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Derek Newberry, Ph.D.
and
Dr. Aviva Legatt
Teams are essential to the modern organization, but most never reach their potential. Co-workers miscommunicate, and groups struggle to adapt to changes in the market or their organizations. When teams lack self-awareness about these challenges, performance suffers. Based on years of team culture research and consulting experience, this course helps you understand the problems that hurt productivity, and gives you tools for creating positive change. This course also guides you through creating the ground rules and structure needed to set your team up for success.
Read more
Teams are essential to the modern organization, but most never reach their potential. Co-workers miscommunicate, and groups struggle to adapt to changes in the market or their organizations. When teams lack self-awareness about these challenges, performance suffers. Based on years of team culture research and consulting experience, this course helps you understand the problems that hurt productivity, and gives you tools for creating positive change. This course also guides you through creating the ground rules and structure needed to set your team up for success.
Read more
Teams are essential to the modern organization, but most never reach their potential. Co-workers miscommunicate, and groups struggle to adapt to changes in the market or their organizations. When teams lack self-awareness about these challenges, performance suffers. Based on years of team culture research and consulting experience, this course helps you understand the problems that hurt productivity, and gives you tools for creating positive change. This course also guides you through creating the ground rules and structure needed to set your team up for success.
You gain the skills to diagnose issues such as conflicts, groupthink and lack of commitment in your team before they get out of control. The course offers frameworks to adjust team behaviors and get the best performance out of your people. You also understand frequent stumbling blocks for common team types, such as startups and virtual teams, and learn solutions tailored to each one.
Register for this course and see more details by visiting:
OpenCourser.com/course/sfe346/building
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What's inside
Syllabus
Course Overview
Welcome to Building High-Performing Teams! Teams are essential to the modern organization, but most never reach their potential. Co-workers miscommunicate and groups struggle to adapt to changes in the market or their organizations. When teams lack self-awareness about these challenges, performance suffers. Based on years of team culture research and consulting experience, this course will help you understand the problems that hurt productivity and give you tools for creating positive change. This course will help you create the ground rules and structure to set your team up for success. You will gain the skills to diagnose issues such as conflicts, groupthink, and lack of commitment in your team before they get out of control. The course offers frameworks to adjust team behaviors and get the best performance out of your people. You will also understand frequent stumbling blocks for common team types, such as startups and virtual teams, and learn solutions tailored to each one.
Read more
Syllabus
Course Overview
Welcome to Building High-Performing Teams! Teams are essential to the modern organization, but most never reach their potential. Co-workers miscommunicate and groups struggle to adapt to changes in the market or their organizations. When teams lack self-awareness about these challenges, performance suffers. Based on years of team culture research and consulting experience, this course will help you understand the problems that hurt productivity and give you tools for creating positive change. This course will help you create the ground rules and structure to set your team up for success. You will gain the skills to diagnose issues such as conflicts, groupthink, and lack of commitment in your team before they get out of control. The course offers frameworks to adjust team behaviors and get the best performance out of your people. You will also understand frequent stumbling blocks for common team types, such as startups and virtual teams, and learn solutions tailored to each one.
Read more
Traffic lights
Traffic lights
Read about what's good
what should give you pause and
possible dealbreakers
Develops an understanding of team dynamics and how to create high-performing teams, which are essential in a modern organization
Taught by Dr. Aviva Legatt, who is recognized for her work on team culture
Emphasizes the importance of setting clear ground rules and structure for team success
Provides frameworks to adjust team behaviors and optimize performance
Offers insights into common team types, such as startups and virtual teams, and provides tailored solutions for each
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Reviews summary
Applying frameworks for team performance
According to learners, the "Building High-Performing Teams" course provides practical frameworks and tools for understanding and improving team dynamics. Many students found the concepts immediately applicable to their work environments, praising its focus on diagnosing team problems and offering concrete strategies for change. While largely positive, some reviewers felt the course could offer more in-depth practical examples or case studies, finding certain sections potentially more theoretical than anticipated. Overall, students report gaining valuable insights for fostering healthier, more productive teams.
Helpful insights into managing different team structures.
"Understanding stumbling blocks for common team types, such as startups and virtual teams, was very valuable."
"The module on managing different team types gave me specific strategies for my global team."
"Insights on startup teams were a nice bonus."
Presents concepts in a structured, easy-to-grasp way.
"The course offers clear frameworks to adjust team behaviors and get the best performance out of your people."
"I appreciated how well the content was organized into logical modules."
"The step-by-step approach to team chartering was particularly useful and clear."
Strong focus on identifying underlying team problems.
"The section on diagnosing team problems was incredibly insightful, helping me see beyond surface-level conflicts."
"I gained the skills to diagnose issues such as conflicts, groupthink and lack of commitment in my team..."
"Helped me understand the root causes of dysfunction in groups I'm part of."
Provides tools and concepts applicable at work.
"I learned how to use practical tools and strategies that I could apply immediately to my work"
"The frameworks provided were really helpful for diagnosing issues in my actual team."
"Gave me actionable steps I could implement right away to improve collaboration."
Some aspects felt more academic than purely practical.
"While practical, some parts felt a bit more academic than I was hoping for..."
"Could use more real-world case studies to illustrate the theoretical concepts."
"I sometimes wished there were more examples of how these frameworks play out in diverse company settings."
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 Building High-Performing Teams with these
activities:
Read "The Wisdom of Teams"
Show steps
Provide insights and practical tips for improving team performance.
View
High-Performance Teams: The Katzenbach-Smith...
on Amazon
Show steps
-
Introduce the concept of team effectiveness.
-
Discuss the characteristics of high-performing teams.
-
Explore strategies for building and maintaining effective teams.
Attend a workshop on team facilitation
Show steps
Equip participants with the skills and techniques to effectively lead and guide teams.
Browse courses on
Team Facilitation
Show steps
-
Identify a workshop on team facilitation that aligns with your needs.
-
Attend the workshop and actively participate in the activities.
-
Apply the concepts and techniques learned in the workshop to your team interactions.
Enroll in a course on team dynamics
Show steps
Provide a structured learning experience to enhance understanding of team dynamics and best practices.
Browse courses on
Team Building
Show steps
-
Identify a course on team dynamics that aligns with your learning goals.
-
Enroll in the course and complete the modules.
-
Apply the concepts and techniques learned in the course to your team interactions.
Five other activities
Expand to see all activities and additional details
Show all eight activities
Conduct a team SWOT analysis
Show steps
Enable teams to identify their strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats, leading to improved decision-making.
Browse courses on
SWOT Analysis
Show steps
-
Gather a team of individuals with diverse perspectives.
-
Facilitate a brainstorming session to identify the team's strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats.
-
Develop an action plan to address the identified SWOT factors.
Implement a team coaching program
Show steps
Provide ongoing support and guidance to teams, empowering them to achieve their goals.
Show steps
-
Define the scope and objectives of the team coaching program.
-
Identify and recruit a qualified team coach.
-
Facilitate regular coaching sessions with the team.
-
Monitor and evaluate the progress of the team coaching program.
Facilitate a team debriefing
Show steps
Enable teams to reflect on their performance, identify areas for improvement, and enhance communication skills.
Browse courses on
Team Communication
Show steps
-
Gather feedback from team members on the effectiveness of the team.
-
Lead a discussion to identify areas where the team can improve.
-
Develop an action plan to address the identified areas for improvement.
Create a video presentation on team conflict
Show steps
Provide a visual and engaging way to understand and address team conflicts.
Show steps
-
Research different types of team conflicts.
-
Identify strategies for resolving team conflicts.
-
Create a video presentation that summarizes your research and provides practical tips.
Contribute to an open-source project on team collaboration
Show steps
Provide practical experience in working with teams in a collaborative environment, fostering teamwork and problem-solving skills.
Browse courses on
Project Management
Show steps
-
Identify an open-source project focused on team collaboration.
-
Contribute to the project by submitting code, documentation, or bug fixes.
-
Collaborate with other contributors and team members to achieve common goals.
Read "The Wisdom of Teams"
Show steps
Provide insights and practical tips for improving team performance.
View
High-Performance Teams: The Katzenbach-Smith...
on Amazon
Show steps
Show steps
Show steps
- Introduce the concept of team effectiveness.
- Discuss the characteristics of high-performing teams.
- Explore strategies for building and maintaining effective teams.
Attend a workshop on team facilitation
Show steps
Equip participants with the skills and techniques to effectively lead and guide teams.
Browse courses on
Team Facilitation
Show steps
Show steps
Show steps
- Identify a workshop on team facilitation that aligns with your needs.
- Attend the workshop and actively participate in the activities.
- Apply the concepts and techniques learned in the workshop to your team interactions.
Enroll in a course on team dynamics
Show steps
Provide a structured learning experience to enhance understanding of team dynamics and best practices.
Browse courses on
Team Building
Show steps
Show steps
Show steps
- Identify a course on team dynamics that aligns with your learning goals.
- Enroll in the course and complete the modules.
- Apply the concepts and techniques learned in the course to your team interactions.
Five other activities
Expand to see all activities and additional details
Show all eight activities
Conduct a team SWOT analysis
Show steps
Enable teams to identify their strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats, leading to improved decision-making.
Browse courses on
SWOT Analysis
Show steps
Show steps
Show steps
- Gather a team of individuals with diverse perspectives.
- Facilitate a brainstorming session to identify the team's strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats.
- Develop an action plan to address the identified SWOT factors.
Implement a team coaching program
Show steps
Provide ongoing support and guidance to teams, empowering them to achieve their goals.
Show steps
Show steps
Show steps
- Define the scope and objectives of the team coaching program.
- Identify and recruit a qualified team coach.
- Facilitate regular coaching sessions with the team.
- Monitor and evaluate the progress of the team coaching program.
Facilitate a team debriefing
Show steps
Enable teams to reflect on their performance, identify areas for improvement, and enhance communication skills.
Browse courses on
Team Communication
Show steps
Show steps
Show steps
- Gather feedback from team members on the effectiveness of the team.
- Lead a discussion to identify areas where the team can improve.
- Develop an action plan to address the identified areas for improvement.
Create a video presentation on team conflict
Show steps
Provide a visual and engaging way to understand and address team conflicts.
Show steps
Show steps
Show steps
- Research different types of team conflicts.
- Identify strategies for resolving team conflicts.
- Create a video presentation that summarizes your research and provides practical tips.
Contribute to an open-source project on team collaboration
Show steps
Provide practical experience in working with teams in a collaborative environment, fostering teamwork and problem-solving skills.
Browse courses on
Project Management
Show steps
Show steps
Show steps
- Identify an open-source project focused on team collaboration.
- Contribute to the project by submitting code, documentation, or bug fixes.
- Collaborate with other contributors and team members to achieve common goals.
Career center
Learners who complete Building High-Performing Teams will develop knowledge and skills
that may be useful to these careers:
Scrum Master
Scrum Master
Scrum Masters facilitate Scrum teams and ensure that they are following the Scrum framework. This course is highly relevant to your role as you need to help your team be self-organizing and cross-functional.
Virtual Team Leader
Virtual Team Leader
As a Virtual Team Leader, you need to be able to build and manage a team that is not co-located. This course will teach you how to create a virtual team charter, set team goals, and manage team dynamics. You will also learn how to diagnose and solve problems that may arise within your team.
Startup Founder
Startup Founder
As a Startup Founder, you need to be able to build a strong team to help you achieve your business goals. This course will teach you how to create a team charter, set team goals, and manage team dynamics. You will also learn how to diagnose and solve problems that may arise within your team.
Head of People Operations
Head of People Operations
As the Head of People Operations, you are responsible for a team of people who support employee relations, including recruiting, benefits, and training and development programs. This course will be highly impactful in your role as you need to ensure that your team is operating at a high level of performance.
Team Lead
Team Lead
As a Team Lead, you will be managing a group of people and helping them to achieve their goals. This course will help you to develop the skills you need to be an effective leader. You will learn how to build trust, motivate your team, and resolve conflict.
Human Resources Manager
Human Resources Manager
In HR, you are responsible for guiding your team towards the common goal of employee development and satisfaction. This course will be particularly useful as you learn how to diagnose and cultivate positive team environments and behaviors.
Learning and Development Manager
Learning and Development Manager
Learning and Development Managers oversee teams in creating and implementing programs to train and develop employees. This course will help you understand how to staff, build, and manage effective teams. You will also be able to diagnose problems and help your team improve their performance.
Workplace Mediator
Workplace Mediator
Workplace Mediators help to resolve conflict and improve communication in the workplace. This course will provide you with the skills you need to be an effective mediator. You will learn how to facilitate discussions, build consensus, and resolve disputes.
Project Manager
Project Manager
As a Project Manager, you lead and manage teams to complete projects. This course will help you learn how to build a team that works well together and can achieve its goals. You will gain the skills to diagnose and solve problems, which will be essential to your success as a project manager.
Consultant
Consultant
Consultants help businesses identify issues, develop strategies, and improve their operations. Consultants work heavily with teams in a variety of roles and responsibilities. The course will help you diagnose team problems and teach you effective behavioral changes so that you can guide teams in improving their performance.
Business Analyst
Business Analyst
As a Business Analyst, you work with organizations to positively change their business operations or processes. Understanding how to build high-performing teams will give you a strong foundation to help you collaborate with many different departments and stakeholders.
Manager
Manager
You work with teams to achieve organizational goals. This course is a great way to build a strong foundation in team dynamics and management. Learning how to enhance team performance can make you a more effective manager and help you achieve your own career goals.
Agile Coach
Agile Coach
An Agile Coach helps organizations smoothly adopt Agile methodologies and frameworks. Learning how to build high-performing teams is essential, as Agile heavily relies on collaborative teams. Conflict and miscommunication can cost teams time and resources. You will benefit from the frameworks and tools taught in this course to build more effective and productive teams.
Trainer
Trainer
Trainers develop and deliver training programs to help employees learn new skills and knowledge. This course may be useful to you as you will learn how to build and manage training teams.
Organizational Development Specialist
Organizational Development Specialist
This course may be useful to you as an Organizational Development Specialist as it provides you with a framework to set your team up for success. You will learn how to create ground rules and structure so that you can increase team effectiveness.
For more career information including salaries, visit:
OpenCourser.com/course/sfe346/building
Reading list
We've selected 17 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
Building High-Performing Teams.
Explores the concept of learning organizations and how they can create a competitive advantage. It provides a framework for understanding the five disciplines of a learning organization: systems thinking, personal mastery, mental models, shared vision, and team learning.
Save
A useful manual on the key characteristics of high performing teams. Helps to build a strong foundation for the rest of the course.
Save
Provides a framework for developing and evaluating good strategy. It argues that good strategy is clear, focused, and aligned with an organization's capabilities.
Useful case studies and heuristics for building and managing high performing teams. Particularly useful during the "diagnosing team problems" module.
Provides a practical guide to building a successful startup. It argues that startups need to focus on building a minimum viable product and then iterating based on customer feedback.
Provides a candid look at the challenges of building a successful business. It covers a variety of topics, including leadership, management, and fundraising.
Save
Provides a contrarian view on how to build a successful startup. It argues that startups should focus on creating something new and different, rather than copying existing businesses.
Save
Provides a practical guide to getting customers for a startup. It covers a variety of topics, including marketing, sales, and customer service.
Save
A fable outlining the five common dysfunctions of teams and how to overcome them. A more narrative and less technical read than other books on the reading list.
Explores the challenges that large organizations face when they try to innovate. It argues that large organizations are often too slow to adopt new technologies because they are afraid of cannibalizing their existing products.
Save
Provides a framework for developing breakthrough strategies. It argues that organizations need to focus on creating new markets rather than competing in existing ones.
Save
Explores the culture of high-performing teams. It identifies three key elements of a healthy team culture: purpose, process, and people.
Argues that organizational health is more important than any other factor in business success. It provides a framework for assessing and improving organizational health.
Save
Explores the science of motivation. It argues that people are motivated by three things: autonomy, mastery, and purpose.
Save
Explores the power of introverts. It argues that introverts are often overlooked and undervalued in the workplace.
Provides a practical guide to developing emotional intelligence. It covers a variety of topics, including self-awareness, self-regulation, and empathy.
Provides a framework for personal and professional effectiveness. It covers a variety of topics, including goal setting, time management, and interpersonal communication.
For more information about how these books relate to this course, visit:
OpenCourser.com/course/sfe346/building
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Rating
4.7
Effort
Approx. 12 hours
Level
Introductory
Via
Coursera
Institution
University of Pennsylvania
Instructors
Derek Newberry, Ph.D.
Dr. Aviva Legatt
Language
English
Transcripts
Español
Français
Português
Deutsch
Italiano
中文
العربية
한국어
日本語
हिंदी
Nederlands
Svenska
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Türkçe
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Ελληνικά
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magyar nyelv
Bahasa Indonesia
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اُردُو,
فارسی
বাংলা
tiếng Việt
پښتو
آذربایجان دیلی
This course belongs to a
collection
called
Culture-Driven Team Building. It's comprised of five courses:
- Building High-Performing Teams (viewing)
- Creating a Team Culture of Continuous Learning
- Optimizing Diversity on Teams
- Culture-Driven Team Building Capstone
- The Power of Team Culture
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