Team Building & Climate Setting
A helpful climate brings out the very best in everyone. When we work towards building a climate that is deliberate about civility, dignity, inclusion and strengthening relationships, we can create the space for people to feel heard, valued and fairly treated.
ARC has worked with diverse leaders and administrators to nurture helpful climates in a number of environments—in businesses, workplaces, schools, justice facilities, organizations, neighborhoods, families, and even in film, television and theatre settings. When we focus on setting a helpful climate, we can act early to maximize the potential for strong and trusting relationships and minimize the potential for disagreements, conflict and violence. We place a great emphasis on the use of processes that are dialogue-driven, empathic and participatory. When we do this, productivity and satisfaction in the environment tend to follow. Everyone experiences a sense of belonging in the growing “community” and people are driven by a desire to both be and do their best at all times.
Some of the questions we often ask to take the “temperature” and to stimulate discussion and group responsibility within a workplace, association or community organization include:
What does a good community look like to members?
What would we see happening in a good community?
How do we want to be treated by others?
What do we need to be at our best in this community?
What can we do to bring out the best in others?
Are meetings productive and do they help us work towards our vision/mission/goals?
Do we work from agendas that provide structure and purpose to meetings?
Do all members actively participate in our meetings?
Is there a sufficient level of trust among group members to allow for candid discussion?
Do members feel “heard” when they share their views?
How do we handle differences of opinion and perspective in the team?
How can members best contribute to the work of the team?
How can members be deliberate about cultivating a sense of being “in this together” in times of difficulty and change?
Do we know how to approach difficult situations like conflict and disagreements in a good way?
What can we be doing to further strengthen relationships and build trust in our team?
What strategies and skills do we already have that we can use to build a good community at work?
Gola uses a restorative practices framework to help organizations seed and cultivate environments that bring out the best in everyone. She helps groups build awareness and understanding of empirically proven best practices then we set about demonstrating and modelling the practical steps that must follow. In this way, organizations have been able to cultivate respectful relationships that are marked by a higher degree of collaboration, creativity, inclusion and belonging. Organizations that have worked with Gola have been able to build and recover a sense of community, increase respect and trust, and thereby move forward into a more hopeful and healthy future together.
Please note that due do current contractual obligations, Gola is not currently offering her consultative services within Nova Scotia.
If you are outside of Nova Scotia and would like to receive a complimentary consultation on the needs of your team, please connect directly with Gola at gola@arcworks.ca or call 902-219-2619. You can also learn more about Gola’s work and practice history here.