Up a bit, right a a bit. Towards the Purposeful Zone.

The team coaching model posits that good coaching is most effective and poor coaching is least detrimental when teams are well structured and supported. Integral to being well structured are the notions of being a real team and that team having a compelling direction.

However, what does being a real team with a compelling direction look like in practice? The following quadrants are a simple tool that can help us better understand where our own teams might sit, taking into account the levels of meaning and commitment in their work.

A team in quadrant 1 has high meaning to their work but they lack a whole team commitment. This means the team fundamentally enjoys the work its undertaking and gets satisfaction from it yet ultimately they aren’t united on where they’re heading or how they’ll get there. A team in this quadrant can be characterised as dreaming. They’ll have ideas of what they’d like to be able to achieve and yet no joined up desire or plan on how to get there.

A team in quadrant 2 has low meaning to their work and a low whole team commitment. This means the team is lacking enjoyment and satisfaction in their work. The team struggle to relate to the work at hand and don’t see it as important. As such the team lacks a unified vision or understanding of where it’s heading. A team in this quadrant can be characterised as drifting. There’s work to be done although no clear desire or plan for moving forwards.

A team in quadrant 3 has low meaning to their work although they have engendered a strong whole team commitment. As with the drifters the team struggles to find personal meaning in their work and as such it can feel arduous with the effort to complete it somewhat forced. The team do however have a plan in place, they ultimately know where they’re going and have developed a strong team commitment to move forwards towards their goal. A team in this quadrant can be characterised as grinding away. They’re moving forwards but the journey lacks meaning and enjoyment.

A team in quadrant 4 has both high meaning to their work and a strong whole team commitment. Their work is important to them, they can relate to it, get enjoyment from it and understand the value that’s derived from undertaking it. The high level of meaning helps engender a strong whole team commitment to their vision and goals. A team in this quadrant can be characterised as purposeful. The high levels of meaning and commitment lends purpose to their work which in turn helps move them into the realms of high performance.

Where does your own team sit in this quadrant, are they in the purposeful zone? If not, how close are they to the purposeful zone are they and is it meaning, commitment or perhaps both that they’re currently lacking in their work?

Understanding where a team currently sits can help us better understand how we can help a team move forwards. As a general rule our role as coach should be to help teams move up a bit, right a bit in these quadrants. Work with the team to help them find increased meaning in their work and a stronger sense of commitment to where they’re heading and we can help move them towards the purposeful zone and world of high performance.

Another interesting exercise might be to see where you personally sit in this quadrant. How meaningful is your current work and how committed are you to it? Is there scope for moving yourself up a bit, right a bit?