Teaming into the Future
The Possibilities of Team, Group and Network Coaching
How many more times do we need to read that we live in a fast-changing, complex world, where few challenges can be tackled alone before we take a step towards conscious change? We see that in many contexts things continue today as they did yesterday with insufficient recognition that the proverbial water that the frog sits in is getting hotter by the day. This is as true for teams and groups that need to work better as for whole organisations, communities and individuals.
This blog series has been written and shaped by team coaches who work across sectors, authority levels, industries, public and third sectors, and are all part of a community of practice here at Oasis. It focuses on a series of aspects and questions we are working with, and that those we work with are engaged by. It’s intended to be a resource for team and group leaders, network convenors and team coaches to catalyse thinking and practice.
Whether we’re in a leadership team, a project group, or a loose-knit network working across sectors or systems, true collaboration and on-going development (or ever-boarding as I heard yesterday) is essential. And yet, working well together isn’t easy. The exponential increase of the numbers of external stakeholders is an experience many of us in teams have had to navigate over the last ten years - this is only one of the changes in what teams and groups need to manage to be able to thrive. Many teams and groups struggle—not because people don’t care or aren’t capable, but because navigating difference, uncertainty, avoidance, complexity and pressure without a shared practice and an agreed rationale is tricky.
The Contemporary Landscape of Working Together
Oasis is working with teams that are more diverse, more fluid, and often more dispersed than ever before. Teams are working across geographies, sectors, and belief systems. Hierarchies are flattening despite current news stories of strong hierarchical leadership. Expectations (and need) around inclusion, psychological safety, and participation are rising. At the same time, many groups are under pressure to deliver fast, with limited time to build trust or reflect. It’s no surprise that miscommunication, unspoken tensions, and decision fatigue creep in.
On the flip side, when people learn to collaborate deeply and honestly, the results can be extraordinary. Shared purpose strengthens. Innovation grows. Difficult issues become creative fuel instead of sources of conflict. A well-developed team or network becomes a living system—resilient, adaptive and generative.
Why Development Matters
Team or group development is often seen as a luxury. But in a volatile, brittle and unpredictable environment, it’s essential. Development gives people the tools, mindset and space to engage in the real work of working together—building trust, aligning purpose, navigating difference, and making better decisions.
Support might look like bespoke team coaching, where a skilled coach helps a group understand its patterns, shift dynamics and grow its capability. Or it might involve development programmes that build skills in communication, collaboration, and systems thinking in all involved. It might mean action learning sets, peer coaching or facilitated strategy sessions. What matters is that the group gets space to step back, reflect, and grow.
Starting with the Right Questions
Development works best when it starts with curiosity: What kind of team or group are we? What are we here to do? What’s getting in our way? What do we need to learn or face together?
Often, the work means naming the things that are hard to say—power dynamics, cultural tensions, interpersonal friction. It means looking not just at individuals but at the layers of the team: its purpose, roles, relationships, unspoken rules. It also means supporting each person to be a great member—taking responsibility for their impact and offering their best.
Critically, it means seeing the team as a system. Teams don’t operate in a vacuum. They’re shaped by the wider organisation, external demands, and internal culture. Looking systemically helps teams see the patterns they’re caught in—and the levers they can pull to create meaningful change.
The Team Coaching Blogs
Over the coming weeks we are sharing thoughts and resources that help explore:
· what form of group, team or network is really required and the importance of investing in the right things
· the aspects that need attention when working with groups from a permaculture perspective
· the agonies and ecstasies of team working and whether its right for you – can collaboration be overcooked!
· the benefits (and ingredients) of grasping the team nettle
· everyday team leadership: influence without authority
· the team as a system – requirements and the possibilities
· a powerful systems framework for teams
· going beyond high performance
· sticky teams and quiet stuckness – what to do?
Final Thought
Whether you’re leading a team, part of a working group, or creating an impact network, the opportunities for improvement are at hand. Whatever approach is chosen it takes support, reflection, and the willingness to grow together. We hope this series nourishes the possibilities for you and those you work with.
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Nick Ellerby is a coach and Co-Director at Oasis Human Relations, one of a group of thirty plus practitioners working in partnerships across sectors as coaches, hosts, convenors, speaking partners, facilitators, researchers and changemakers.
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