1. Dialogue Team
A radically better, research-based tool
to improve relational skills and overall team intelligence
It’s not only what we talk about that is important.
it’s also the way we talk about it

2. Some reactions to the Dialogue Team
experience
“The team experienced a notable transformation.
“Today we look at each other differently.
“We trust each other more.
“We learned to disagree without being
disagreeable.
“Most importantly, we obtain tangible results.
“ There are few landmarks in life. This was one of
them.”

3. There are teams and teams…
There are different levels of teams
Some are teams in name only, some just
cope, while the highest performing teams add
significant, enduring value.
High performing teams make the difference.
High performing teams build value, profits
and wealth

4. Do You work in a Team?
Most of us do.
Most of us know that we could:
• Work better
• Work smarter
• Be more productive
• Be more profitable
• Be happier
We know that we are not realizing our full potential

5. Dialogue Team for teams -
Improving relational skills for increased productivity and
profitability
“It’s all about connectivity.”
High performance teams communicate in ways that create a culture that supports
creativity and innovation.
Long-term research has shown that the way that team members communicate with
each other has a direct incidence on overall team performance.
Dialogue Team measures the real-time relationship of factors which
determine the impact of team communications on team performance.

6. The Research
The actions of 60 teams were observed during team
meetings in laboratory conditions.
The teams were independently assessed for profitability,
customer satisfaction and 3600 evaluation was carried
out.
Fifteen teams were found be to be rated high
(flourishing) on all three criteria; 26 were rated medium
(coping) and 19 were rated low (languishing)
Regression analysis showed that just three dimensions
of behaviour provided the basis for the connectivity
and added value of a team.

7. Self:
Other
1:1
Positivity:
Negativity
6:1
Inquiry:
Advocacy
1:1
Three mutually reinforcing behaviour ratios generate
sustained high team performance.
?
InquiryAdvocacySelf
Other
-Negativity
+Positivity
+Positivity
+Positivity
+Positivity
+Positivity
+Positivity
?Inquiry AdvocacySelfOther
-Negativity
+Positivity
+Positivity
+Positivity
+Positivity
+Positivity
+Positivity

8. Marcial Losada’s Research
Team Performance
level
(Losada’s research)
Inquiry /
Advocacy
Positive /
Negative
Other /
Self
High Performing 1/1 6/1 1/1
Middle Performing 2/3 2/1 2/3
Low Performing 1/20 1/3 1/30
?Inquiry AdvocacySelfOther
-Negativity
+Positivity
+Positivity
+Positivity
+Positivity
+Positivity
+Positivity

9. The self/other and question/inquiry ratios build and
sustain awareness of each other. They ensure
constant timely feedback.
The positivity/negativity ratio connects team
members to each other and their purpose. It makes
them feel safe enough to accept occasional, short
negative comments as protective and helpful.
Together, they endow the team with resilience and
responsiveness, able to adapt to changing conditions.
?Inquiry AdvocacySelfOther
-Negativity
+Positivity
+Positivity
+Positivity
+Positivity
+Positivity
+Positivity
How does it work?

10. Emotional Space2
SELF
OTHER
INQUIRY
ADVOCACY
Low Performance
P:N = 0.375
Medium Performance
P:N = 1.875
High Performance
P:N = 5.625
The mathematics of complexity, reveal how the
three dimensions interact to create “emotional
space”. High Performance Teams create areas of
emotional space about three times larger than
low-performing ones.
High Performance Teams have much
more area toward the “inquiry” and
“other” poles, while low performing
teams are firmly centred in the
“advocacy / self” quadrant.
“Emotional space” is important
because it builds the connectedness,
creativity, mental capability and
resilience that generate High
Performance.
?Inquiry AdvocacySelfOther
-Negativity
+Positivity
+Positivity
+Positivity
+Positivity
+Positivity
+Positivity

11. Video as a
real-time
mirror of
actions
communication
patterns
3D
communication
What does DT show?
Team Performance level
(Losada’s research) Inquiry / Advocacy
Positive /
Negative
Other /
Self
High Performing 1/1 6/1 1/1
Middle Performing 2/3 2/1 2/3
Low Performing 1/20 1/3 1/30
Example team below 1/2 5/1 1/5

12. Background
A Dialogue Team measurement was done as part of a
management team’s long-term coaching process. The team
felt that their meeting culture was too formal. Their culture
supported individual expertise more than collaborative
working.
The team wanted to become more communicative.
Dialogue Team measurements were done in the beginning and
at the end of six months’ coaching.
Case in point: Renewing the culture
An IT Company Management Team

13. Diagnosis – what did we see and hear?
• A strong ‘expertise culture’ created lots of
advocating and only few inquiring
comments
• The excessive advocacy reflected little trust
between team members
Dialogue - what changed as a result of this?
• The team started to concentrate on “How do we
talk?” as well as “What do we talk about?”
• The team understood what kind of communication
patterns were creating their culture
• The team started to appreciate all the different
individual styles of communication
Performance level
(Losada’s research)
Inquiry /
Advocacy
Positive /
Negative
Other /
Self
High Performing 1/1 6/1 1/1
Middle Performing 2/3 2/1 2/3
Low Performing 1/20 1/3 1/30
Management Team 1/6 1/1 1/5
Diagnosis to Dialogue

14. Case: From laptops to presence
A Public Sector Management Team
Background
A Public Sector Organisation’s Management Team grew from four to
eight people in one year. They wanted to start building a new kind of
professionalism and culture in their work.
Dialogue Team was part of three months’ coaching that was strongly
focused on communication, on strategy work and on the role of the
management team. The first measurement was done during the
team’s strategy day.

15. Diagnosis - what did we see and hear?
• There was a strong culture of “being right” (highly
advocating style of communication)
• The laptops disturbed the concentration level of team
members (notification from the video)
• Only few people participated actively, others were silent
during the meetings
Dialogue - what changed as a result of this?
• The team members changed their roles and behaviors
Decisive role < ---- > Inquiring role
• The team started to concentrate on positive
communication practices
• They removed their laptops from strategy meetings
Performance level (Losada’s
research)
Inquiry /
Advocacy
Positive /
Negative
Other / Self
High Performance 1/1 6/1 1/1
Middle Performance 2/3 2/1 2/3
Low Performence 1/20 1/3 1/30
Management Team (public
sector) 1/7 2/1 2/3
Diagnosis to Dialogue

16. Myllykoski Rhein Papier GmbH (2008, Germany)
After the Dialogue Team assessment and coaching,
productivity results went up so that in spring 2008, the factory
set a world record in paper production.
"The world record was a good example of the outcome when
people are working together."
- Juha Ebeling, General Manager of Rhein Papier
Client experience

17. JYVÄSKYLÄ UNIVERSITY OF APPLIED SCIENCES - Measuring and coaching of
all the five management teams (2009)
TURKU UNIVERSITY OF APPLIED SCIENCES - Management team coaching
(2010)
LAUREA UNIVERSITY OF APPLIED SCIENCES - Developing team communication
(2009)
CITY OF HELSINKI - Henkilöstötiimin palaverikäytäntöjen herättely (2008)
JYVÄSKYLÄ REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT COMPANY JYKES LTD - Developing
the meeting practices (2008)
VTT TECHNICAL RESEARCH CENTRE OF FINLAND - Renewing and developing
of meeting practices (2008)
VOIMATEL LTD - Management team coaching (2009)
Dialogue Team client experience

18. Example of a Dialogue Team
process
Agree on
goals with
client.
What do we
want to do?
Carry out first
DialogueLife-
measurement.
What do we
see and hear
in your team
meeting?
Provide feedback
workshop with the
client.
What are our
conclusions and
recommendations
based on what we
have seen and
heard?
Agree on and
implement
improvement
plan.
What do we
want to do to
improve?
Second
DialogueLife-
measurement
.
What
progress have
we made and
what are the
next steps?

19. How does Dialogue Team Assess the Team?
The Dialogue Team assessment is simple and unobtrusive, so that it
does not distract the team from its core purpose.
With a camera with a 3600 lens, we record for 90 -120 minutes a team
meeting. We get best results with a strategic business planning
meeting.
Dialogue Team experts study the recording, noting the precise times of
the relevant behaviours on special software.
The software produces an exact timeline of the team’s actions, a multi-
dimensional graph of the complex interactions and an assessment of
the team’s likely future performance, based on those interactions.
This 3600 camera
on the meeting
table records the
meeting.
?Inquiry AdvocacySelfOther
-Negativity
+Positivity
+Positivity
+Positivity
+Positivity
+Positivity
+Positivity