A Team Charter Can Be a Key to Team Success

Change Management

Jun 30

This useful tool helps clarify organization goals while capturing necessary input from your team.

Change is difficult for any organization. A Harvard Business School Online article lists “poor employee buy-in, a lack of clear vision, inadequate understanding among managers” as a few reasons for why change initiatives often fail. At 18 Coffees, we try to help our clients navigate these challenges with tools and strategies focused on effective communication and widespread, collaborative involvement.

Clearly, wanting a successful outcome is not nearly enough to ensure positive results. Leaders need to establish clear goals and ensure their team members are involved and engaged in the process. But how does one get there?

The team charter is a tool we have often leveraged while facilitating change management workshops. It helps to establish clear norms, which prove very useful when challenges arise. In this team building exercise, you elaborate on what your team values, as well as its goals, expectations, and obstacles. You get a hands-on opportunity to envision your desired end state and what it will take to get there.

When using a team charter template, it is useful to first fill one out individually so you can thoroughly identify your personal thoughts without risk of falling into groupthink. If everyone completes the exercise separately and then unites to collaborate on one final version, it is more likely the end product will include various viewpoints. This also helps establish alignment and gain necessary buy-in from individuals across the team.

We’ve seen benefits as we’ve guided client teams through the team charter exercise. In our work with United Way, one team leader expressed the value in using the tool during a kickoff meeting, saying it allowed all members to see how their vision and participation was incorporated into the charter that guided the group. The team charter can help demonstrate to every individual that their voice is valued and their opinions are leveraged.

Completing this exercise isn’t easy, but the more comprehensive the final version is, the more valuable it will be in the future. If you record what you value and what your goals are, it will be much easier to prioritize them throughout the change process. If you state your expectations, it will be more feasible to hold people accountable. If you have already considered obstacles before they actually happen, you will be better prepared to cope with them.

The key to this tool lies in the name: team charter. Change management initiatives don’t work with one person. It takes the commitment and efforts of an entire team to succeed.