337: How to Build a Strong Team Culture Using Workshop Techniques with Alison Coward

The Modern Manager

Great workshops deliver clarity, improved collaboration, and actionable outcomes.

Now, imagine if you and your team could approach every workday with the same high energy and focus as you feel during a great workshop. That’s exactly what today’s guest is here to help us achieve–building a workshop culture in the workplace.

Meet Alison Coward. Alison is the founder of Bracket, a consultancy that partners with ambitious, forward-thinking companies to help them build high-performing team cultures. She is a team culture coach, workshop facilitator, trainer, keynote speaker, and author of “Workshop Culture: A Guide to Building Teams That Thrive” and “A Pocket Guide to Effective Workshops”. Her clients include Google, Meta, Wellcome, and the V&A.

With 20 years of experience working in, leading, and facilitating creative teams, Alison is passionate about finding the balance between creativity, productivity, and collaboration so that teams can thrive and do their best work together.

In this episode, Alison and I discuss what a workshop culture is, how it differs from traditional workplace models, and how managers can become effective facilitators.

She also shares insights into what it looks like for a team to adopt a workshop culture, the behavioral changes that come with this shift, tips for translating workshop principles–like creativity, collaboration, and inclusion—into everyday team practices, and more.

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Conversation Topics

• (00:00) Introduction
• (02:06) What is a workshop culture?
• (03:39) Workshop culture vs. traditional work culture
• (06:12) How managers can become effective facilitators
• (09:30) Real-world example of a team transitioning to a workshop culture
• (12:55) Translating big picture ideas into action
• (14:37) Why every team member is a co-creator of a team culture
• (17:41) The behavioral changes that come with this cultural shift
• (21:41) First step in adopting a workshop culture
• (24:20) How to hold yourself and others accountable for the changes
• (26:30) A great manager Alison has worked for
• (27:44) Keep up with Alison
• (28:14) [Extended Episode Only] The five pillars of a workshop culture
• (33:26) [Extended Episode Only] What it looks like for teams embracing a workshop culture

Additional Resources:

- Get the extended episode by Joining The Modern Manager Podcast+ Community for just $15 per month

- Read the full transcript here

- Follow me on Instagram here

- Visit my website for more here

- Upskill your team here

- Subscribe to my YouTube Channel here

Keep up with Alison Coward

- Grab a copy of Alison’s book: “Workshop Culture: A Guide to Building Teams that Thrive” here

- Follow Alison on LinkedIn here

- Visit Bracket for more information here

Book Discount: 30% off “Workshop Culture: A Guide to Building Teams That Thrive”

Alison is providing members of Podcast+ 30% off her book “Workshop Culture: A Guide to Building Teams That Thrive”. This book will show you how to create a happy and engaged team through small actions which lead to big results. It features a practical and accessible toolkit to help improve your team’s performance and productivity.

To get this guest bonus and many other member benefits, become a member of The Modern Manager Podcast+ Community.

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The Modern Manager is a leadership podcast for rockstar managers who want to create a working environment where people thrive, and great work gets done.

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