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Getting Started
Four Helpful Tips
1. Familiarize yourself with the team accelerator tools content and activities.
2. Review the Rollout Guide.
3. Decide how best to announce the tools to your Thinkers.
- Use the templates and graphics a-la-carte within an email, Slack, Microsoft Teams, etc., to craft and send your announcement.
- Decide on message follow-up cadence using the templates, graphics, and GIFs (or contact your CSM to inquire if an automatic email campaign setup may be an option).
4. Remind your teams to take a Team Pulse Survey!
Building highly effective teams isn't rocket science. However, it is an investment of two resources teams can't seem to find enough of - focused time and energy. Adding activities and programs to develop teams can often cause you to lose out on key priorities that drive business success. What if we told you that you can do both?
Herrmann has been helping teams improve problem-solving and collaboration by implementing Whole Brain® Thinking for over 40 years. Ned Herrmann saw the need for a practical workplace-based framework from the beginning. Four million thinkers later, research shows that when people understand their own strengths and blind spots, as well as those of colleagues and teammates, they can build trust and capitalize on the team's full potential.
Today, we welcome your teams to the team accelerator tools! A self-guided, flexible, and engaging way to develop high-performing teams!
Team Accelerator Tools on the Thinker Portal
WHY SHOULD I USE THE TEAM ACCELERATOR TOOLS?
Your Certified Practitioner (CP) training introduced you to the four quadrant walk around approach. To give you a whole brained perspective of why the team accelerator tools are effective for developing high-performing teams - and provide messages you can copy and paste as you work with your teams - we will start our overview by addressing the question, "Why should teams use the tools?":
WHAT: Looking for a team development opportunity that allows you to track results? Herrmann's team accelerator tools give your team the opportunity to apply a four-stage approach for team development that the Team Pulse Survey can assess. You will gain valuable baseline insights before applying resources that are designed to improve key areas of team performance. To measure your success, the survey will be completed in the final activity - but you also have the flexibility to complete the survey at any time.
HOW: The biggest challenge in team development is often getting started amidst competing priorities. Herrmann's team accelerator tools provide an organized, self-guided approach to team development. With ordered activities and team profile data built into the learning experience - your team will find a clear path forward guided by easy-to-follow instructions. Starting with getting your team activated and aligned, you will build a solid foundation for applying tools that help your team maintain their momentum and adapt to change.
WHO: When teams are busy delivering against deadlines, shifting gears and getting to know each other better can be tough. Herrmann's team accelerator tools are available now to help your team build stronger relationships by exploring your individual and collective thinking preferences. With a focus on how our diverse thinking can help teams tap into strengths and perspectives for improved performance, the tools allow your team to understand each other better in your workflow.
WHY: A key business skill for a team is exploring new ideas and innovating in the face of change. Herrmann's team accelerator tools guide your team through a process that will help your team organize and streamline your efforts so you can more easily identify new opportunities and ideas. Your team will learn how they can brainstorm big ideas and effectively navigate change to create space for innovation to meet any challenge you face.
WHAT ARE THE TEAM ACCELERATOR TOOLS?
The team accelerator tools include four stages of resources to help your team better understand individual thinking preferences, your team profile data, and how you can apply Whole Brain® Thinking Tools to achieve exceptional results. Keep the following in mind as you explore the team accelerator tools:
- We recommend that teams start with Activate and move through the learning step by step - but we also designed the final two stages (Accelerate and Adapt) to contain tools that provide ongoing value. This flexibility is meant to provide more opportunities for application.
- Most of the activities are between 15-20 minutes, designed to fit the flow of work of any team, and include all instructions. Many can be incorporated into existing meetings, but all of them support the implementation of Whole Brain® Thinking for improved team performance.
You will learn more as we "walk around," but know we designed this page to help Certified Practitioners help teams within their organization successfully apply the tools.
HOW DO I ACCESS THE TEAM ACCELERATOR TOOLS?
Visiting the team accelerator tools in the Thinker Portal is a great way to start thinking about how you can support your Thinkers when you are ready to roll out the tools. For guidance, here is a helpful article from our Help Center!
Once you have had a chance to familiarize yourself with the tools, it is time to get started on implementation. Some key considerations to keep in mind include:
- Have your teams commit to a schedule and timeline for their learning. We recommend that teams commit to a cadence for applying Whole Brain® Thinking together that fits their flow of work. This could mean scheduling time to complete one activity a week. It could also mean scheduling weekly time to complete activities or building a team Whole Brain® ritual if more planning for an activity is necessary.
- The team accelerator tools kick off with a Pre Team Pulse Survey. All team members should complete this short survey before getting started so you can assess your development as a high-performing team. There is a Post Team Pulse Survey at the end of the team accelerator tools to check in, but know that team members can complete the survey anytime. Encourage your team members take the survey simultaneously and connect with your CSM for results.
- We will provide a communication toolkit with message templates and graphics here. Additionally, Herrmann can set up an automated email campaign to send reminders to teams within your organization. (ex. a "Welcome to the team accelerator tools" email, then one email every other week for 2 months)! Contact your CSM for more information.
The following rollout guide will provide more information on these considerations and also help you plan, coordinate, and invite teams to get started on the Activate stage.
WHO CAN USE THE TEAM ACCELERATOR TOOLS?
We are confident that you have an idea of the "who" between your knowledge of Whole Brain® Thinking and your work with your teams. In the spirit of helping conserve time and energy as you consider the best way to reach your Thinkers, we created a versatile communication toolkit.
Below, you will find message templates and graphics for use in your work with teams related to the team accelerator tools. You can edit the messages as needed for your preferred platform, and swap out graphics. This toolkit is meant to give you the flexibility to easily customize your message to connect with your colleagues. Here's what's included:
- Rollout Email Message
- Opportunity Focused Follow-Up Email Messages for Stages 1 through 4 of the tools
- Problem Focused Follow-up Email Messages for Stages 1 through 4 of the tools
- GIFs related to each team accelerator phase that act as words of encouragement and prompt your team to engage and complete each phase.
- team accelerator toolkit graphics
