EXTRAORDINARY GROUPS: How Ordinary Teams Achieve Amazing Results with Kathleen Ryan 1Bellman/Ryan © 2009

EXTRAORDINARY GROUPS:How Ordinary Teams Achieve Amazing Results

withKathleen Ryan

1Bellman/Ryan © 2009

Today

Your own experience with an amazing group

Key concepts from our field study

Application of concepts


Starting Questions

Why do some groups achieve amazing results while most others do not?

What do extraordinary groups have in common that sorts them from the rest?

How might we create these terrific results more often?


What’s Your Experience?

1. When you join or are assigned to a group, what do you hope for?

2. Think of an amazing group experience you have had. Identify three things that enabled that experience to be so memorable.

3. What feelings do you associate with that experience?

Our Field Study

Sixty groups of 2-20, incl. virtual Work, volunteer, personal life Self-identified as “amazing” Interviews with 1-3 members 1.5 to 2 hour phone interviews Open ended questions and stories


An Extraordinary Group…

Achieves outstanding results while members, individually or collectively experience a profound shift in how they see their world.


Exercise

Find a partner Briefly describe the essence of your

experience (2-3 sentences) Discuss, What factors enabled your

experiences to be so outstanding?


Eight Performance Indicators

1. Compelling Purpose

2. Shared Leadership

3. Just-Enough Structure

4. Full Engagement

5. Embracing Difference

6. Unexpected Learning

7. Strengthened Relationships

8. Great Results


Intangible Results

Learned about one’s self Gained or deepened knowledge/skills Applied to other parts of life Built new or strengthened relationships Increased pride of accomplishment Heightened self confidence Greater sense of community


Groups in Human History

Thousands of years of living in groups Survive together, perish alone Genetically, instinctively informed to

group It’s easy to relate to a group; it’s hard to

relate to a large organization Groups are the way to get things done


Getting Below the Surface

• Why do we human beings group?• What is it that motivates us to join

with others?


12

Six Group Needs

Accept one’s selfwhile

moving toward own Potential Bond with others while

pursuing common Purpose Understand Reality of the world

while making an Impact

Bellman/Ryan © 2009

13c. 2010, Bellman and Ryan

ACCEPTANCE: Knowing and appreciating myself for who I am.

POTENTIAL:Sensing and growing into my fuller and better self.


BOND: Connections among us that create a shared sense of identity and belonging.

PURPOSE:The reason why we come together.


REALITY:Understanding and accepting the world as it is and how it affects us.

IMPACT:Our intention to make a difference and our readiness to act.


We Need to Achieve and Grow

ACHIEVEMENT GROWTHMaking an IMPACT Self ACCEPTANCE

Accepting REALITY Growing into POTENTIAL

Joining in Common PURPOSE

Creating a BOND with others

18

Four Feelings at the Heart of Transformation

Energized !

Connected !

Hopeful !

Changed !


19

EnergizedConnectedHopefulChanged


Getting Below the Surface

20

Eight Performance Indicators

Four Feelings of Transformation


High Performance Behaviors and Techniques

21

Group Dynamics • Meeting Management • Leadership Strategies • Employee Engagement • Team

Development • Collaborative Decision Making • Conflict Management • Brainstorming • Effective

Dialogue and Discussion



How could you imagine applying this material?

Recent Consulting Applications

Always: designing and facilitating The essence of an Extraordinary Group The power of Embracing Difference Understanding a “difficult” group member Holding the group container with just-enough

structure Diagnosing a conflict through the lens of the

Group Needs


The Essence of an Extraordinary Group

A compelling Purpose Shared leadership Breakthrough results through true

collaboration, surpassing expectation Personal transformation due to intangible

results


The Power of Embracing Difference

c. 2010, Bellman and Ryan

Just-Enough Structure

Compelling Purpose

Shared Leadership

Embracing Differences

Full Engagement Unexpected

Learning

Strengthened Relationships

Great Results

Transformation: a fundamental shift in individual perceptions that accelerates behavior change and personal vitality

True Collaboration which leads to discovering or creating something new together

Meeting Group Needs, or Not…Group Needs Results The Group

ExperienceMeet Group Needs (intentionally or not)

•Increases likelihood for great tangible and intangible results and personal transformation

Amazing!

Don’t meet Group Needs •Group does the best it can when it comes to both task achievement and relationship development•Some groups better than others•Less-than-effective dynamics

Ordinary

Contradict Group Needs •Individuals feel directly ‘dissed’: disrupted, disliked, disconnected, disrespected•Destructive conflicts

Ineffective to Awful


Using the Group Needs to Embrace Difference


Compelling Purpose

Embracing Differences

Engagement: What could we do to meet our Group Needs as a way to go from ‘me to we?’

Assessment: What’s going on in the situation that contradicts someone’s Group Needs?

Using Group Needs to Assess and Engage

Self Acceptance: knowing and accepting ourselves for who we arePotential: sensing and growing into our fuller and better selvesPurpose: why we come togetherBond: our shared sense of identity and belongingReality: understanding and accepting the world as it is and how it affects usImpact: our intention to make a difference and our readiness to act

28

Life is too short to spend time in groups that do not fulfill their promise.

EnergizedConnected

HopefulChanged


An Opportunity An online Extraordinary Groups Survey is

under development; 15 core concepts Purpose: a catalyst for group reflection,

conversation, and development If you’d like to participate let me know First draft now available; due July 16 You’ll receive group profile, individual profile,

guidance for group movement

Bellman/Ryan © 2009 29

Visit our website, www.extraordinarygroups.com

Blog posts with practical strategiesLibrary: tools and some of Geoff’s writings

www.extraordinarygroups.com/extras/

Copies of today’s slides


Documents

EXTRAORDINARY GROUPS: How Ordinary Teams Achieve Amazing Results with Kathleen Ryan 1Bellman/Ryan © 2009