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Mitigating Team Weaknesses Exercise

Overview	This exercise helps the team to identify important areas that they may be paying less attention, and identifying actions to help mitigate against the potential weaknesses that may result.
Estimated time	30 minutes
Goals	To identify the potential weaknesses of the team To identify ways to mitigate against those weaknesses
Process	Complete the building on strengths exercise Split the team members into pairs or threes (this can be the same or different to the strengths exercise), and ask them to consider the following questions: - why does the team pay relatively little attention to these particular roles - even if these roles are not seen as important, what mistakes might the team make as a result? After 10 or 15 minutes, get them to feedback their conclusions to the group Facilitate a discussion to agree actions on how to mitigate against the weaknesses. If they don't see any potential weaknesses, use the table on page 20 of the manual to prompt a wider view.

Note: you can combine this exercise with the team strengths exercise: ask the small groups to report back on both answers at the same time.

Whether you use one, other or both exercises at the same time depends on the people in the team. If they are more intelligent or capable, then their quickness of understand means that you should use the combined exercise and all a shorter period of time.