Fostering High Performing Teams

Grahame Robb Associates (GRA) provide customised team development training to organisations in all sectors, focusing on the essential skills your employees need to consolidate and develop high performing teams. Our experiential programmes include a range of enjoyable and challenging activities to boost team cohesion, improve productivity and efficiency, and help elevate your team to new levels that match your organisational goals.

By implementing a tailored training and development programme for your team, you’ll enhance your team processes, strengthen your group mentality, and improve collaboration between colleagues.

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Download Our Team Development Brochure

Team building and team development – what’s the difference?

We run team building events and team development training, both of which are valuable investments for your business – but they’re not the same.

While team building activities seek to simply strengthen relationships and create team bonding between colleagues outside of their day-to-day workplace through having fun, team development training aims to draw out specific learning outcomes and delves deeper into team theory and what it takes to create high-performing teams.

What does team development training entail?

Each team development programme is as unique as the team that undertakes it, our tailored approach makes each programme and training package completely customisable to the needs of individual businesses and their learning requirements.

Some organisations undergo training to improve communication, while others look for ways to improve self-awareness, boost customer service, or increase productivity. We start by understanding your needs and where your team is at now, and then move on to exploring the areas in which you want to develop. We can then put in place a tailored programme that matches each of your requirements, including practical challenges designed to bring learning to life and test teams’ abilities to successfully work together.

Speak To A Specialist

Speak to one of our specialists to discover how GRA do things differently

By speaking to an expert you can: 

  • Find out how we can tailor programmes to meet your  specific requirements

  • Learn more about our collaborative virtual training

  • Find out more about our state of the art outdoor centres

  • Understand our training approach

  • And much more!

Our core programmes

As well as offering completely bespoke team development programmes, we also have a range of core programmes that can be customised to meet your needs or combined to create a modular training programme – these include:

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Collaborative Teams supports teams to develop the mindset and behaviours required to develop a culture of collaboration and to avoid falling into the trap of creating internal competition that damages teamwork and results.

Through working collaboratively, teams will inspire creativity and share best practice to deliver greater success and develop more meaningful relationships.

 

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Relationship Strategies focuses on relationship building and influencing strategies by enhancing people’s ability to effectively relate to others.

Through diagnosing individuals’ personal style and how this differs from their peers, and understanding the Dr. Tony Alessandra’s Platinum Rule, individuals develop their ability to understand what drives other people and recognise options for communicating with them more effectively.

 

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Self & Team Awareness ensures that team members are able and encouraged to ‘look in the mirror’ by better understanding their motivations, behaviours, and relationships, helping them to identify how they differ from others and therefore how they can consistently work more effectively with them.

Through personality profiling and team theory, individuals understand the impact of their contribution to a team and how to identify complementary styles.

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Decision Making gives teams the skills needed to make sound, confident decisions by focussing on developing a decision-making process appropriate to different situations, creating a culture to enable effective decision making and understanding how to give helpful feedback.

Through team challenges and reviews, your people will identify task and process related decisions, as well as the crucial moments that influenced the quality of their decisions, the impact of behaviour on decisions, and the effects of competition.

 

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Creative Thinking explores the nature of creativity, broadening individuals’ and teams’ understanding of what it is to be creative. Your people will consider how they can be creative, learn the skills and tools that can support this, and consider what challenges they may face when looking to bring a more innovative outlook to their work.

Individuals will take part in team exercises, look back at their personal history with creativity, and challenge themselves to have the courage to be vulnerable and honest, which is what creativity demands.

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Customer Care supports individuals and teams to develop the confidence and capability to consistently deliver excellent service in every interaction.

Through customer journey mapping, reflecting and learning from personal experiences, and competitor analysis, your people will understand what it takes to delight and retain your customers and how to provide exceptional customer care that creates a lasting impression.

 

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We often hold back or avoid difficult discussions when someone’s behaviour or performance disappoints us or frustrates us, but why? We worry about getting it wrong, damaging the relationship or making things worse.

We can’t make these conversations easier, but Breakthrough Conversations guides participants through a proven process that helps them get to the bottom of the real issue, prepares them for how they’ll approach the conversation, and how to end it in a way that creates meaningful actions that lead to long-term change. 

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Our Business Simulations help teams to replicate the real-life business challenges they face in their organisation every day, including end goals for a customer and strategic objectives.

These complex scenarios take place in a physically and emotionally safe environment and provide the perfect platform for teams to put theory into practice, test new skills, learn from mistakes, reflect on performance and achievements, and apply that knowledge back in the workplace. Find out more.


Leadership in Action Logo V1

Leadership In Action provides individuals with a greater understanding of how leaders can impact team performance through their decision-making and core actions.

This training provides opportunities to apply theory in a practical setting and understand how to balance key needs and adapt to different leadership situations. Individuals will also learn how to give and receive feedback and perfect the art of giving upwards feedback. 


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Action Centred Leadership™ (ACL®) provides a great framework for leaders looking to enable their teams to work more effectively as a unit. By taking command of the three areas of John Adair’s model, team leaders will learn how to use each of the elements according to the situation and in turn will understand how to strike the right balance managing their team, get better results, build morale, and improve quality and productivity – the mark of any great manager.

The iLoveFeedback® training programme, based on the best-selling book Feedback Revolution: Building Relationships & Boosting Results, instils skills and promotes confidence through a five-step feedback process. Feedback is integral to enhancing relationships and results. It supports others to enhance their awareness of their strengths and weaknesses, increase employee engagement and encourages others in their continued professional development. 

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Outdoor experiential training for corporate teams

While theory based online and face-to-face training has its role in team development, our experience has taught us the value of practical activities and team challenges in encouraging people to step outside their comfort zone and engage with their colleagues in new ways. This approach opens up new and exciting opportunities for learning and building relationships and trust, as it’s crucial that colleagues depend on each other and work together in these challenging situations. Experiential learning allows individuals to learn more about themselves, how they work within a team, and the skills and attributes of their teammates.

We operate two extensive outdoor training facilities in Reading and Burton upon Trent, in which teams can take part in activities as diverse as freefall simulations, abseiling, low ropes challenges, archery and more – as well as customised indoor exercises. Our team of instructors and facilitators are on hand to provide the most valuable experience possible for your team, leading to better team dynamics and increased productivity in the workplace.

Find out more

To find out more about our team development services and how they could benefit your business, why not get in touch with one of our training specialists by calling 01962 779911 today, or click here to send us a message.

What do you mean by experiential?

Experiential in its simplest form means learning through doing or learning through experience, a key part being people’s reflection on those experiences. At GRA, we include practical exercises, simulations, and team challenges into our programmes to create more memorable training experiences and to help participants integrate their knowledge more successfully back in the workplace.

To find out more about our experiential approach, go to our why choose us page.

How do you tailor your training to meet different organisational needs?

At GRA, our aim is to get to know your business like it’s our own so that we can see things through your lens. We do this by taking the time upfront to listen to your development needs and to get a full and rounded picture of your values, culture, goals, and key measures of success.

Once we’re confident we know what you’re looking for, we’ll go away and put together a proposal that details a unique training solution for you, whether that be through tailoring existing GRA products or by creating a completely new and bespoke programme that’s more specifically for your organisation or team. We not only tailor our training through content design but also in our delivery method, so whether you’re looking for a face-to-face, virtual or blended approach, we can adapt to suit your requirements.

We also recommend conducting ‘day in the life’ interviews with a selection of people from your organisation to establish hopes and concerns about upcoming training and to allow us to take a deeper dive into people’s day-to-day roles, responsibilities, and individual needs

How do you evaluate your training?

Like our training, we tailor our evaluation strategy to the requirements of each of our customers and like to work in partnership with you to ensure we select the best metrics to evaluate the performance of our delivery team, delegate experience, learning transfer and overall service, to ensure we provide maximum ROI for your organisation. We also want to ensure that the metrics being assessed are consistent with your values and objectives.

In addition to quantitative metrics, we also believe in providing delegates with the opportunity to explore their observations and reflections in more detail and therefore recommend incorporating qualitative feedback in the review process.

Should you have one, we can also work with your existing evaluation systems following the training to manage the performance of our delivery team.

Do you have any case studies we can look at?

Yes, we have a number of case studies that you can view via our customer stories page and even more are coming soon!

Do you have any clients that you’ve worked with that we can talk to?

Yes, we would be happy to put you in touch with some of our trusted clients of past and present, just give us a call on 01962 571005 to discuss this further.

Do you have experience working with companies in our sector or industry?

GRA has worked with organisations in a number of industries over the last 30 years, from manufacturing and pharmaceuticals to public health, technology, banking and insurance, local authority and more.

But even if we haven’t worked in your industry before, we take the time to listen to and learn from our clients and to tailor our training programmes to your specific needs. We may be the experts when it comes to training, but we fully recognise that you are the experts when it comes to knowing and understanding your business.

Do you offer virtual/online training?

Yes, we offer a great range of virtual training options and online learning tools. To find out more go to our virtual learning page.

Do you offer a blended/hybrid training approach?

Yes, we pride ourselves on our ability to offer our clients a completely blended training experience. To find out more go to our blended learning page.

What training models do you use?

We use a range of trusted learning and development models that we really believe in and that have stood the test of time. During our 30 years of designing and delivering training, we have also developed some of our own unique models which sit within our branded training programmes.

Well known models we use are, but are not limited to, the following:

  • 70-20-10 for L&D

  • Tuckman’s Stages of Group Development

  • Herzberg’s Two Factor Theory

  • Kolb’s Cycle of Experiential Learning

  • Belbin Team Role Theory

  • SLII Model

  • MBTI Four-Factor

  • Honey & Mumford Learning Styles

  • Thomas Kilmann Conflict

  • Covey’s Circles of Influence

  • HeartMath Coherence

  • HeartMath Domains of Resilience

  • Platinum Rule

  • Johari Windows

  • McGregor’s X & Y Theory

  • Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

  • Baddeley & James’s Political Intelligence

  • SMART Goals

  • SWOT & Pestle

How much does your training cost?

The cost of our training very much depends on what type of programme you’re interested in, how much you want us to tailor it to your specific needs, how many people it’s for and the time constraints. However, we will always aim to put together a training package that suits both your needs and your budget and we will be as flexible and transparent as possible when it comes to outlining and discussing costs with you.

If you want to enquire about costs for a training programme, please get in touch with us by calling 01962 571005 or email us via enquiries@gra.uk.com

 

At what locations do you offer training?

We can provide training at any number of locations, whether that’s at your offices, at one of our training centres, at one of our partner hotels, or at any other venue of your choice.

GRA also deliver training globally and has worked in over 28 countries in just the last 7 years.

Can you connect us to hotels/venues where we can host our training as part of your offering?

Yes, we are partnered with and work alongside a number of fantastic hotels and venues that we would happily connect you with. We can also facilitate this on your behalf as part of our service if you prefer.

If you would like to talk to our team about this, please give us a call on 01962 571005.

How many people can you accommodate on your training programmes?

This completely depends on the method in which we’re delivering your training and what type of training we’re delivering for you.

Typically, our face-to-face training programmes can hold numbers anywhere from 5 to 30 delegates in a single classroom. Any number above 20 will usually require multiple facilitators, as will programmes that include outdoor activities. Groups over 30 will typically be delivered to in cohorts, but this is dependent on the type of face-to-face training we’re delivering for you.

Our online/virtual training classes are slightly smaller and tend to accommodate anywhere from 5 to 15 delegates in a single classroom. Numbers above 15 would typically require us to deliver in cohorts, but again, this is subject to the type of online training we’re delivering for you. Most of our virtual training sessions include both a facilitator and a moderator as a minimum, more facilitators are likely to be required for higher numbers.

For Team Building events, we can accommodate anywhere from 5 to 200 delegates at any one time, location and schedule permitting. See our Team Building FAQs for more information.

Is all your training delivered in-house?

All our training is either delivered by our experienced in-house training team or by one of our equally experienced and trusted associate training teams. We will never take on any training that we don’t have the capacity to facilitate within these teams. If we can’t accommodate what you’re looking for, we will always be upfront and honest about it and will point you in the direction of other providers that may be able to help you if we can.

What happens if we need to reschedule or cancel our training with you?

Our cancellation policy is clearly outlined in our T&Cs when forming an agreement with you, so please check this to see how you would be affected if you were to cancel. Rest assured that we will be as flexible as possible when it comes to rearranging and rescheduling dates for training and we have a fantastic administration team who would be happy to talk to you.

If you need to talk to us about cancelling or rescheduling your training, please give us a call on 01962 571005.

What is currently in place to protect those who attend training at your Centres from Covid-19?

Our Covid-19 protocols are constantly changing and evolving in line with government guidelines. Click here to see our most up to date protocols. If you have training already booked with us, our administration team will clearly outline anything you need to know about safeguarding against Covid-19 prior to your arrival at either of our Outdoor Centres.

If you have any additional questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact us on 01962 571005 or email us via enquiries@gra.uk.com

This is why we do what we do

"I thought it was outstanding! The staff have been amazing, really knowledgeable and used activities to highlight the evidence behind the
models."

- Anna Kilmartin, SJP Graduate

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This is why we do what we do

“In comparison to the workshops we have done in the past, I found this one to be the most rewarding and certainly the best organised and most fun! I know from speaking to others that this sentiment is shared among the group. Thank you GRA!”

- Laurence Chetwynd, Customer TrainingExecutive

kyocera

This is why we do what we do

“I had only heard positive remarks about GRA prior to attending this course, so I was not surprised by the quailty of the training that was delivered.”

- Amy Johnson, SJP Apprentice

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This is why we do what we do

"Making learners feel comfortable and secure when joining a session is just as important online as it is face-to-face. The team at GRA achieved this by taking the time to familiarise learners with their platform and provide individual technical support as needed without disrupting the flow of the session."

- Sam, The FA Group

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This is why we do what we do

"Our programme with Grahame Robb Associates, using the experiential business simulation, challenged our leaders and significantly increased levels of trust in a way that enabled great peer-to-peer and coaching conversations. We believe this has been a pivotal building block to support them in achieving their full potential as leaders; enhancing self-awareness and strengthening our leadership community in Tech Data.”

-Michelle Ford, Talent and Development Manager

This is why we do what we do

“To deliver a virtual week of induction was definitely unknown territory for us, however, working with GRA, this was easily achieved! The variety of sessions such as self & team awareness and personal branding, were thoroughly engaging and were a perfect complement to our internal sessions.”

– Gill Ireson, Early Careers Development Manager

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This is why we do what we do

“On behalf of all of us at HSO we would like to thank GRA for the great support you provided in helping to make our ‘One Team training conference’ a great success. Your professionalism, willingness to ‘make it work’ all helped to make our event at St. George’s Park such a success. Nothing was too much trouble, and your support was brilliant! We have received so much positive feedback about the entire event, a fantastic time was had by all attendees. We look forward to working with you again in the future.”

– Jacky Duggan, HR Team Administrator

This is why we do what we do

“I would like to thank the GRA team for all their help organising our event again this year. The group was double the amount we had last year and we have had fantastic feedback from all staff from the UK, US and India offices. Please pass on our thanks to all the instructors and organisers. It was amazing how they remembered us from last year and it was great to have the same instructors as last year too. I already have staff asking about next year.”

–Laura, Finance Manager, Healthcare organisation

This is why we do what we do

“We needed to give our staff the opportunity to get to know each other better. In asking GRA to undertake the task, I knew we’d get creativity and purpose, but the laughter, courage, spontaneity and sheer sense of having fun together exceeded my hopes and made for a hugely successful programme. I have nothing but positive feedback – a real testament to GRA.”

– Tom Hall, Director, Alitex

This is why we do what we do

“GRA were brilliant and I would thoroughly recommend them for anyone who is looking to do a corporate team building event. The staff were so helpful and patient with my colleagues and everyone got so much out of the day.”

- Anna Frazer, HR Advisor, Prescient

This is why we do what we do

“I would like to thank the GRA team for a very enjoyable and productive experience. It is not often that we engage with a company that is so in tune with what we are trying to achieve, it was such a great understanding of the goals and objectives!”

- Gary Marsh, VP for EMEA Sales, Microchip

This is why we do what we do

“GRA’s facilitators have a lovely balance of professionalism and approachability to what they do. We worked together from the start to design and deliver a series of really experiential workshops as part of our graduate programme. Our own facilitators and the participants had nothing but praise for the knowledge, flexibility and responsiveness that the team from GRA brought to our events and the feedback has been fantastic with many saying it’s the best training they’ve been on.”

- Sarah Rudder, Learning & Development Consultant, Thales

This is why we do what we do

“GRA’s Outdoor Leadership Centre was a great addition to the things we worked on in training, so it’s certainly something I would do with the team again.”

- Steve McNamara, During his time as England Men’s Rugby League Manager

This is why we do what we do

“The best virtual training session I have attended. I was very impressed! GRA were good at making everyone feel at ease, lowering the barriers to engaging in discussions and creating a very positive and knowledgeable atmosphere.”

– Miki Van Kooji, Msc Student International Management, Kings College London

This is why we do what we do

“The vision programme our senior team attended was extremely effective and efficient, and i have received so much positive feedback about how much everyone enjoyed working with Grahame and his team! We will definitely be staying in touch on future collaboration!”

– Samantha Barrass, CEO, Business Banking Resolution Service

This is why we do what we do

“The vision programme our senior team attended was extremely effective and efficient, and i have received so much positive feedback about how much everyone enjoyed working with Grahame and his team! We will definitely be staying in touch on future collaboration!”

– Samantha Barrass, CEO, Business Banking Resolution Service

This is why we do what we do

“Thank you for a very enjoyable 2 days! Due to the pandemic, this was not our plan A, but I thought it was a terrific plan B. I very much enjoyed meeting all our staff and despite the remote working conditions I sensed an espirit de corps that I really wasn’t expecting.”

- Caroline Barr, Non-Executive Director, Business Banking Resolution Service

This is why we do what we do

“I enjoyed the residential programme we did with GRA at St. George’s Park very much – it was great to learn about our inherent personality traits and their translation to best-suited roles in a team. I think I speak on behalf of all of us when I say that the two days spend with GRA were fun-filled yet fruitful, relaxing yet productive. I would like to extend my thanks to you for organising this and especially to Joe, who led a fantastic session. I look forward to further training with GRA and coming back to St. George’s Park in the future!”

- Mrinalini Chakrabarty, Engineering Graduate, Collins Aerospace

This is why we do what we do

“I was a total cynic when it came to 'outward-bound' training as I had seen so much that was fun, but not really relevant to learning anything new about yourself. I am very passionate about learning events that have a purpose and being able to demonstrate measurable change in the people who have attended them. Since attending a Leading Change event with GRA, where I saw a level of skill provided by the facilitators to really draw out the learning from the outdoor events that I had not witnessed at anywhere else, I have been waiting for an opportunity to use them. It presented itself this year and we have just completed out first trainee scheme induction event and plan to run one every year for the foreseeable future as they did such a good job!”

- Lindsey Arnold, Learning & Development Manager, Telford Homes Plc

This is why we do what we do

“When we met GRA, we were intrigued by the energy, enthusiasm and knowledge that the team possessed. We knew instantly that they were the perfect match for Kyocera when they introduced their ‘Challenge by Choice’ policy, providing a safe learning environment for our employees.”

- Julia Allen, Learning & Development Manager, Kyocera

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