Most organisations consist of skilled, values-driven individuals who care about their work, yet they still struggle to create effective teams. Why? Because good intentions alone can’t overcome the hidden dynamics that derail collaboration.
When teams are stuck, we often see the same patterns:
- Meetings feel circular, with little progress.
- Decisions are endlessly delayed.
- Disagreements harden into quiet divisions.
- Some members push harder, while others give up.
This isn’t because people don’t care, it’s because they lack a shared structure for working together effectively.
The hidden dynamics that undermine teams
Teams often rely on assumptions: that shared values will naturally translate into shared action, or that individual competence ensures collective success. But in reality, without a clear framework, teams fall back on unspoken rules, hierarchy, or avoidance.
This leaves essential questions unanswered:
- How do we make decisions when we disagree?
- What does fairness look like in this team?
- How do we handle conflict constructively?
- How can we balance individual roles with collective goals?
Without clarity, teams develop unspoken habits that may work temporarily but lead to disengagement, frustration, and inefficiency over time.
A fresh perspective: designing for cooperation
Treating collaboration as something that can be intentionally designed is the idea behind the ProSocial framework. This groundbreaking, evidence-based approach helps to build teams that thrive under pressure.
Drawing on the work of Nobel Prize-winning economist Elinor Ostrom, ProSocial identifies eight core design principles that successful groups share. These principles offer a roadmap for guiding trust, fairness, and accountability within teams.
Of course, this isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution. ProSocial invites teams to reflect on and customise these principles for their unique context. It helps groups create deliberate agreements on:
- Shared purpose: What are we here to achieve, and why does it matter?
- Fairness: How do we distribute effort, influence, and rewards?
- Decision-making: How do we ensure everyone feels heard, especially in disagreement?
- Conflict resolution: How do we address issues quickly and proportionately before they escalate?
By explicitly addressing these dynamics, teams can move beyond surface-level cooperation to create a culture of genuine collaboration.
Why ACT makes ProSocial unique
What makes ProSocial particularly powerful is how it integrates Acceptance and Commitment Training (ACT). While many team-building approaches focus solely on external processes, ACT brings in the psychological tools needed to manage internal barriers.
In a team setting, ACT helps groups:
- Identify and commit to shared values, even when individual perspectives differ.
- Recognise and navigate internal challenges, such as defensiveness or avoidance, that might block progress.
- Stay focused on collective goals rather than getting caught up in positional debates.
ACT provides the flexibility for teams to address not just what they’re doing, but how they’re doing it, helping them work together with purpose and resilience.
Hands-on experience to transform team dynamics
Our upcoming Building better teams workshop goes beyond theory. It’s a hands-on training session designed to equip you with practical tools to transform team dynamics through:
- Real-world application: You’ll learn how to assess where a team is stuck and apply ProSocial principles in a way that fits your specific context.
- Facilitation skills: Discover how to guide difficult conversations without avoiding conflict or glossing over important differences.
- Integration of ACT: Gain tools to help teams not only define shared values but also act on them, even when faced with internal or external challenges.
- Case studies: Learn from real-life examples of how ProSocial has been used to improve team functioning in diverse settings, from healthcare to government.
This workshop isn’t just for team leaders, it’s for anyone working with groups in complex environments, whether you’re a psychologist, therapist, coach, HR professional, or organisational consultant.
Why you should attend
If you’ve ever felt frustrated watching a team of talented people struggle to make progress, this workshop is for you. It offers a structured, evidence-based way to help team move past gridlock and towards meaningful, sustainable collaboration.
By the end, you’ll have the skills and confidence to help teams clarify their purpose and align their actions, navigate conflict constructively, without resorting to avoidance or escalation and build a foundation of trust, fairness, and accountability that enables genuine cooperation.
Don’t let teams stay stuck in unproductive patterns. Join us and learn how to unlock their full potential. Find all the workshop details and register here.