Use the summer to conduct a team SWOT analyis!
In management consultancy, SWOT analyses are the steppig stone to develop a shared vision of the future. A structured look at internal strengths and weaknesses, as well as external opportuni-ties and threats allows to derive next action steps. However, this analytical tool – developed in the 1950s and well-proven ever since – can do far more than just strategy. Reinterpreted, it becomes a powerful team development tool that highlights potentials and uncovers areas with need for action. Reason enough to perhaps use the quieter summer months for a joint workshop or to re-flect on the team situation through bilateral discussions.
Analysis of individual strengths and weaknesses as a preparatory task
Team reflections start before the workshop itself with everyone creating a strengths and weak-nesses profile – on a flipchart, a PowerPoint slide or via an online survey. The following questions serve as a guide:
My Strengths: What are my current strengths? In which areas am I an expert? On which topics and with which skills do I regularly support others? What do I regularly receive positive feedback for?
My areas for development: In which situations or moments do I feel uncertain from time to time? Where do I have poten-tial for growth? Where do I perceive others to be more competent?
Further development of my role: What new expectations are emerging for my role? What additional skills may be required? What learning areas arise from this?
Mapping out team strengths and weaknesses
After a brief welcome and a check-in at the beginning of the workshop, everyone shares their strengths and weaknesses profiles and receives additional feedback from the team. This allows to compare self-perception and external perception. For larger teams of five or more people, it is recommended to send out the profiles in advance for reading to save time. In the workshop itself, one presents a colleague, adding comments where needed. Once all profiles have been present-ed, the team identifies and prioritises key strengths and vulnerabilities. Furthermore, one can as-sess whether knowledge and skill gaps can be closed with little effort through learning tandems, mentoring or deputy arrangements.
Once all profiles have been presented, the team identifies the key strengths and weaknesses and prioritizes them. The team can also assess whether gaps in knowledge and skills can be closed with minimal effort through learning tandems, mentoring, and cover assignments.
Reviewing stakeholder’s expectations
As a next step, one writes down current and emerging expectations which stakeholders have of the team, along with the associated tasks. By identifying relevant stakeholders and describing their expectations in small groups, a review of the team situation can be conducted using the fol-lowing guiding questions:
Review of the current situation: What of what is currently being done is still needed? What is needed less? What more?
Outlook on the future situation: What else is required and for what reason?
Where possible and helpful, concrete feedback and expectations can be gathered before the workshop so that assumptions can be replaced by actual feedback.
Realise opportunities, reduce risks as goal
By comparing the prioritised expectations with the described strengths and weaknesses of the team, both opportunities and risks can be identified:
Potential opportunities: Where is knowledge or where are skills available that are currently underutilised but could add value?
Blind spots: What is being done that is no longer required or desired?
Potential risks: Where is there a lack of knowledge and skills to respond to current or upcoming expectations?
Such a comparison quickly reveals need for action and joint measures can be derived to realise opportunities and reduce risks. The ultimate goal is to know the team's areas for development.
Assigning responsibilities for action within the team
To conclude, the completeness of the identified need for action is verified. After that, everyone selects – according to their strengths and weaknesses profile – the development topics that inter-est them most. The subsequent follow-up takes place bilaterally and can form part of daily leader-ship, or it happens through a subsequent follow-up session and a renewed review of the team situation.