
What exactly is Team Coaching?
Team Coaching, Workshop or Moderation?
Different needs require different ways of working
Not every team issue requires team coaching
Sometimes the objective is clear and structured facilitation is sufficient. In other situations, a workshop, expert input or targeted conflict resolution may be more appropriate. Team coaching is particularly useful when the issue concerns not only a specific task or topic, but also the way the team works together.
Before starting, coachrgroup therefore clarifies which way of working best fits the actual situation.
Team Coaching
In team coaching, the team works on the way it collaborates.
Typical areas of focus include:
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recurring communication and behavioural patterns
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roles and relationships
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trust and the ability to address conflict
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decision-making and accountability
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collective leadership impact
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dealing with tensions and change
The coach supports the team in recognising patterns, exploring different perspectives and developing its own sustainable solutions.
Moderation
In a moderated or facilitated process, the desired outcome is usually already defined.
The facilitator structures the process, ensures appropriate participation, keeps time and objectives in view, and supports the group in reaching clear and transparent results.
Typical formats include:
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strategy or planning days
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decision-making workshops
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leadership off-sites
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retrospectives
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workshops involving different stakeholder groups
The way the team collaborates may become visible during the process, but it is not necessarily the central focus.
Workshop
A workshop combines collaborative work with expert input, reflection and the development of concrete outcomes.
Possible topics include:
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roles and responsibilities
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leadership principles
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feedback
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communication
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collaboration
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change
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a management charter
A workshop may include selected elements of training, facilitation and team coaching. Before starting, we clarify which combination best serves the objective.
Conflict Resolution
Conflict resolution focuses on a specific tension or a strained working relationship.
The aim is not to create superficial harmony. We first make the different perspectives, interests, expectations and possible injuries visible.
On this basis, the participants can clarify responsibilities and boundaries and develop workable agreements.
Where a conflict involves serious employment-law, psychological or personal issues, we carefully assess whether coaching is the appropriate approach or whether additional specialists should be involved.
What best fits your situation?
You do not need to determine the right format before the initial conversation.
Together, we clarify:
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What has prompted the request?
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What should be different after working together?
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Who is involved?
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Is the main issue a specific task, or the way people work together?
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Is a single session sufficient, or is a longer process required?



Motivated by a lack of a clear, uniform and validated definition of the term team coaching, Dr. Rebecca Jones (1) took up the question and examined it in a study. As a result, she suggests:
Team-Coaching is a team-based learning and development activity in which the team is viewed as a system and is applied jointly to the entire team. The focus is on team performance and achieving a common team goal (or subgoal).
Team learning is achieved through specific team coaching activitiesEnables self- and team reflection, facilitated by the team coach (or several) through the use of coaching techniques such as effective, reflective questioning, which strengthen reflexivity, build trusting relationships and improve communication.
A team coach does not give advice or solutions to the team. Team coaching requires the coach to have advanced coaching skills such as considering multiple perspectives simultaneously and observing and interpreting dynamic interactions. It is typically delivered over a series of sessions rather than as a one-off intervention.
(1) Jones, Rebecca J.; Napiersky, Uwe & Lyubovnikova, Joanne (2019). Conceptualizing the distinctiveness of team coaching. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 2, pp. 62–78.
