Executive Team Workshops Using the FIRO-B 

Herding Cats

Some executive teams gel well. Some fight like cats and dogs. Some sit quietly and don’t say much, until they’re in the hallway and the boss isn’t listening. But no matter how much they may disagree with one another at meetings, executives are usually united in their disdain for training about interpersonal and group dynamics. The FIRO-B is a tool executives like because it doesn’t waste their time. It leads the conversation quickly to the areas causing the greatest conflict and confusion: who’s in charge, who’s on first, who’s in and who’s out, who’s too bossy, who’s too passive, and why isn’t the leader more [fill in the blank]?

Our half-day Executive Team Workshop provides four levels of learning:

• Individual FIRO-B profile: Participants quickly see how their preferred ways of interacting with others can lead to problems instead of progress. They learn how to make small changes that can dramatically improve their relationships with their colleagues and staff.
• Relationship compatibilities and tensions: Comparing the FIRO-B scores of participants makes it easy to see and talk about what's leading to the misunderstandings, conflicts, and resistance among team members.
• Team profile: When we add up all the scores, what is the team missing? Where is there a surplus? The totals explain why the team is excelling in some areas and struggling in others. 
• Organizational impact: How well is the team working with the rest of the organization? Is the team insulated and out of touch, such that no one outside the team knows what it is doing? Conversely, is the team too easy for powerful outsiders to influence?

DOWNLOAD: Debra_Howard_FIROB_Workshop.pdf