TEAM BUILD - Using the Strength Deployment Inventory to Build Teams
The SDI is a proven memorable tool for improving team relationships and reducing the risk of conflict. When people discover the unique motivation of themselves and others, they greatly enhance their ability to communicate more effectively and handle personal and interpersonal conflict more productively.
A story
Sara likes to be valued for helping people grow. Tony wants to be valued for getting the job done. Georgina likes to be valued for thinking things through, and Harry likes to be valued for his flexibility. When they work as team, they are often puzzled by each other. Sara thinks Tony is heartless. Georgina finds Sara over emotional. Tony thinks Georgina is overly cautious. And the list goes on. It can be as if they are all speaking different languages. As a team, they sometimes end up in conflict, and spend more time sorting out their conflicts than working towards their goals
Understanding SDI
It’s easy to believe that if we treat each other the way we like to be treated things will work out just fine. But what do we do when it doesn’t work?
The more we can understand what motivates us and others, the more we can flex our communication style, avoid or defuse conflict, and build better, more rewarding relationships. When people feel valued, they feel good about themselves. And when that happens, they perform better.
Like a mirror, the SDI reflects back to individuals the behaviours they find rewarding and like to be valued for. It gives them insight into what motivates their behaviours when all is well, and when they’re in conflict.
For teams, the SDI gives them clues to “who you are”, “who I am”, and how we need to treat each other to have rewarding relationships.
The SDI is colour-coded and memorable. Each colour has a language attached to it that helps people become aware of their unique language, and teaches them how to flex their style to speak in other people’s language.
Outline of the SDI Team Building Workshop
Pre-work
Participants complete the SDI online. It takes about 30 minutes to complete, depending on the individual. There are twenty questions to answer.
At the workshop:
- find out
- What’s behind your communication style
- When all is well for you
- When you’re in conflict
- What’s behind your team-mates’ communication styles
- When all is well
- When they’re in conflict
- What your natural communication preferences are
- What your team-mates’ natural communication preferences are
- learn how to:
- Speak and write in the language of the different colours
- Defuse and manage conflict situations
- Manage your strengths
- Deploy your team to its strengths
Practical and Interactive
Through observing, interacting and practicing with professional actors participants will learn how to flex their style and put learning into practice.
Create a “Guide to Us”
If people came with instruction manuals, it would make life and work a lot easier. We’d know how to get the best out of others, and how to avoid upsetting them.
At the workshop, we facilitate individuals creating a “Guide to Me”. It’s their personalised instruction manual of how to get the best out of them, and how not to upset them.
After the workshop we compile all those guides into a multi-coloured “Guide to Us.” It’s a small flicker book that the team can use as a guide to get the best out of each other. And it helps keep the conversation of discovery alive.