The company as a living organism: understanding the interdependence of 18 drivers in the corporate ecosystem.
You're already familiar with 18 drivers for effective teamwork if you've read the book "Sustainable Teams" or attended one of our workshops. In this video, Frédéric goes a step further and explains the interdependence and interactions of these key factors within the company.
Frédéric Meuwly suggests we link the way a company functions to the way a living organism functions, in this case a tree.
This pictorial representation of 18 drivers enables us to understand these 18 factors, as well as their function in the company's ecosystem and their interactions with the whole.
This video is an extract from our online training course Sustainable Teams: 18 drivers for effective teamwork: which is now also available in English! And you're welcome to join us if you like.
THE INTERDEPENDENCE AND INTERACTION OF THESE KEY FACTORS WITHIN THE COMPANY
"Certain factors pull this tree up and give it a sense, a direction; other factors form its base, its roots and the healthy soil the tree needs to grow."
At the center of the tree, we find factors that concern team dynamics: these factors give life to the team, a bit like the sap that circulates and connects the bottom and the top of the tree, enabling dynamic management of the whole.
DIRECTION, MEANING AND A SHARED VISION
At the very top of this tree, a bit like the star at the top of a Christmas tree, we find the team's vision, mission and raison d' être; this is what will give meaning and direction to the team, and unite it around a common vision.
IMPACT
Just below the "raison d'être", we find three factors linked to impact and value creation: customer orientation at the center, because a team is always at the service of someone or something beyond the team, be it a customer, a user of a public service or a community.
Right next to this is innovation and value creation, because the team will always be looking to improve its impact and co-create value within its ecosystem.
The team will then translate this into individual and collective objectives. These goals should be inspiring, as they are directly linked to the team's meaning and mission, and will embody how the team will co-create value and have a positive impact on the user community it serves.
SUPPORTIVE LEADERSHIP PROVIDING THE "FERTILE GROUND" THAT ENABLES THE TEAM TO GROW AND EXPRESS ITS FULL POTENTIAL
If we now turn our attention to the foundations of this tree, we find at the very bottom, rather like the trunk, the roots, the notion of supportive leadership. It's like Robert Greenleaf's Servant Leadership model, where the leader is not at the very top of the pyramid above his teams, but rather sees it as an inverted pyramid where the leader's role is above all to reinforce and support the team.
"Leaders are like gardeners whose mission is to ensure that the team has healthy, fertile soil in which to develop and express its full potential. This supportive leadership will therefore make sure to put in place solid foundations to ensure high-performance teamwork."
SOLID FOUNDATIONS
These foundations include elements such as workspace design, resources and know-how ; positive reinforcement through recognition and gratification; and the notion of psychological security and mutual trust that will be essential to the smooth running of a team.
These foundations also include more operational dimensions, such as clear roles & responsibilities and processes, including decision-making processes, effective platforms and modes of communication and coordination, and finally strategic management and arbitration of priorities.
TEAM DYNAMICS: EMERGENCE OF A LEARNING CULTURE AND EFFECTIVE COLLABORATION
"Once these fundamentals are in place, a real learning organization culture and effective collaboration will be able to emerge."
This will enable the authentic practice of the feedback culture to proactively manage conflict and express individual needs in order to properly manage the energy and life balance of each team member, which is essential for maintaining commitment and motivation over the long term.
The team will also be oriented towards external elements, with dynamic stakeholder risk management and openness to changes brought about by these stakeholders.
TEAM COHESION AND PERFORMANCE
During our team cohesion and performance programs, these 18 drivers enable the team tofully access the collective intelligence of the group and focus its energy on what it can impact. The team learns to "play to win" while pursuing collective objectives. Don't hesitate to contact us if you would like to organize a program of this type with your team.
SUSTAINABLE TEAMS" ONLINE TRAINING
We hope you have found this overview of 18 drivers useful. In parallel, we invite you to join us in the full online training course if you'd like to think more deeply about where your team is today, and how to support it towards greater sustainability and performance.
Join the Sustainable Teams online training course
This learning program will help you discover the 18 drivers for sustainable teams and give you the tools to implement them in your organization.
Training in French
Training in English
18 drivers FOR PERFORMING TEAMWORK 1 to 18
And just for fun, here are the 18 drivers from 1 to 18: These key factors are also the categories for our articles in this Blog: Happy browsing and see you soon!
- Raison d'être & shared vision
- Innovation and value creation
- Customer experience
- Inspiring goals for individuals and teams
- Work-life balance & energy management
- Conflict management & feedback
- Learning, growth, progress
- Reliability & teamwork
- Enthusiasm & a positive attitude to change
- Stakeholders & risk management
- Workplace design & ergonomics
- Resources & know-how
- Recognition & Reward
- Psychological safety & confidence
- Clear roles & processes
- Communication tools & platforms
- Strategy, roadmap & priorities
- Supportive leadership
Discover the book Sustainable Teams
This practical guide will enable you to sustainably transform the cohesion and collective performance of teams within your organization thanks to 18 drivers for effective teamwork.
