THE Art of Teams
TOTA Model
Clarity
Successful teams have Clarity
Successful teams should have clarity in the team, but also around the team. Who are the stakeholders? What is the budget? What is the role of everyone in the team? What are the work agreements on the team? If there is no clarity in these mentioned areas, it could result in trouble for the team. It would be like driving in the dark.
Impact
Successful teams understand their Impact
If a team understands the impact they make, it will definitely improve the success of a team. If they are able to connect the value they create to the purpose of the team, it will help them in growing as a team. The team will motivate itself. Good teams want to make a difference in the world. They want to improve their communities. A good team understands how they impact others’ lives—the reason for the team’s existence.
Trust
Successful teams trust one another
Team members have trust in the team and organization. All team members have good intentions. No team member is trying to hurt or make other team members look bad. Team members respect each other and feel safe in the team. They trust the organization will do whatever is possible to support the team. Also, vice versa, the organization has confidence in the team! The organization believes the team will do their best, given the resources, time at hand, skills, and knowledge available.
Conflict
Successful teams engage in conflicts
Team members should be able and feel free to speak out their opinions. When all team members always agree, something is wrong. Good teams have discussions and exchange arguments. They have task- and process-related conflicts. By having those discussions and conflicts, the team can deliver more value and be more creative.
Reliability
Successful teams act reliably
In good teams, people say what they will do, and do as they say. Team members keep their promise of delivering work. Of course, there are always unforeseen events, but that is ok. Successful teams are transparent about this. They keep each other informed. As keeping their promise, team members also keep each other accountable. They ask team members why they did not deliver as promised, not to blame people, but to learn and keep each other sharp.
Results
Successful teams care about results
All team members should care about the results of the team, not their individual results. All team members should realize they can accomplish things together that would not be possible as an individual. A good team also knows how they perform and how they are making progress towards the expected results. They have valuable metrics in place and use them to help them realize the results.
TEDx Talk
back to the basics of nature to manage teams
In this TEDx Talk, Ralph van Roosmalen explains what you can learn from nature to help your teams create value. There are four key lessons that you can apply directly after listening to this talk!
BUY THE BOOK
Interested to apply the model to your team?
In the book The Art of Teams, you will learn more about the TOTA model, theory and also practices to implement the different components.
Join the Community
Join the community and learn from other people
Interact with like-minded people in the Art of Teams community. Share ideas, new and exciting tools, and insights from real-world experiences to help teams create value.
Join the Academy
Do you want to learn more about the six components at your own pace?
Join the TOTA Academy and learn about how to have clarity, care about the results, understand their impact, have valuable conflicts, experience trust, and are reliable. Small bite-sized courses, that will grow your team skills in no time.
Join a Workshop
Learn about how to support teams to become successful
Take the next step and attend an in-person or online workshop! Getting together with other people who want to learn about the TOTA model is the best way to grow your skills. The TOTA workshops are a mix of theory and practice, but above all: interaction with the other attendees!
