Create value through collaboration

Workshop Preparation Guides

Included in each workshop package are downloadable guides to getting the best out of your investment in collaboration skills towards building better teams.

Simple and easy to complete pre-workshop activities help participants reflect on their current collaboration skills, identify areas for improvement, and get them thinking about the value of teamwork.

Pre-workshop guides include:

  1. Collaboration Self-Assessment

    A simple self-assessment or questionnaire that asks participants to rate themselves on various aspects of collaboration (e.g., communication, conflict resolution, listening, openness to feedback, teamwork).

  2. Goal Setting-Team Collaboration Goals

    Helps to set expectations for the workshop and individual/team goals.

Recommended Reading List

For those who prefer an evidence-based approach to building collaborative skills.

1. Edmondson, A. (2019). The Fearless Organization: Creating Psychological Safety in the Workplace for Learning, Innovation, and Growth. Wiley.

Amy Edmondson's work is crucial for understanding psychological safety, a key driver of high-performing teams. This book explores how to create environments where team members feel safe to speak up, take risks, and collaborate effectively.

2. Katzenbach, J. R., & Smith, D. K. (1993). The Wisdom of Teams: Creating the High-Performance Organization. Harvard Business Review Press.

A classic in organisational leadership, this book defines what makes teams successful. It offers case studies and principles for team-building, from commitment to common purpose to accountability and complementary skills.

3. Klein, C., DiazGranados, D., Salas, E., Le, H., Burke, C. S., Lyons, R., & Goodwin, G. F. (2009).
Does team building work? Small Group Research, 40(2), 181–222. https://doi.org/10.1177/1046496408328821

This meta-analysis of over 60 studies provides robust evidence that team-building interventions significantly improve team outcomes, especially when they include experiential learning components. It supports the use of hands-on object-based tasks in strengthening communication, goal-setting, and role clarity—key outcomes in the proposed workshop.

4.Lacerenza, C. N., Marlow, S. L., Tannenbaum, S. I., & Salas, E. (2018). Team development interventions: Evidence-based approaches for improving teamwork. American Psychologist, 73(4), 517–531. https://doi.org/10.1037/amp0000295

Discusses evidence-based team interventions, including activities involving physical and cognitive collaboration.

5. Salas, E., Reyes, D. L., & McDaniel, S. H. (2018). "The science of teamwork: Progress, reflections, and the road ahead."American Psychologist, 73(4), 593–600.

A comprehensive review of teamwork research, this article synthesizes decades of studies into key competencies and conditions that support effective collaboration, including communication, coordination, and adaptability.