047: Trexler Proffitt, PhD: The Team Diagnostic Survey: Coaching Teams for High Performance

Join Dr. Krister Lowe and today's interview guest Dr. Trexler Proffitt for this special episode of The Team Coaching Zone Podcast. Trexler Proffitt, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor of Practice in Organization and Management at the Goizueta Business School at Emory University in Atlanta Georgia. He is also the CEO of Team Diagnostics, LLC.--the provider of The Team Diagnostic Survey (TDS), a scientifically validated and reliable instrument that assesses teams on 6 essential conditions that drive effectiveness. Dr. Proffitt holds a Ph.D. from Northwestern University, a M.S. from Northwestern University and a B.A from Yale University. He is a passionate and innovative teacher with a range of experiences in: strategic management, organization behavior, negotiation, social responsibility, and entrepreneurship. He is grounded in rigorous academic training while focused on fostering socially responsible leadership and entrepreneurial thinking. He also values being a team player and is comitted to teaching a variety of courses and meeting students where they are in their learning path.

In this episode of the podcast, Dr. Proffitt provides an overview of the origins of The Team Diagnostic Survey at Harvard University with the late Dr. Richard Hackman as well as a team of researchers including among others Dr. Ruth Wageman. He shares insights into the academic as well as applied purposes of the instrument. Trexler walks listeners through two sets of factors that comprise the model and instrument. The first set--The Essentials--looks at 1) Real Team, 2) Compelling Direction, and 3) Right People. The second set--The Enablers--looks at 4) Sound Structure, 5) Supportive Context, and 6) Expert Coaching. Throughout the episode Trexler provides rich examples that provide context to the instrument and how it can be used to help teams increase their effectiveness and performance.

The episode provides listeners with an excellent overview of the essential factors that drive team effectiveness and also with a tool that may be an essential addition to every team coaches toolkit!