Team Building: a leadership tool to drive company growth

Most people in manufacturing leadership positions have not participated in a team building program. However, these programs provide significant long-term benefits when leaders collaborate with teams to achieve their business goals. It’s important for leaders to break out of their silos to work with their teams so they can address the underlying issues that are holding their businesses back from moving forward.

to Catalyst connectiona nonprofit organization based in Pittsburgh and part of the MEP National Network, we have worked with leadership teams from small and medium-sized manufacturers (SMMs) that rarely meet. When they do meet, discussions often focus on financial updates or meeting production targets.

These teams are missing a significant opportunity to use team building as a powerful tool for driving business growth. During Employer of Choice assessments—an in-depth, two-hour discovery process with company leadership and HR—we frequently ask about their team building practices. When we talk about “team building,” we’re not talking about the traditional meltdowns, pizza parties, or going to a ball game. We’re talking about substantive interactions where team members learn more about themselves and others and how to work better with each other. Top leaders often respond with, “We need this.”

This is why we launched a team building program around The five behaviors of a cohesive team the model and the Everything DiSC personality assessment to help build trust and accountability. The program provides information through a survey of company personnel and individual personality assessments for leaders. The program includes a two-day workshop where participants share personal histories and vulnerabilities, which breaks down barriers. It helps participants understand their peers so they can provide more effective leadership for shared goals and strategic initiatives. Teams using Five Behaviors training often see a 20-30% increase in productivity due to reduced conflict and better role alignment.

Why Team Building is a Powerful Approach for Manufacturers

Team Building is an effective strategic approach that can have a significant impact on your business. By building trust, improving communication and improving collaboration, team building can lead to a more engaged, productive and successful workforce.

In our experience, we’ve seen companies emerge from team building to become more productive and resilient in almost every area. Team building can have a significant impact on strategic initiatives. Individuals often have personal agendas in strategic planning sessions. But once a company has participated in team building, we see that strategic planning exercises are much more cohesive. Team building can be a great launching pad for a new employer branding initiative, such as developing your employee value proposition.

The results of a team building initiative often include:

• Improved Company Culture: Culture change starts at the top of any organization.

• Improved Conflict Resolution: Conflict is inevitable in any workplace. When you equip participants with the skills to manage and resolve conflict constructively, they can turn potential obstacles into opportunities for growth.

• Improved engagement and morale: Employees who feel part of a cohesive team are more likely to be engaged in their work. When team members feel valued, respected and connected, morale improves.

• Increased productivity: A strong team can achieve more together than individuals working alone.

• Improved Problem Solving: Collaborative problem solving is a key skill fostered by team building.

• Low employee turnover: A positive and supportive work environment can help retain top talent.

How a team building program works

Once a company has engaged in the team building process, we conduct an employee survey that indicates the five behaviors team’s strengths and development opportunities. The Five Behaviors Model, created by Patrick Lencioni, is a validated, research-based assessment that measures performance by:

1. Trust

2. Conflict

3. Commitment

4. Responsibility

5. result

Team building participants complete DiSC assessments and receive a report containing both their individual and survey data. This wealth of information forms the basis of the two-day workshop, which is designed for seven or eight participants.

In the workshop, we discuss how the team is doing in the Five Behaviors. In almost all cases, the survey shows that staff consider a lack of accountability to be the biggest problem.

One of the goals is to build trust, and we often achieve this through questions and stories where participants can be open and vulnerable. Team members share personal stories and discuss DiSC failures. The team also discusses how they engage in conflict and agree on behaviors that need to change in order to have productive conflict.

The results of this two-day program vary depending on each company’s goals, but we are often asked to facilitate the development of shared goals across departments. We are sometimes asked to help them develop a team charter, which articulates areas such as the company’s purpose, values, opportunities and risks. It includes formal and informal rules and expectations.

After completing the training of the management team, some companies take the team training to a level at different departments. Some companies have done team building throughout the organization. This helps create a common language and shared expectations around effective teams.

When Team Building is a transformative force

Team building requires sharing. Generally, as humans, we hesitate to share sensitive information about ourselves because anything we share can be used against us and we fear being judged. But showing vulnerability is easier when someone else has done it. When participants share their vulnerabilities through personal stories, team building can be transformative.

Sometimes people share deeply personal experiences, such as growing up in a difficult situation: struggling with poverty or overcoming addiction. By being open and honest, we can create a stronger sense of connection. These shared experiences can help build trust and belonging, which are essential for forming meaningful relationships. In our workshops, we often find that people have more in common than they initially realize. This is a key part of how team building can lead to authentic and lasting connections.

In our conflict resolution session, we often deal with the issue of not letting go of grudges, which comes up in surveys and assessments. It often leads to a heated discussion between two teammates, but that resolution is a key achievement to move the team forward.

By the end of the workshop, team members begin to understand each other’s behaviors and can move from judging to respecting and then appreciating those differences. Sharing personal stories and vulnerabilities makes work challenges less intimidating. The team emerges stronger with confidence for the next initiative.

How Team Building Leads to Sustainable Improvement

Team building workshops are only the first steps towards substantial business improvements. At Catalyst Connection, we return to our manufacturing client companies once a month for the next year as an accountability partner for updates on team goals and interactions. During these consultations, we prepare and deliver a progress report one year after the initial workshop.

For example, some of our clients have implemented metrics to compare their company’s performance before and after our team building sessions, including:

• Revenue per employee

• Staff turnover rate

• Total costs per employee (labor, materials, energy, general expenses)

• Employee satisfaction

you Local MEP Center can help you with team building to create meaningful and authentic relationships between your management and staff, as well as leadership development or other workforce training needs. Contact us to start the conversation.

About the author

David Rea

David Rea is the Managing Director of Organizational Development for Catalyst Connection, part a National Network of MEP. He specializes in helping manufacturers optimize employees through hiring, development and retention best practices.