Creating Superb Teams (Using 6 Team Conditions), with Dr. Ruth Wageman and Dr. Krister Lowe

Life + Leadership

Most of us involved in the practice of leading and coaching teams take a relational approach, focusing on group dynamics and resolving conflicts as they arise. But what if we’re treating symptoms without getting to the root cause? All the conflict resolution in the world won’t help if a team lacks the underlying conditions necessary to be successful. So, how do we create an environment that puts our teams on a positive trajectory from the start?

Today, we’re joined by Dr. Ruth Wageman and Dr. Krister Lowe, part of the core team of Team Diagnostics, LLC and co-hosts of the 6 Conditions Podcast. Ruth is one of the creators of the 6 Team Conditions Framework and Team Diagnostic Survey. She is one of the foremost scholars in the field of team performance, having led original research programs as a professor at Columbia, Dartmouth and Harvard Universities. She co-authored Senior Leadership Teams: What It Takes to Make Them Great. Krister is an organizational psychologist and team coach. He is the founder of the professional training platform The Team Coaching Zone. As a 20-year veteran of the team coaching space, he has developed an expertise in providing learning and development solutions for leading organizations around the globe.

Ruth and Krister begin by walking us through the 6 Team Conditions Framework, explaining what makes their design more effective than a relational approach and what teams can do to assess their standing in each of the 6 areas. Ruth and Krister discuss the most common dysfunctions they encounter among the wide range of teams they coach and share what they are ultimately trying to accomplish through this work in fostering true collaboration. Listen in to understand what trends Ruth and Krister notice in their work with teams, what they are doing to support team leaders in meeting these challenges, and how YOU might benefit from a deeper understanding of the 6 Team Conditions Framework.

Themes explored in this week’s episode:

• The 3 essentials and the 3 enablers that make up the 6 Team Conditions Framework
• Why conflict resolution fails when we don’t create the conditions for a team to be successful
• Ruth and Krister’s advice on defining a clear, specific purpose and making sure the whole team is on the same page
• The wide range of teams Ruth and Krister have worked with + the most common dysfunctions they encounter
• What issues SHOULD drive the agenda for senior leadership team meetings (and why it is NOT updates)
• What Ruth and Krister hope to accomplish through their work around team collaboration
• Redesigning organizations around collaboration and distributed authority
• How we can leverage the 60-30-10 Principle to meet the challenge of leading effective teams and bring more joy into the collaborative process
• The trends Ruth and Krister notice around team leaders and why the popular 1:1 management style doesn’t promote collaboration
• Who might benefit from pursuing certification in the 6 Team Conditions Framework

Resources from this episode:

• Learn more about the framework at 6 Team Conditions
• Follow Ruth and Krister’s work on LinkedIn
• Connect with Ruth on Instagram + Krister on LinkedIn or Twitter
• Read Senior Leadership Teams: What It Takes to Make Them Great and The Practitioner’s Handbook of Team Coaching
• Listen to The 6 Conditions Podcast or The Team Coaching Zone Podcast
• Get more information about The Nautilus Experience
• Explore the work of Richard Hackman
• Get certified in the Team Diagnostic Survey
• Enroll in the 6 Team Conditions Advanced or Master Certification Training
• Learn more about The Coaches Training Institute
• Revisit our discussion on community with Lola Wright on The Life & Leadership Podcast

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