Using Trajectories to Develop an Extra-Dependent Team

Background

Whilst coaching an Extra-Dependent Team, a team coach ran an exercise that used the Dynamics of Learning to explore how the team interacted.   For this activity, all the equipment used was some rope to make three concentric circles which were laid on the floor.  They were large enough for the whole team to physically stand within the circles.  The physicality of the activity helped the team “experience” their relative positions to each other and this led to deeper insights.      

Connecting 

The team coach explained how the exercise would run and ensured everyone was happy to be involved.  At this stage team psychological safety needed to be high so people felt able to share information about themselves - and each other.  Everyone agreed that they were OK to try it out.          

Consideration

The team coach explained the layers and trajectories to the team, spending time to answer any immediate questions.   He then invited the team to consider where they were personally with regards to the layers of Peripheral, Active and Core.  He then asked each to consider if they were individually Inbound, Outbound or an Insider trajectory.  See the video link above for more on these.  The team coach asked everyone to confirm that they had decided on where they would place themselves.      

Change

The team coach then invited one person to step into the circles and position themself, facing the  direction of their trajectory.  In this case, the Team Leader was invited to go first.  The coach had already checked with the team leader if they would be OK to go first.  And by going first, the Team Leader was role modelling the vulnerability needed.  

The team coach asked what had made them decide on that position.  The team leader explained.  The team coach then invited other people in the team to comment.  The team generally agreed.  In this case the team leader had put himself just within the Core on an Insider trajectory.  The team agreed his skills and knowledge was high, but as a manager he had other things to focus on as well, which limited his ability to be Inbound.  

The team coach then invited another team member to occupy a position.  The next person came forward and positioned themselves.  They were relatively new and they felt it was easy to position themselves in the Periphery, Inbound.  When asked, the team encouraged the team member to move into the Active layer.  For them, although they were relatively new to the team, they saw them very much as a team member - in the team.  It was a powerful moment as the team all appreciated the contribution of the team member - it was very affirming.

Other team members positioned themselves in turn, hearing from the rest of the team.  One person positioned themselves in the Active layer, explaining that they didn’t think they had enough experience to be in the Core.  However, the rest of the team believed that they were within the Core - and recognised them as a role model for certain aspects of the Practice of the team.  It was an eye-opening moment for the team and the team member.  He was looked up to by the team, yet didn’t realise it.  It helped explain why he was so reluctant to share more of what he did well.  Rather than him withholding his experience and practice, he believed he didn’t have much to offer.  The reaction of the rest of the team led to an important exchange where he started to recognise how he could help the rest of the team through sharing his experience more readily.              

Close

At the end of the experience the team coach invited the team to draw out key insights together with him including.

• It easily demonstrated the learning “map” of the team - and captured the relationships between team members
• Everyone occupied their own unique position in the team - it was OK to acknowledge that some people had less experience than others
• It highlighted some breakthrough learning dynamics - for how the team could become stronger together
• It affirmed people’s membership and the sense of identity together

 

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