Best Practices for Facilitating Team Onboarding

When teams form for project work, there are all sorts of emotions based on the mixture of people, expertise, and exposure. Teams typically jump straight into the content and start thinking about the solution. It is HARD...very hard to take a step back and devote time to laughing at each other's jokes, listening to other backgrounds, and brainstorming the critical dynamics that would make the team process successful. We are all busy and this process is tedious. BUT, doing the work upfront, creating the conditions by explicitly articulating the needs and goals of the team, enables time-saving techniques.

So what are some ways and best practices to onboard a team?

Create a meeting devoted to strengthening a shared sense of purpose, trust, and communication among teammates, while providing a common language to help teammates understand each other

Leverage Independent Pre-Work &/Or User Profiles

Pre-work functions in three ways

1. Gives individuals the space to reflect and prepare for discussions. Not everyone loves to be put on the spot!

2. Accelerate the depth of discussion. Instead of wasting time populating and sharing basic information, gather ideas ahead of time, populate them, and use them to stimulate deeper discussions.

3. Shape the onboarding meeting by understanding team priorities and gathering questions/concerns ahead of time.

Create User Profiles to Share Logistics and Working Preferences

For example:

Technology preferences for communication...

Potential time conflicts

I prefer to receive feedback….

My perceived strengths are…..

I would describe my work tendencies...

Offer Prescribed Team Ground Rules

Ground rules set the tone, offering a reminder as the team engages in open-ended dialogue.

• Sample ground rules: Assume best intentions; make space take space; confidentiality at the team level, acknowledge each other, be present, defer judgment, willingness to share and work through the tough stuff, active engagement, learners mindset

Provide Space for Individual Introductions or Team IceBreakers

Give individual team members 3-4 min for the opportunity to build cohesion by getting to know each other better. Sample prompts:

• What are your experiences with the client, sector and team members?

• What are your personal and professional competing commitments (other projects/ responsibilities at home)?

Engage in Simple Team Chartering

Team charters are meant to encourage teams to develop written statements of objectives and processes. This should be collectively written, posted and adapted regularly. The onboarding meeting is time devoted to enabling teams in a collective dialogue so that they are able to fill out prioritize.