential for fostering collaboration and translating user needs into actionable product features. Moreover, the ability to interpret the dynamics of psychological safety and propose strategies for fostering trust and openness is vital for encouraging innovation and risk-taking within product development cycles. This course helps build a foundation for driving results and managing diverse personalities crucial for product success.

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Executive Coach

An Executive Coach partners with leaders to enhance their leadership capabilities, strategic thinking, and team management skills, guiding them toward achieving personal and organizational goals. The "Managing High Performing Teams" course offers highly relevant insights for an Executive Coach. The course's exploration of psychological safety, fostering trust, openness, and vulnerability within teams, is a recurring theme in executive coaching, enabling leaders to build more resilient and innovative teams. Understanding how to analyze team development stages and design systems for ongoing feedback and performance metrics provides concrete frameworks for coaching leaders on team optimization. The module on handling difficult conversations with empathy and emotional intelligence is particularly valuable, equipping coaches to guide executives through complex interpersonal challenges. This course helps build a strong foundation for an Executive Coach in advising on team cohesion and driving results. This role typically requires an advanced degree.

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Operations Manager

An Operations Manager is responsible for overseeing the efficient and effective functioning of an organization's day-to-day processes and the teams that execute them. To ensure sustained productivity and achievement of organizational goals, an Operations Manager greatly benefits from the skills taught in "Managing High Performing Teams". The course provides practical tools for building trust, fostering accountability, and ensuring sustained team success within operational workflows. Analyzing the stages of team development helps in understanding and guiding diverse operational teams through their evolution. Furthermore, the module on continuous improvement, which includes designing systems for ongoing feedback and performance metrics, is directly applicable to optimizing operational processes and enhancing team efficiency. The training on conflict resolution techniques also provides crucial support for maintaining smooth operations and improving team cohesion within fast-paced environments.

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Organizational Development Specialist

An Organizational Development Specialist designs and implements strategies to enhance an organization's effectiveness, focusing on culture, change management, and team performance. This role is highly correlated with the content in "Managing High Performing Teams." The course's detailed analysis of team development stages and the concept of psychological safety offers critical insights for diagnosing team challenges and designing interventions. An Organizational Development Specialist will particularly benefit from understanding how to foster trust, openness, and vulnerability to support an innovative team environment. The modules on evaluating team communication strategies and identifying functional/dysfunctional conflicts provide practical frameworks for improving team collaboration and cohesion. Furthermore, the course's focus on continuous improvement and designing systems for ongoing feedback directly supports efforts to cultivate a growth mindset within teams. This role typically requires an advanced degree.

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Change Management Specialist

A Change Management Specialist guides individuals and teams through organizational transitions, minimizing disruption and ensuring successful adoption of new processes or structures. For a Change Management Specialist, the "Managing High Performing Teams" course is particularly relevant, as change efforts often pivot on effective team dynamics. The course's focus on fostering psychological safety and building trust is critical, as trust is paramount when asking teams to embrace uncertainty and new ways of working. The module on conflict resolution, including techniques for transforming conflict into opportunities for innovation, is invaluable for addressing resistance and navigating disagreements that arise during change initiatives. Furthermore, effective communication strategies, such as active listening and constructive feedback, are essential for transparent communication and engaging team members throughout the change journey. This course helps build a solid foundation for managing diverse personalities during periods of significant organizational shift.

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Process Improvement Lead

A Process Improvement Lead analyzes existing workflows, identifies inefficiencies, and implements optimized processes to enhance organizational effectiveness and productivity. The "Managing High Performing Teams" course offers valuable insights for a Process Improvement Lead, as successful process changes heavily rely on team adoption and performance. The module specifically focusing on "Sustaining High Performance and Continuous Improvement" aligns directly with this role, teaching how to design systems for regular evaluation, performance metrics, and goal tracking. Understanding team dynamics and how to foster psychological safety, as covered in the course, is crucial for engaging teams in identifying problems and embracing new solutions. Furthermore, the course's emphasis on effective communication and conflict resolution provides necessary skills for leading challenging discussions and gaining buy-in from team members during implementation. This course helps a lead to cultivate resilient and productive teams throughout change initiatives.

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Human Resources Business Partner

A Human Resources Business Partner collaborates with leaders and teams to align HR strategies with business objectives, focusing on talent management, organizational effectiveness, and employee relations. The "Managing High Performing Teams" course provides a deep understanding of team dynamics and performance, which is highly relevant for a Human Resources Business Partner. The course’s specific modules on communication, feedback, and conflict resolution are directly applicable to mediating workplace issues and coaching managers on team interactions. Furthermore, the emphasis on fostering psychological safety and building trust within teams directly supports the HRBP’s role in creating a positive and inclusive work environment. Understanding continuous improvement and performance metrics from the course helps in advising on talent development and performance management systems. This course helps build a strong foundation for supporting managers in cultivating resilient teams.

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Training and Development Specialist

A Training and Development Specialist designs, delivers, and evaluates learning programs to enhance employee skills and organizational performance. The "Managing High Performing Teams" course offers valuable insights for a Training and Development Specialist in creating impactful content focused on leadership and team effectiveness. The course's detailed modules on communication, feedback, and conflict resolution offer excellent foundational knowledge for developing training curricula on these crucial interpersonal skills. Understanding the stages of team development and how to foster psychological safety, as taught in the course, provides insights into designing programs that promote healthy team dynamics. The emphasis on continuous improvement and designing systems for performance metrics further helps a specialist in developing training that aligns with quantifiable outcomes and supports a culture of growth within teams.

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Reading list

We've selected 50 books that we think will supplement your learning. Use these to develop background knowledge, enrich your coursework, and gain a deeper understanding of the topics covered in Managing High Performing Teams.

Getting to Yes

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Classic in the field of conflict resolution and provides a step-by-step guide to negotiating agreements without giving in. It is written by three of the world's leading experts on negotiation and has been translated into more than 30 languages.

Managing High Performing Teams

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