Team Coaching, Group Coaching or Facilitation: Which One Is Right for Your Organisation?
Illustration by artinker.com for Kate Leto
Last month, I talked about Teamwork as a competency of emotional intelligence and an important leadership skill for product leaders. In this article, I wanted to take a deeper look at how leaders often look for support to build that teamwork foundation.
When looking to enhance team performance, foster collaboration, or develop leadership skills, organisations often turn to one of three options: team coaching, group coaching, or facilitation. Each approach has its unique benefits and characteristics, and understanding their differences is crucial to selecting the right method for your organisation and knowing what type of external resource you might turn to for help.
In this edition of our newsletter, we will explore these distinctions and provide guidance on choosing the best approach to meet your organization’s needs. By understanding the characteristics of each method, you'll be better equipped to help to create a successful and dynamic work environment for your team.
Team Coaching
Team coaching is a powerful approach that concentrates on supporting an entire team to align on a shared purpose and way of way of working as they strive to accomplish common goals. The main outcome of team coaching is to strengthen the entire team to work as a supportive system, and allows the coach to lay the foundations for the team to be able to build in the open and solve their own problems in time.
To achieve these goals, team coaches employ various strategies and techniques to create a climate where team members can focus on:
Building trust and open communication: Encouraging team members to express their thoughts, ideas, and concerns openly can create an environment of trust and mutual understanding, which is crucial for effective collaboration.
Enhancing self-awareness and emotional intelligence: By raising awareness of individual and collective strengths, weaknesses, and blind spots, teams can leverage their unique qualities to work together more efficiently.
Learning to deal with conflict and tension: Conflicts are inevitable in any team setting. Team coaching helps members develop skills to navigate disagreements constructively, leading to better decision-making and problem-solving.
Decision-making: Enabling the team to feel confident about making decisions, how they come about those decisions, and finding team alignment.
Strengthening accountability and ownership: A strong sense of individual and collective responsibility is essential for a team's success. Team coaching supports the development of these attributes, empowering team members to take ownership of their actions and hold one another accountable.
Fostering adaptability and resilience: Teams must be agile and resilient in order to adapt to changes. Team coaching can help develop the necessary skills and mindset to respond to challenges and bounce back from setbacks.
Setting and achieving performance objectives: Team coaching aids in establishing clear goals, setting priorities, and developing strategies to achieve desired outcomes.
Engaging with key stakeholders: Effective communication with stakeholders is crucial for any team's success. Team coaching can equip teams with the tools and techniques needed to manage expectations, gather feedback, and maintain strong relationships with stakeholders.
Team coaching is especially beneficial for organisations aiming to strengthen their teams as cohesive units and empower them to find solutions together. Addressing both individual and collective dynamics with team coaching can unlock a team's full potential and drive lasting improvements in performance.
Illustration by artinker.com for Kate Leto
Group Coaching
Unlike team coaching, which focuses on enhancing the performance and cohesion of a team, group coaching brings together individuals who share a similar focus but may not work directly together or have common goals. This approach is centered on individual development and learning within a group setting.
Group coaching offers several distinct benefits and advantages, such as:
Encouraging knowledge sharing and best practices: As individuals come from diverse backgrounds and experiences, group coaching enables the sharing of ideas, insights, and best practices across various functions or departments.
Supporting skill development and personal growth: Group coaching provides a safe space for individuals to explore their strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities for growth, allowing them to develop new skills and enhance their personal effectiveness.
Building a support network: Participants in group coaching sessions can form valuable connections with peers facing similar challenges, creating a support network that extends beyond the coaching process itself.
Enhancing accountability and motivation: By setting individual goals and sharing them with the group, participants can benefit from increased accountability and motivation to achieve their objectives.
Group coaching can be particularly beneficial for organizations aiming to support the integration of new skills, enable connections across departmental boundaries, or address specific development needs within a diverse cohort. For example, group coaching may be used to support new team members transitioning into leadership roles, or individuals navigating a significant organizational change. These could include things like learning about OKRs, building roadmaps, identifying KPIs, storytelling. or creating a product strategy.
Illustration by artinker.com for Kate Leto
Group Facilitation
In contrast to team coaching and group coaching, facilitation is a process-oriented approach specifically designed to help teams address and resolve immediate issues or challenges. Focusing on the present or near future, facilitation differs from coaching in that it emphasises managing the conversation and guiding teams towards an actionable solution. For a product team, this could be the same as the examples given previously (OKRs, roadmaps, KPIs and strategy) - but the result will be reached through the facilitator guiding the entire group to gain alignment around how to get there, and implement the solution together.
Facilitators utilise a range of techniques and tools to steer the group through the problem-solving process, making it an ideal option in several scenarios:
Finding solutions: When a team faces urgent issues that require prompt resolution, facilitation can help guide the group to identify the root cause, brainstorm potential solutions, and reach a consensus on the best course of action.
Neutral party: Facilitators act as unbiased, external guides who can provide an objective perspective and ensure that all team members have an equal opportunity to contribute to the discussion. This neutrality can be particularly valuable in situations where emotions or personal biases may hinder effective decision-making.
Structured problem-solving: Facilitators are skilled in guiding teams through a structured process that encourages critical thinking, creativity, and collaboration. By keeping the group focused and on track, facilitators can help teams make progress and reach conclusions more efficiently.
Alignment building: In situations where teams need to reach an agreement or make a collective decision, facilitators can enable open communication, promote active listening, and help the group navigate conflicts in order to achieve a shared understanding and consensus.
Meeting and workshop management: Facilitators can be instrumental in planning and executing effective meetings, workshops, or brainstorming sessions. They can help set clear objectives, establish ground rules, and create an engaging and inclusive environment for all participants.
Facilitation offers a distinct approach to addressing specific problems or challenges that require immediate attention or a neutral party to manage discussions. With the use of various techniques and tools to guide the group through the problem-solving process, facilitation can be an effective solution for teams seeking to resolve issues quickly and gain alignment
Choosing the right method is the first step towards creating a culture of growth, collaboration, and continuous improvement. Investing in the appropriate approach will empower your team to overcome challenges, seize opportunities, and realise their full potential. As your team members grow and develop, they will be equipped with the tools and insights necessary to adapt and thrive under any circumstance.
Suggested Reading
Whenever I want to revisit the foundations of team coaching (e.g. when writing this post), I return to these texts:
Coaching the Team at Work 2: The definitive guide to Team Coaching by David Clutterbuck
Leadership Team Coaching in Practice by Peter Hawkins
Leadership Team Coaching by Peter Hawkins
