Kick-Starting Your Systemic Team Coaching Journey A Guide for Leaders and HR Managers

Manage HR Magazine | Monday, December 11, 2023

 

Pari Namazie, Executive Coach, Systemic Leadership Team Coach, Managing Partner EUNEPA
Peter Horncastle, Founder, Business Psychologist, Executive and Team Coach at Deep C Ltd. 

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In Part 1, What Is Systemic Team Coaching, And Why Now?, we described what team coaching is. We find it to be a fast-growing field, especially as the ‘hero leader’ is gradually becoming the ‘hero team’, thereby removing the pressure removed from the shoulders of just one individual, and by developing and growing the potential of the team. Team coaching allows the team to step up and work on being the best versions of themselves.

This article explains how organisations can start their systemic team coaching journey to work with team coaches. 

When does a team come to systemic team coaching?

There are many reasons to come to systemic team coaching. It is a process, a learning journey of reflection and building team competence.

Teams seek systemic team coaching for various reasons, including when:

• The team is dysfunctional ,trust is low, and it has lost sight of its purpose and vision

• Complexity is high 

• A new leadership team has come together and wants to define and clarify its purpose and value 

• An organisational transformation is about to happen and the team needs to learn to collaborate and work together

• When the team is curious and needs to build on the wisdom of each individual  

What does Systemic Team Coaching Look Like? 

A systemic team coaching assignment is a learning process itself. To start this journey, we use the SIDER model, as outlined in Graphic 1 below. It involves the following five stages:

1. Scoping

We begin with scoping, which means we meet with the team leader to understand where the team is, what challenges the team is facing and what a desired outcome would look like. We also explore questions on: “What does the team need to learn from the systemic team coaching process?” and “How does the team currently learn?”

2. Inquiry

Inquiry is a process which enables new awareness and learning for the team and its stakeholders. We explore the habits within the team: “How does it enable itself to grow?” and “How does it inhibit its development?”— and the bigger question: “Is the team ready for systemic team coaching? “

3. Developing Agenda

Following the inquiry, a solid foundation for the process is designed. This step includes co-creation, where the team gets involved in the process of defining the themes and messages from the data. In turn, this enables the team to co-create the developing agenda and decide how the coaching will continue.

4. Execution and Engagement: 

Next comes the execution of the systemic team coaching, based on the co-created agenda. It iIncludes a framework using the Five Disciplines model, which is explored below. This is the longest step of the systemic team coaching process and uses different tools and methodologies. 

5. Review

Finally, We build in an ongoing review with the team. It provides space to pause, reflect, and review each stage of the work with them. This allows the team to build the habit of learning from what it is doing and to become aware of how it learns.

The Framework Behind Systemic Team Coaching

The Five Disciplines Model below is a framework to guide the team through the systemic team coaching process. While it might look like a linear process, it is not. It serves as a framework to support the team to become more aware of itself and of the relationship system it is in. This might mean going through the model and re-visiting some of the boxes over again.

At the centre of the model is core learning – everything hinges on reflection and learning. As systemic team coaches, the approach is, “What has the team learnt?”

We ask this often, so the team keeps reflecting on its learning, becomes more empowered and builds the muscles for self and team reliance.

This is a short description of each stage of learning, in which we support the team:

 

Commissioning — The team learns to:

  • See their purpose and work through the eyes of their current and future stakeholders
  • Notice their blind spots about its purpose and its key stakeholders
  • Build practices to stay constantly in touch with the team’s changing commission, so that Commissioning becomes a natural activity for the team.

 

 

Clarifying — The team learns to:

• Create a purpose, vision and strategy that is truly owned by all members

• Build the practice of keeping the purpose of the team alive over time and adapting to new events and influences

• Learn that agility and flexibility are key to ensuring that the work of the team is relevant. 

 

Co-creating — The team learns to:

• Co-create together, observe and value differences and diversity. What is the wisdom in the group? What are the voices being heard? What makes sense for the team together, not just individual members? 

• Become aware of habits, patterns and roles team members fall into and how this might help and / or hinder team growth

• Draw on the contributions of all members. 

Connecting — The team learns to:

• Create and sustain productive and generative relationships with stakeholders

• Build the habit of seeing team effectiveness through its external as well as internal relationships

• Engage actively with all key stakeholders and review the effectiveness of the team’s leadership. 

 

Core Learning — The team learns to:

• To truly incorporate learning into the day-to-day work of the team

• Engage the team in activities that help it to learn about itself and about how it learns and grows

• Establish a habit of conscious learning in the way it works.

 

Working closely with a systemic team coach (or coaches) might take a timeframe of 3 to 18 months, depending on the team, time availability and appetite for learning.

The systemic team coaching journey is not only fast growing, but also extremely rewarding and empowering.

Should you be curious as to how this might serve you, there are a few ways you can engage with us: Book a complimentary session with Pari Namazie and Peter Horncastle, let’s explore where you are and think out loud on some solutions.

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