Two seminal studies inform the CA approach to teams.

The first was an investigation, funded by the European Community, into how six different types of team managed their learning. The team types were categorised by the stability of their task and the stability of their membership. We found major differences in the learning issues faced by each team type and a number of generic competencies, which underpin teams, which manage learning effectively. Among the useful models to emerge is the triangle of Task, Behaviour and Learning – the three cornerstones of team effectiveness.

The second study, published in 2007 as Coaching the Team at Work, is a comprehensive analysis of research and good practice concerning both teams and team coaching – the first attempt to bring structure to an expanding area of learning. One of the clear conclusions is that many, if not most, people describing themselves as team coaches are actually providing facilitation or instruction, not team coaching. Another is that the skills and competencies of an effective team coach extend well beyond those of a one-to-one coach.

Our service includes the following elements:

• Assess the current quality and quantlty of team learning, across a variety of team types, with a view to establishing priorities for development
• Train team leaders to become more effective as facilitators of learning
• Work with the team (of whatever type) to establish team learning goals, develop group and individual capability to manage learning, and design practical systems to support learning processes
• Build an in-house capability to roll out team learning processes