Alignment "For a Purpose"

Every organization, every team, every individual was created on purpose FOR a purpose. Alignment is a productivity strength a team senses when there is a common mission and purpose. The following exercise develops a shared mental model and language that supports alignment “for a purpose.”
*Developing a mental model “for a purpose”: Hand out tennis balls to all participants. Ask, “how do we use this?” There will be a list of different ways that we use a tennis ball. After discussion ask the group “what would happen if the tennis ball were not to exist anymore?” In order to be productive as a team we need to align to a common purpose. All of us will have different ways we fulfill our role as a member of this team just as all of us had different ways we use a tennis ball. The key to alignment is to have all of us sense a common purpose. The key will be for all of us to say, “this is a tennis ball and it is used for a common purpose.”
*Ask the team, “if we were not to exist anymore what would be missing?”
*Ask the team, “how will we behave that will honor the values of cooperation, cohesion and interdependence so we can collectively own our results?”
*Create a structure that will visually remind the team members of their purpose. I prefer to have clients come up with a physical sign to represent the team’s purpose.

Jennifer Webster