The upcoming MERIT Summit in Vienna, 16-17 January 2019, will offer HR leaders a variety of company case studies exploring best practices and lessons learned at global L&D departments. One of the case studies will be presented by Jeff Turner, International Director of Learning and Development at Facebook. In a recent video interview exclusively for MERIT, Jeff shared a sneak peek into his topic “Building High Performing Teams: The Facebook Approach”.

According to the Facebook L&D director, professionals in this field today have more work than they can cope with. Of course, the trend is positive but how do Learning and Development experts manage to effectively transform teams in such a fast-paced environment? There are five different scenarios, Jeff explains, which determine the transformational approach and the role of L&D professionals.

1. New leaders

New leaders naturally want to build trust within their teams and they want to make sure their vision is understood. It is also completely normal for some of them to need help in getting this process in motion.

2. Teams in a big transition

Another scenario involves teams going through a period of transition – having to move on to a new project, for example.

3. Teams going through turmoil

Teams who are experiencing difficulties also need a customised approach.

4. Teams working cross-functionally

There are many cases in which several different teams are working cross-functionally and each of them brings in their own leadership style. So, ultimately who is the leader and decision-maker?

5. High-performing teams

Managing teams is difficult even when everything is going just as it should. When teams are high-performing, what should be done next?

As Jeff Turner says in his interview, these cases do not happen in isolation. More often than not, different scenarios happen simultaneously, which can be tricky to handle. So what factors do L&D experts look at to estimate the situation at hand?

• Complexity: How many of these scenarios are going on at the same time?
• Opportunity: What is the opportunity for the company in making this team work better?
• Severity: How long has this been going on?

Solutions can vary and they depend on all of these factors and the individual needs of the company, the team, and their leadership. Watch the video to discover the role of L&D leaders in each scenario that Jeff describes.

Connect to peers from leading international companies that are building agility and instilling a culture of continuous learning at the upcoming MERIT Summit: Where Corporate and Higher Education Leaders Meet.