Hand-out · A4 · 12 pages
The Team Alignment Quiz
Hand-out · 5 minutes
The Team
Alignment
Quiz
For leaders who want their teams to work better together
Hand-out by
Eefke Bodt
Introduction
How well is your team really working together?
Your team works hard. The goals are clear. And yet, you may still feel that things could run more smoothly.
Decisions take longer than they should. People wait for each other. Responsibilities aren’t always clear. Or the same issues keep coming back.
That doesn’t necessarily mean your team needs to work harder.
Sometimes, it simply needs better alignment.
The Team Alignment Quiz helps you take a quick look at where your team stands today.
In about five minutes, you’ll get a clearer picture of what is already working well and where there may be room for improvement.
No complicated assessment. Just a set of questions to get you thinking.
Fig. 01
19 statements
Score 1 to 10
About 5 minutes
About
I'm Eefke
Leadership coach
My coaching practice is built on nearly 20 years of leadership experience in the manufacturing industry, from start-ups to multinationals across Europe, Asia, North America and Africa.
This allows me to truly understand the demanding work of leaders and teams.
With tough questions, confronting reflections and deep insights. Always with love and respect. Because insight alone won't get you far.
Change is challenging, and that's normal. It's not about "fixing" things, repeating mantras, or pretending everything is love and light. It's about working practically, honestly, and strategically with what's really happening. Without fluff or superficial positivity.
Worked with:
The quiz
The Team Alignment Quiz
Good teamwork doesn’t happen by accident.
People need clarity about where they are heading, what is expected of them and how they work together.
For this quiz, we look at three areas:
Clarity
Does everyone know what needs to be done and what their role is?
Team alignment
Are people working toward the same goals and taking shared responsibility?
Collaboration
Do behaviors, relationships and ways of working support the results you want to achieve?
How well are you and your team aligned?
Answer each question as honestly and intuitively as possible.
Give your team a score from 1 to 10 for each question.
Scale
Instructions
Before you start
There are no right or wrong answers.
Answer each question as honestly and intuitively as you can. Give your team a score from 1 to 10 for every statement.
Try not to overthink it. Your first reaction is often the most useful one.
When you’re done, add up your scores.
Your total score will give you a first indication of how well aligned your team is.
But don’t focus on the total alone.
The questions with the lowest scores, or the ones that made you stop and think, may tell you much more about what your team needs right now.
Answer honestly
Score 1 – 10
Add up your total
Ready? Let’s take a look.
How well are you and your team aligned?
Score each question from 1 to 10. Don’t spend too much time analyzing each answer. Choose the score that feels most accurate based on how your team works today.
Team members are aware of the context in which they work. (In other words: where does your team stand in relation to what is coming at you and where you are moving?)
The team is fully connected to the rest of the organization and teams.
Do employees feel they are involved in the strategy formation?
Does your desired team outcome consist of financial / operational results and cultural / collaborational results?
Does your team “run like clockwork”, meaning very smoothly without a lot of unnecessary friction?
Is your team clear about the tasks they must complete individually and as a team? (Or in other words: are there hardly any questions about the tasks – and are they done according to the intention of the leader?)
Do team members feel joint ownership of results and problem solving?
How well are you and your team aligned?
Score each question from 1 to 10. Don’t spend too much time analyzing each answer. Choose the score that feels most accurate based on how your team works today.
Our collaborative behavior is fully aligned with the agreed and desired outcome.
Team members are accountable to the desired outcome rather than performing activities and tasks – meaning they pro-actively come up with solutions to problems that occur along the way.
Do you feel your team is overall happy with their daily tasks?
Is every member of your team clear about their role within the organization and how that leads to improved productivity and fulfillment of company KPIs?
Is every team member clear about their work scope and responsibilities and those of other team members and how they all relate to each other?
Is the team able to translate the strategy into daily operations?
Do managers see it as their job to think and act beyond the boundaries of their own team?
How well are you and your team aligned?
Score each question from 1 to 10. Don’t spend too much time analyzing each answer. Choose the score that feels most accurate based on how your team works today.
You have heroes on the team who always make sure they save a situation.
Can your team define the company culture and know how to practice it to keep customers happy and the organization on track?
You have insight into what relationships are in tension, among yourselves, with other teams and the environment.
Do you know the root causes of your team's weaknesses and lack of alignment?
Do you know where to tweak behaviours to improve your team’s effectiveness (towards organizational goals)?
Now add up your scores
Write your total score below.
Then turn the page to see what your score may tell you about your team.
Min. 19 · Max. 190
Your score
What your score may tell you
Strong alignment
Your team has a strong foundation.
There is clarity, people take responsibility and collaboration generally works well.
That doesn’t mean there is nothing left to improve. Strong teams also need attention to stay strong.
Take another look at the questions where you scored lowest. Those answers may show you where your next improvement can be made.
A good foundation, with room to improve
A lot is already working well.
At the same time, there are probably areas where your team is losing time, energy or clarity. You may notice this in decision-making, ownership, communication or collaboration.
Don’t try to improve everything at once. Look at your three lowest scores. What do they have in common?
That may be a good place to start.
Time to look a little closer
Your answers suggest that several parts of the team could use more attention.
Perhaps roles or expectations aren’t clear. Maybe people are working hard, but not always in the same direction. Or difficult conversations are being postponed.
Don’t treat your total score as the whole story. Look at where the lowest scores and biggest differences are.
Those answers often tell you much more about what your team needs next.
Something needs to change
Your score suggests that alignment within the team is currently getting in the way of how well people can work together.
That may show up as unclear expectations, limited ownership, recurring friction or people solving problems individually instead of together.
That can be confronting. But this quiz isn’t here to judge your team. It’s here to make visible where things are getting stuck.
Start with your lowest-scoring questions. Which issue is having the biggest effect on your team right now?
Next
Where do you start?
Based on my experience, I usually look at three things:
Understand what’s happening
Before jumping to solutions, get clear on what is actually going on. Where is the friction? Where is responsibility unclear? And which patterns keep coming back?
Talk about it
Bring the important issues into the open. A good conversation helps people understand what is happening, what needs to change and what their own role is.
Decide what comes next
Turn those insights into concrete choices and actions. Not ten priorities at once. Start with what will make the biggest difference.
Reflection
From insight to action
A score is only a starting point.
Team alignment isn’t just about roles, targets or processes. It’s also about trust, relationships, behavior and the conversations people may be avoiding.
Take another look at your answers. Ask yourself:
Question A
Which three questions stand out most?
Not necessarily because they have the lowest score, but because you know they are affecting the team.
Question B
What would change if we improved these?
That is where the real conversation starts.
You don’t have to fix everything at once. Sometimes, one honest conversation or one clear decision can already change the way a team works together.
Next step
Want to talk it through?
Maybe this quiz confirmed something you already knew. Or perhaps one or two answers made you stop and think.
If you’d like to take a closer look at what is happening in your team and what a practical next step could be, you’re welcome to book a free introductory call.
In 45 minutes, we’ll look at your leadership question or what is happening within your team or organization. We’ll discuss where things are getting stuck, which choices may be needed and what a practical next step could be.
No standard approach. Just an honest, down-to-earth conversation about your situation. We’ll also explore whether my support could be a good fit for you or your team.
What to expect
- An honest and down-to-earth conversation
- Direct questions and a reality check when needed
- 45 minutes via Zoom
- No obligation
Eefke Bodt
Leadership Coach
- hello@eefkebodt.nl
- Phone
- [Phone]
- Website
- eefkebodt.com
- [LinkedIn]
