ICLD 4.4 Team and Organization Development Skills: Discussion Board

9 Comments

• Leadership is more than giving orders. It is about connecting with your team, listening, and understanding what is happening day to day. Strong leaders use skills like assessing needs, solving problems, aligning values and vision, and building agreement around the mission. Planning, tracking performance, and creating accountability are also important. Leaders who focus on continuous learning and improvement help their teams handle challenges, reach goals, and keep getting better over time.

• In this module, there was a section about Team and organizational development skills and how important they are. Informal and formal assessments were discussed, and how they give leaders the insight needed to spot issues early, such as talking with the employees or using data-driven improvements. From there, problem-management facilitation and needs clarification help overcome resistance to change by showing people why change matters and how it benefits them.
  Equally important were the values alignment and vision building. When leaders and teams share a clear purpose and set of values, trust grows and goals become more achievable. Often, no change will take place unless skills like implementation planning, accountability, and continuous learning ensure that ideas move from discussion to action and that progress continues over time.
  If these principles are used correctly and updated as time goes on, they will help create vision, purpose, buy-in, and build teams that adapt well, stay motivated, and focus on shared success.

• I thought this section was incredibly helpful, we are in the infant stages of Accreditation and the information on strategic planning is something that you think would be an easy thing to put together but it isn’t. Weekly or even bi-weekly executive meetings are essential especially at the beginning when you are trying to implement a team or multiple teams and to get out the message and what needs to be accomplished.

  • We are also trying to get accredited in the near future. I think you’re right regarding setting up strategic planning and having weekly and biweekly meetings. We as Sgt.’s with out Lt. often have 1 on 1 pass downs of information, but only get together as all Sgt.’s and Lt. or sometimes all Cpl.’s as well about once a month.

• This module covered several foundational skills to help law enforcement leaders develop skills that will allow them to become capable of creating and leading high performing and high morale teams within an organization with the goal of personnel actively participating in the planning and implementation of the organizations mission, vision and goals. When leaders take the time to build trust with their team members, they can begin to help them buy in to the mission statement of who we are and what we do. One of the skills that stood out to me was the informal assessment skills or walking around and talking with people. As leaders move around it is very important for a new leader to walk around and get to know the unit they are now leading and to keep a pulse on how they are doing. I’ve seen some leaders that do this when they first take over and then they fade themselves out, this is something that should be continuously done and is not a “one and done” activity. When officers see their leaders and have the opportunity to interact with them and feel heard this builds trust and loyalty and they are more likely to want to participate with the goals of the department.

  • I completely agree. Being present and talking with your team builds trust and keeps everyone engaged. It has to be consistent, not just something you do when you first take over. When leaders listen and show they care, people are more likely to support the mission and work toward shared goals. It really makes a difference in team morale and performance.

• As a leader or member of a team, developing strong team and organization development skills is crucial to achieving success. Some of these skills include informal and formal assessments, problem management facilitation, readiness checking, value and vision alignment, and consensus building around mission and purpose.

  In addition to these foundational skills, it’s also essential to have expertise in strategic consensus building, implementation planning, and team performance analysis. Continuous learning for continuous improvement is also crucial, as is building accountability across the team.

  Overall, developing these skills requires a combination of experience, training, and ongoing practice. Investing in these areas helps ensure your team is well-equipped to navigate challenges, achieve their goals, and continually improve over time.

  • In today’s highly competitive and dynamic business environment, having a team with strong team and organization development skills is critical to achieving success. Along with the foundational skills mentioned above, leaders and team members should also focus on developing their emotional intelligence, communication skills, and conflict-resolution abilities. These skills are vital in building a positive work culture, enhancing team collaboration, and fostering innovation. Additionally, leveraging technology to streamline team processes and automate routine tasks can save valuable time for more strategic activities. Organizations and teams can continuously develop these skills and leverage technology to achieve higher productivity, innovation, and success.

  • I agree that it is important to build accountability across the team. Some leaders think this is something that can be achieved immediately but I’ve found that it is something that is an ongoing process that takes some foundation to be truly effective. It is helpful to build a relationship with the team members, get them aligned with the mission, and make sure to strengthen communication between team members and with the leader. As a leader it is good to set an example of accountability by holding ourselves to the same standards and expectations that we hold our people to.