Assessing Your Team

Sage Portfolio Group uses an online assessment tool, the Team Diagnostic™, to measure the state of any team. The assessment is based on a model for team effectiveness that states productivity and positivity are both necessary for teams to be high performing over the long term. Specifically, the tool measures the team’s perception of factors that influence its productivity and positivity. For information on these essential strengths of effective teams, click here.

The diagnostic can be used with teams of all types—intact, virtual, cross-functional and project-based—in a variety of organizations—corporations, non-profits, government departments, start-ups and small businesses.

The assessment provides valuable data for benchmarking and establishing progress and positive change over time. It also provides direction for determining areas of need, intervention and goal-setting, and a tool for allocating scarce resources. In this way, the assessment is a valuable tool for structuring follow-up. It is important to note that the assessment tool is not designed as a one-off, but rather a beginning point for authentic, open, honest dialogue at a different level than most teams experience.

The assessment provides valuable data for benchmarking and establishing progress and positive change over time. It also provides direction for determining areas of need, intervention and goal-setting, and information for allocating scarce resources. In this way, the assessment is an important tool for structuring follow-up. It is important to note that the assessment tool is not designed as a one-off, but rather a beginning point for authentic, open, honest dialogue at a different level than most teams experience.

The 80 items in the inventory require the participant to assess the functioning of his/her team from the perspective of the whole team, rather than from a more narrow individual perspective. This is accomplished through the wording of the questions. Participants are asked, “On our team we have a shared commitment to open and honest communication” and “As a team we have developed sound strategies for accomplishing our goals”,  rather than “I can communicate openly and honestly on the team” and “I am committed to open and honest communication”. Not only does this encourage the participant to focus on the “system level”, but it encourages honesty by de-personalizing the assessment. To capture the spectrum of opinions on a given item, the assessment uses a 9-point scale, where 1 is “does not describe our team” and 9 is “completely describes our team”.

Data is presented in charts and tables and de-briefed with the team as part of the team systems work. Responses are anonymous and confidential. Areas of correspondence and divergence within the team are highlighted.

Click here to sample the diagnostic for yourself.