Leading Teams: Building Effective Team Cultures from Coursera

What's inside

Syllabus

COURSE ORIENTATION

You will become familiar with the course, your classmates, and our learning environment. The orientation will also help you obtain the technical skills required for the course.

MODULE 1: TEAM CULTURE: DEFINED

Building effective teams starts with understanding the often elusive and challenging concept of culture. In this module, you will learn about the concept of culture and why it is important for effective teamwork. You will also explore a model of principles of effective teamwork that will guide your learning through the remainder of the course. Finally, you will hear perspectives from our panel of leadership experts about how they lead teams to develop effective cultures.

MODULE 2: CULTURES OF SAFETY

Developing cultures in which individual team members feel safe—meaning that they can bring difficult issues to the surface and explore challenging ideas together – is foundational to effective teamwork. In this module, you will explore one of the most important contributions to our study of teams and organizations developed in recent years: the idea of psychological safety. You will then explore the importance of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging and how to cultivate these elements in teams. Then you will explore how this relates to creating ethical cultures, cultures that facilitate ethical decision-making. Finally, you will explore the challenges of hierarchy that are innate to teams, developing a better understanding of how to work within hierarchy for effectively leading cultures of safety.

MODULE 3: CULTURES OF ENGAGEMENT

Effective teams require that people feel engaged in their work and in their teams. In this module, you will explore key concepts related to creating cultures of engagement. You will explore the idea of motivation and how this relates to engagement. You’ll hear from Larry Gies himself on the value of purpose and why teams with purpose outperform those without a clear purpose. You will explore how to mitigate burnout, which is something that many individuals in teams face today. Finally, you’ll learn about the concept of meaningful work, and how meaningful work can contribute to cultures of engagement.

MODULE 4: CULTURES OF GROWTH

In this module, you will explore three key elements that facilitate cultures of growth. Growth is where learning and change happen and maintaining a growth mindset for our team cultures is important as we navigate the challenges of the world today. First you will learn about the value of a problem-solving culture and explore how to create a culture in which every individual approaches their work with the mindset to solve problems effectively. Then you will explore the idea of creativity and how to generate a sense of creativity in your teams. Finally, you will use complexity theory to explore how to navigate the inevitable element of change.

Good to know

Know what's good

, what to watch for

, and possible dealbreakers

Explores building effective team cultures, which is highly relevant to managers and leaders

Taught by seasoned industry experts, including Denise Lewin Loyd and Elizabeth A. Luckman

Taught by Kari Keating, who is a recognized expert in team culture

Develops skills in building cultures of safety, engagement, and growth, which are core skills for leaders

Coursework is delivered through lectures, readings, case studies, and discussion forums, which provides multimodality

Reviews summary

Outstanding team leadership course

According to students, this course on team leadership is outstanding with engaging lectures. Students say that the course content is applicable to many areas of work.

Activities

Be better prepared before your course. Deepen your understanding during and after it. Supplement your coursework and achieve mastery of the topics covered in Leading Teams: Building Effective Team Cultures with these activities:

Compile a resource list on team culture best practices

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Compiling a resource list helps students organize and synthesize information on effective team culture practices.

Browse courses on Team Culture

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Research and gather resources on team culture best practices.
Organize the resources into categories or themes.
Create a document or presentation to share the compiled resources.

Organize a team culture workshop or discussion

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Leading or participating in a workshop or discussion allows students to share their knowledge and engage in a deeper exploration of team culture principles with others.

Browse courses on Team Culture

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Choose a topic or theme for the workshop or discussion.
Develop an agenda and materials for the session.
Facilitate the workshop or discussion, encouraging active participation from attendees.
Collect feedback and reflect on the effectiveness of the session.

Read 'The Culture Code' by Daniel Coyle

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This book delves into the characteristics of successful teams, providing insights into how to build a strong and effective team culture.

View Flourish on Amazon

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Read the book and take notes on key concepts.
Identify three main takeaways from the book.
Discuss the book's insights with classmates or colleagues.

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Form study groups for course discussions

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Engaging in discussions with peers helps reinforce concepts and deepens understanding of team culture principles.

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Form a study group with classmates.
Choose a module or topic for each meeting.
Prepare discussion questions and materials.
Meet regularly to discuss the chosen topic.

Explore case studies on effective team cultures

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Analyzing case studies provides real-world examples and helps develop critical thinking skills in evaluating team culture effectiveness.

Browse courses on Case Studies

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Find case studies on effective team cultures.
Analyze the case studies, identifying key factors that contributed to success.
Write a summary or presentation on your findings.

Conduct team culture assessments or surveys

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Conducting team culture assessments or surveys helps students gain practical experience in evaluating and improving team culture.

Browse courses on Team Culture

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Research and select an appropriate team culture assessment or survey tool.
Administer the assessment or survey to a team.
Analyze the results and identify areas for improvement.
Develop a plan to address the identified areas for improvement.

Create a team culture charter or plan

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Developing a team culture charter or plan allows students to apply their understanding of effective team culture principles to a practical scenario.

Browse courses on Team Culture

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Research best practices for team culture charters or plans.
Draft a charter or plan that outlines the team's values, norms, and goals.
Discuss the charter or plan with classmates or colleagues for feedback.
Refine the charter or plan based on feedback.

Contribute to open-source projects related to team culture

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Contributing to open-source projects provides hands-on experience in applying team culture principles to real-world software development.

Browse courses on Open Source

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Identify open-source projects related to team culture.
Join the project community and introduce yourself.
Find an issue or task that aligns with your interests and skills.
Work on the issue or task and contribute your findings.
Collaborate with other contributors to refine your work and merge it into the project.

Career center

Learners who complete Leading Teams: Building Effective Team Cultures will develop knowledge and skills that may be useful to these careers:

Project Manager

Project Managers often oversee teams and build team cultures that facilitate effective teamwork. This course can be especially helpful for Project Managers that are interested in team development. It can be especially helpful for developing cultures of safety, engagement, and growth.

See salaries and explore the career path for Project Manager

Team Leader

Team Leaders build effective team cultures to facilitate the most effective teamwork. Those in this role cultivate a sense of safety, engagement, and growth in their team, helping others feel comfortable bringing difficult issues to the surface for the good of the team. This course may be useful to Team Leaders wanting to build a strong foundation in leading an effective team culture.

See salaries and explore the career path for Team Leader

Organizational Development Manager

Organizational Development Managers help organizations develop effective team cultures. This course can be especially helpful for Organizational Development Managers wanting to build a strong foundation for leading effective team cultures.

See salaries and explore the career path for Organizational Development Manager

Consultant

Consultants often work with teams to help them improve their performance. This course can be especially helpful for Consultants who want to build a foundation in helping teams develop effective cultures. It can be especially helpful for developing cultures of safety, engagement, and growth.

See salaries and explore the career path for Consultant

Chief Executive Officer

Chief Executive Officers often oversee teams and build team cultures that facilitate effective teamwork. This course can be especially helpful for Chief Executive Officers that are interested in team development. It can be especially helpful for developing cultures of safety, engagement, and growth.

See salaries and explore the career path for Chief Executive Officer

Chief Operating Officer

Chief Operating Officers often oversee teams and build team cultures that facilitate effective teamwork. This course can be especially helpful for Chief Operating Officers that are interested in team development. It can be especially helpful for developing cultures of safety, engagement, and growth.

See salaries and explore the career path for Chief Operating Officer

Manager

Managers often oversee teams and build team cultures that facilitate effective teamwork. This course can be especially helpful for Managers that are interested in team development. It can be especially helpful for developing cultures of safety, engagement, and growth.

See salaries and explore the career path for Manager

Department Manager

Department Managers often oversee teams and build team cultures that facilitate effective teamwork. This course can be especially helpful for Department Managers that are interested in team development. It can be especially helpful for developing cultures of safety, engagement, and growth.

See salaries and explore the career path for Department Manager

General Manager

General Managers often oversee teams and build team cultures that facilitate effective teamwork. This course can be especially helpful for General Managers that are interested in team development. It can be especially helpful for developing cultures of safety, engagement, and growth.

See salaries and explore the career path for General Manager

Division Manager

Division Managers often oversee teams and build team cultures that facilitate effective teamwork. This course can be especially helpful for Division Managers that are interested in team development. It can be especially helpful for developing cultures of safety, engagement, and growth.

See salaries and explore the career path for Division Manager

Vice President

Vice Presidents often oversee teams and build team cultures that facilitate effective teamwork. This course can be especially helpful for Vice Presidents that are interested in team development. It can be especially helpful for developing cultures of safety, engagement, and growth.

See salaries and explore the career path for Vice President

Human Resources Manager

Human Resources Managers help build effective team cultures that facilitate the most effective teamwork. This course can be especially helpful for Human Resources Managers who want to build a foundation for understanding how to develop cultures of safety, engagement, and growth.

See salaries and explore the career path for Human Resources Manager

Senior Manager

Senior Managers often oversee teams and build team cultures that facilitate effective teamwork. This course can be especially helpful for Senior Managers that are interested in team development. It can be especially helpful for developing cultures of safety, engagement, and growth.

See salaries and explore the career path for Senior Manager

Product Manager

Product Managers often oversee teams and build team cultures that facilitate effective teamwork. This course can be especially helpful for Product Managers that are interested in team development. It can be especially helpful for developing cultures of safety, engagement, and growth.

See salaries and explore the career path for Product Manager

Operations Manager

Operations Managers often oversee teams and build team cultures that facilitate effective teamwork. This course can be especially helpful for Operations Managers that are interested in team development. It can be especially helpful for developing cultures of safety, engagement, and growth.

See salaries and explore the career path for Operations Manager