At the start of a project, the team may consist of very diverse profiles. Some team members may know each other well and have already established ways of working together. Others may be joining the team (or even the company!) just before the project begins. The importance of investing time in building the team before diving into the project requirements is often underestimated. However, spending just a few hours defining shared values, rules of operation, and team culture can help avoid many pitfalls later in the project.
An international team had already worked through several phases of a project. The team lead wanted to use the launch of the next phase as an opportunity to bring everyone together and onboard new members. Geographical distance, different time zones, and diverse cultures were all factors to consider for the success of this new phase. It was important to ensure the team restarted motivated and aligned.
To begin, we decided to have the team members work on their values. Split into two groups, they first reflected individually on the values they perceived within the team. This individual reflection time is always useful to avoid the first person speaking from influencing the rest of the group. Additionally, in an international setting, it’s valuable to give participants the chance to reflect in their own language before having to express themselves in a foreign one.
Next, they shared their key values with their group and represented them using modeling clay, making the values tangible and concrete.
Each subgroup then presented its totem to the other group, and together they combined them to create the team’s value totem.
This exercise helped integrate new members by exposing them to the team’s existing strengths and culture. They also had the opportunity to contribute by sharing their impressions after a few days or weeks with the company. For long-standing members, naming the values that connected them strengthened their sense of belonging and helped reignite motivation ahead of the new project phase.
The modeling clay result also created a convivial moment filled with laughter and sharing. This exercise was followed by other workshops, notably the drafting of a team commitment charter, which drew heavily on the common values identified.
The totem of values is a useful tool for helping teams express and make tangible the values they share. People more easily remember the quirky result and what it symbolizes than a list of words written on a flipchart. It can be used at any stage of a team’s life and helps strengthen team culture, a sense of belonging, and the bonds between members.
