With the careful reopening of markets around the world, I recently started getting requests to support the regrouping of teams returning to the office. I appreciate the fact that leaders do recognize the need to regroup and realign their teams after such challenging times. After all, people, organizations, and businesses have been through quite a lot over the last few months. While a desire to rush back into ‘work as usual’ is entirely understandable, it will be extremely beneficial for leaders to dedicate a few hours to ensure they set their teams up for success. With the new business reality, it is essential, more than ever, that teams are well aligned, clear about their goals, and work effectively together.
There are three key reasons why a regrouping session is so valuable:
1. There is a need to refocus on how to achieve success:
The business landscape has changed dramatically. As a result, it is crucial to review goals, clarify doubts, formulate new approaches, and spend time to realign on how to be successful in this new reality.
2. Teams need to reconnect so they can continue working effectively together
After being physically away for so long, especially during these challenging times, it is vital to help teams reconnect, rebuild team spirit, and fine-tune the way they work together.
3. There is a ‘once in a lifetime’ learning opportunity that should not be missed
This crisis provides a unique opportunity for individuals, teams, and organizations to grow and get better. To make this happen, leaders and teams need to review their actions and results, analyze them, draw conclusions, and, ultimately, incorporate the lessons they learned into their future operations.
Recommendations for a regrouping session:
While it is impossible to provide a one-size-fits-all recipe for such a team meeting, here are my general recommendations.
Objectives: The overall objective should be to help the team regroup effectively and set itself for success (vs. business as usual).
Agenda Topics:
A team regrouping session should include all, or some, of the topic mentioned above.
Team (re)building: It should allow a certain amount of time for the members to reconnect, share experience, and appreciate their return to working together. Various team-building exercises can serve for such a purpose.
Business Goals and Realignment: I recommend dedicating a segment to discussing any changes in goals, direction, and approach to doing business. The leader can conduct this section with the help of a facilitator. The objective will be to clarify any doubts and questions to ensure the team is clear about its objectives and how to achieve them.
Lesson learned: An important part of the meeting should be dedicated to drawing learning points and success factors from the recent experience. This segment should allow for recognizing both practical elements, such as outstanding and creative solutions the company implemented, and process elements, for example, how the team worked together under these tough conditions. My recommendation is to take an appreciative approach to this review to energize the teams and develop positivism.
Improving Collaboration: Every team, even the most successful one, can find a way to push its collaboration even further. A regrouping meeting is an excellent opportunity for the team to agree on how they can improve the way they work together. Activities to help improve collaboration can target whole team collaboration, or a one-on-one dynamic, or both.
Time: Such a workshop should take between half a day to a day
Summary:
COVID-19 is a major challenge for individuals, teams, and organizations. It significantly disrupted the markets, business, and the way we work. Now, as teams start returning to the office, it is important, more than ever, for leaders to ensure they set up their teams for success.
While it may feel tempting to rush back to work, organizations and leaders will gain much more by taking a few hours to allow their teams to come together, realign and use this crisis as an opportunity to become stronger and better.
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Written by Dr. Ben Capell, Founder & Principal of BECAP Management Consultancy.
BECAP Management Consultancy helps leaders and teams remove barriers to effective collaboration and fulfil their true potential. We available to help create and facilitate your team regrouping sessions or we are available to support you in any way you may need.
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