What Your Collaborative Profile Reveals About Your Team
We have created a self-assessment designed to help individuals reflect on their approaches to collaboration and teamwork grounded in the Six Building Blocks for Effective Systems and Teams. Individual results allow team members to take inventory of their team's collective strengths and opportunities. The information provides teams with specific guidance on where to focus their efforts to collaborate effectively.
Effective team members do not work in isolation. Their presence makes the whole team more effective and committed to creating effective systems and teams, as defined by the ACB’s Six Building Blocks framework. An individual team member who genuinely collaborates on continuous improvement brings mindsets and behaviors that reflect all Six Building Blocks of Effective Systems and Teams. These mindsets and behaviors are explained below.
Effective Team Members...
Are anchored in a shared purpose
This team member understands and feels a sense of responsibility for the Common Vision of Excellence. This vision is not just a statement they've read, but something that guides their daily decisions. They can connect their specific work to the broader goals of the team and organization, and they actively contribute to refining those goals.
Are honest about what the data says
This team member approaches data without defensiveness. They bring artifacts and information to the table, engage seriously with what the data reveal, and resist the temptation to protect practices that aren't working. They are willing to sit in the discomfort of not having all the answers, and they model the kind of vulnerability that makes honest data conversations possible for others.
Are thoughtful contributors to strategy
This team member participates actively in conversations about which strategies to pursue, when to implement them, and how. They share what they know from their own experience and practice, offer what they're learning to peers, and view professional learning as an opportunity for growth rather than an obligation. They understand that their voice shapes the direction of the team and the strategies for continuous improvement.
Pay attention to whether things are working
This team member doesn't assume that because a plan was good, the implementation is going well. They initiate and actively participate in cycles of inquiry and reflection. They are honest about what is working and engage collaboratively to find solutions when progress is stalled.
Stay informed and keep others informed
This team member takes responsibility for knowing what's happening in the organization and takes the initiative to be informed. They ask questions, read communications, and contribute to the two-way flow of information by sharing their experiences and perspectives. They understand the importance of making their voices heard to inform the system's success.
Show up accountably, and they make it safe for others to do the same
This is perhaps the most defining attribute. This team member is clear about their responsibilities and follows through. They articulate what they need, appreciate what others contribute, and recognize that their individual success and the team's success are interconnected. They take risks and engage in difficult conversations respectfully. They've helped build a culture where it's safe to do so, and they protect that culture for others.
These characteristics are not static. While some individuals exhibit consistent behaviors across teams, it's more likely that individuals adapt their mindsets and behaviors to the team's culture. Therefore, when analyzing individual strengths and opportunities of team members, it is important to consider how the team cultivates active participation and eliminates practices that stifle the authentic engagement of all members.
Clarity about the team's purpose and its members' roles and responsibilities drives collective responsibility for achieving goals. The result is a culture of trust and psychological safety that is required for active participation and impactful team collaboration.
Examples From the Field
In the course of observing a district administrator throughout the day we noticed shifts in her participation across different meetings and contexts.
In the first meeting, this individual attended primarily as a Peripheral Participant. Engagement was limited, responses were brief, and contributions were minimal. It was only after they were directly asked probing questions that their level of participation began to increase. This was likely due to a lack of clarity about why they were invited to the meeting and why their perspective mattered.
In the second meeting, one specifically designed for this individual and their colleagues, there was a remarkable shift. The same person who had demonstrated characteristics of a Peripheral Participant just an hour earlier became a Committed Collaborator and Enthusiastic Implementer. Engagement was authentic, ideas were shared confidently, decisions were discussed openly, and there was clear investment in both the conversation and the outcomes. The agency demonstrated in this meeting was directly connected to their role in leading the meeting and the initiatives being discussed.
During the final meeting, which included team members they directly supported, this individual intentionally took on the role of a Quiet Expert. Rather than dominating the discussion, they facilitated when appropriate and contributed strategically, offering questions and insights that deepened thinking and advanced the conversation. The purpose of these behaviors was to elicit the perspectives of the people in the room and incorporate those into future training and support sessions.
These observations of one individual exhibiting multiple profiles reinforce that these profiles are not fixed identities. Instead, they illustrate how participants respond to different environments, relationships, and meeting structures.
Reflection
How do we intentionally create cultures of trust, psychological safety, and shared ownership that encourage all individuals to engage as committed collaborators?
Want to discover your collaborative profile?
To take our self assessment please contact us at acb@anncbconsulting.com!
