What is the Teamwork Compass®?
The Teamwork Compass® is a powerful tool for helping teams be their best. While we strive to ensure that participants have a lot of fun during their program (even the serious development programs), it’s more important that they take away ideas that they can take action on. To give participants enduring tools they can use after the event, we draw on the metaphor of a compass, with each direction representing one of the four areas of team success: Effectiveness, Innovation, Accountability and Trust. These four traits of the Teamwork Compass® are based on the four primary thinking styles behind all of the personality profile systems. This leads to better understanding and implementation of the lessons from your team building experience by engaging the entire brain and drawing from everyone’s unique strengths.
North (Blue) Effectiveness
Represents direction, effectiveness, staying on task, and evaluating your progress. How effective was your team at reaching its objective? How honestly and accurately do you measure your results?
South (Red) Trust
Represents warmth, relationships, and trust. How does your team support each other and create an environment where everyone can be at their best? Do you have a code of conduct that respects all team members?
East (Yellow) Innovation
Represents the sunrise, new beginnings and innovation. How does your team explore new possibilities and approaches? How open are you to different ideas and taking risks?
West (Green) Accountability
Represents the sunset, completion and accountability. How does your team assign various functions? How do you hold each other and your team accountable?
The Needle represents focus.
What is your team paying attention to? Are you more focused on problems or solutions? Obstacles or opportunities? Conflict or connection? And most importantly: where do you go from here?
Our experienced facilitators will help your team observe and reflect on how they respond to the activities – and each other – in order to draw out lessons that they can apply in the future. By bringing the ideas out from the group, there is more ownership of the experience, and greater implementation of those ideas.
How We Use the Teamwork Compass®
To Help You Know What a Program Focuses On
Each event shows the relative focus that program has on each element of the Teamwork Compass®. Look for the color-coded table under the “Goals” section. Each goal has been assigned to the quadrant of the compass which is most appropriate, helping you see how the program meets specific Teamwork Compass® elements.
As a Tool for Teams
We have found the Teamwork Compass® to be a fantastic tool for teams to use together for reaching the next level. Our workshops go into the Teamwork Compass® and its 4 styles in depth. Many of our teamwork programs also use the Teamwork Compass® as common language throughout the program, and as a debrief tool.
As a Tool for Leaders
Leaders love using the Teamwork Compass® as a way to help them understand their people better and ensure that all the elements of a great team are being supported. Atlanta Challenge leadership development programs utilize the Teamwork Compass® as one of our primary tools for supporting leadership growth and helping teams achieve their potential.
