Team Assessments & Workshops

Applying the science of personality
to improve team processes.

Have you ever actually been on a “Dream Team”? Most people can only say “Yes” if we include nightmares as a type of dream.

I’m grateful to have had the opportunity to serve on multiple Dream Teams in my career, including both project and consulting teams. What I loved (and miss) about those days was not only how together we were able to achieve record-setting results that we could never have accomplished independently, but also that we actually enjoyed the experience of working together.

Each time I’ve experienced this kind of team dynamic, it was due to a blend of:

1. Complementary characteristics and skill sets, and
2. Awareness and appreciation of how those characteristics fit together

And from my observations, it was often our differences that enabled our success more than our similarities.

What Factors Make for a Successful Team?

Here are some core drivers of team effectiveness identified in the research literature:

• Clear, effective communication
• Collaborative conflict management
• Tight coordination
• Giving & receiving helpful feedback
• Trust & psychological safety
• Team cohesion
• Shared vision & goals
• Having the right people doing the right tasks based on competencies & interests

(There are others, but the ones I listed are especially relevant to how I help teams improve.)

There are two broad approaches to enhancing these core drivers:

1. Selecting the right people to be on the team
2. Helping existing teams to develop these processes and dynamics

I help with the second approach.

Even if you do get the right people on the team, it’s unlikely they’ll be able to perform at a high level immediately upon formation. Instead, most teams have to learn to work together more effectively over time.

How I Can Help

I offer a few different team development services, depending on how much involvement from me you want…

1. Teamwork Assessment ($2,000 USD)
   ▪ Includes a snapshot questionnaire evaluating core team processes and dynamics.
   ▪ Plus a custom team development blueprint with guidance for applying the results and re-assessing on an ongoing basis.
   
   
2. Team Personality Profile (contact for pricing*)
   Includes everything in the Teamwork Assessment, plus…
   ▪ A team personality report (Birkman Method or Hogan Assessments).
   ▪ And a half-day team development workshop.
   
   *There are hard costs associated with the personality assessments, so the total price depends on number of team members and which assessment you prefer.
   
   
3. Team Momentum Program (Add $2,900 USD)
   In addition to everything mentioned above, this includes…
   ▪ Three 90-minute follow-up sessions to check in on the team’s progress on its action plan and continue fine-tuning.
   ▪ Plus the team lead has continual access to me via email for problem-solving between sessions.

Each service is explained in more detail below (click to expand).

What My Previous Training Participants Say

I’ve been training and facilitating for over a decade now, so I’ve got more feedback than I could possibly share. Here are a few highlights…

• “The training was a blast and also a reminder of why we do this work.”
• “This workshop was more in-depth than previous personality workshops.”
• “I now have a better understanding of who we are as a group.”
• “I’ll be honest with you, I came in here thinking, ‘[This] is bull****.’ But now I’m completely on board.”
• “I have been more aware of my coworkers’ strengths [since the workshop]…I have a better grasp of their personalities.”
• “[Seth] really has a gift for translating difficult topics into material that is more approachable and engaging.”
• “[I now] utilize my coworkers’ personality traits when giving specific feedback.”
• “Seth had a refreshing and engaging style of facilitation. It was clear that he is extremely competent. ‘Handled’ us well.”
• “It was so well-organized that I cannot imagine it any other way.”
• “Seth is amazing—he’s inclusive, very active listener, and a very strong facilitator.”
• “It was so incredible! 10/10.”

FAQs

“Isn’t personality testing a pseudoscience? Isn’t it basically a horoscope?”

No.

Well, actually, it can be. But I only use science-based assessments.

Here are some details from Birkman and Hogan on their personality assessments, including some info about validity…

1. The Birkman Method FAQ
2. Hogan Assessments FAQ

If you have any technical questions, just email me.

“Can we use MBTI (or DiSC or True Colors or Enneagram or something else) instead of Birkman or Hogan?”

No, I exclusively use Birkman and Hogan. I am not certified in any of those other assessments.

If you’re looking for MBTI, DiSC, or similar, I can refer you to colleagues I trust who are certified to use those tools.

If you have questions about how different personality assessments stack up in terms of validity and appropriate applications, shoot me an email.

“Our team previously completed the Birkman or Hogan and already have our reports. Do we have to redo the assessments, or can we skip that part?

Sure, we can use your existing reports. I’ll prorate the price to exclude the hard cost of the assessments. Shoot me an email at seth.osbornLA@gmail.com to discuss.

“Can a personality-based team workshop improve long-term team performance?

Perhaps indirectly, but I would be skeptical of anyone who makes that claim. There is not yet enough research evidence to support such a strong claim. (See our 2024 paper in Consulting Psychology Journal on this topic.)

But that’s not really the purpose of a workshop like this anyway. Interventions like these should be designed to improve more proximal team processes, like communication, coordination, and conflict management—all of which are linked to team performance! (Which is why I said “indirectly.”)

“What is your training style? Is it a lot of dry lecture?”

I can’t stand monologues or lectures (either listening to them or delivering them). It actually gives me a headache if I talk too much, and I tend to zone out when someone drones on and on.

My style is facilitative. I design trainings and workshops as a series of activities, dialogues, and discussions. I like connecting the training content to participants’ own work lives and exploring real-world case studies drawn from participants’ experiences.

“What kinds of activities do you use? Will we have to wear blindfolds or scale treetops as a team? Is there a risk I will feel silly?

I categorize most training activities into one of two types: Metaphorical or Practical. (I almost never use the former.)

Metaphorical activities involve imaginative play and are typically designed to shift mindsets and offer new perspectives. The activity is a metaphor for whatever the real experience is (think ropes courses, trust falls, “climbing Candy Mountain,” etc.).

There is a place for metaphorical activities, especially when you are trying to give someone an “Aha!” moment or help them see from a new perspective. That said, I rarely use them, because some people find them embarrassing and disengaging.

Instead, I almost exclusively use Practical activities, which involve practicing whatever skills are required to achieve the learning objectives and drive the workshop’s desired outcomes. For example, a workshop on communication styles should presumably involve practicing effective communication skills with one another under semi-realistic conditions.

Email any additional questions to seth.osbornLA@gmail.com.

Meet the Trainer

Hello! I’m Seth Osborn.

I’m an industrial-organizational psychologist (think “business psych”). I’m the principal consultant for Osborn Learning & Analytics LLC and a Professor of Practice at Rice University.

Across more than a decade of training and consulting, I’ve certified hundreds of trainers; taught or spoken to thousands of professionals and students; and provided consulting services for nonprofit organizations, government agencies, prominent Fortune 500 and Am Law 100 firms, and professional sports teams.

My certifications include Hogan Assessments, the Birkman Method, and the Uncommon Coaching model developed by Leadership Worth Following. I hold a Ph.D. in Industrial-Organizational Psychology from the University of Tulsa.

My Philosophy:

I believe that every psychologist’s goal should be to make the invisible become visible. I don’t see the value in telling people what they already know.

So, rather than merely “holding up a mirror,” my services are designed to reveal blind spots. New vision enables new action.

If that’s what you’re looking for, then let’s chat.