TEAM FACILITATION

Team Facilitation for Sports Organizations

Transform Unproductive Meetings Into Breakthrough Moments

Most team meetings waste time and avoid real issues. The hard conversations get pushed aside, toxic dynamics go unaddressed, and nothing actually changes—until expert facilitation transforms how your team communicates.

WORLD-CLASS SPORTS ARBITRATORS & MEDIATORS

CAS • FIFA • MLB Salary • USOPC • USSF • USATF

University of Oregon Professor & FAR • Author of The Sports Playbook & Strategic Negotiation • 30+ Years Experience

The Hidden Cost of Dysfunctional Team Dynamics

Without expert facilitation, teams suffer from:

  • Meetings dominated by loudest voices, not best ideas
  • Critical issues avoided to keep artificial peace
  • Same problems discussed repeatedly without resolution
  • Divisions between coaches, players, and staff
  • Decisions made without genuine buy-in
  • Trust erosion from unaddressed conflicts
  • Lost opportunities for breakthrough solutions

Meeting Reality Check:

73%

Of meetings fail to achieve objectives

$37B

Annual cost of unproductive meetings

67%

Of critical issues never get discussed

Expert Facilitation: Your Game Changer

A skilled facilitator transforms team dynamics by creating psychological safety, managing difficult conversations, and ensuring every voice contributes to breakthrough solutions.

Neutral Authority

No agenda except team success. No politics. No favorites. Just focus on outcomes.

Process Expertise

Proven methodologies that surface real issues and drive toward actionable solutions.

Conflict Navigation

Transform tension into productive dialogue that strengthens rather than divides.

30+ Years of Facilitation Excellence

Joshua Gordon has facilitated over 1000 team sessions across NCAA Division I to professional sports, from youth organizations to Olympic committees. This depth of experience means we’ve seen your situation before and know what works.

1000+

Team Sessions Facilitated

30+

Years Experience

100%

Confidential Process

Team Facilitation Services

Critical Team Conversations

When stakes are high and emotions run deep, you need expert guidance.

We facilitate breakthrough sessions for:

  • Season-defining moments: Post-loss debriefs, mid-season resets, championship preparation
  • Leadership transitions: New coach integration, captain selection, staff changes
  • Culture interventions: Addressing toxic behaviors, rebuilding trust, values alignment
  • Performance barriers: Identifying and removing obstacles to success
  • Conflict resolution: Player-coach tensions, staff disputes, team divisions

Session Structure:

  • Pre-session stakeholder interviews
  • Agenda design and ground rules
  • 2-4 hour facilitated session
  • Action plan development
  • Follow-up accountability check

Strategic Planning & Visioning Sessions

Move beyond surface-level goal setting to create genuine alignment and commitment:

Team Planning:

  • Season goals and strategies
  • Role clarification and buy-in
  • Performance standards setting
  • Championship roadmapping

Organizational Planning:

  • Department-wide initiatives
  • Multi-stakeholder alignment
  • Resource prioritization
  • Culture transformation planning

Multi-Stakeholder Consensus Building

Using proven consensus building methodology specifically adapted for sports environments.

When multiple parties have competing interests, we build genuine consensus:

  • Booster-Administration alignment on program direction and investments
  • Parent group management for youth and high school programs
  • Conference realignment negotiations with multiple institutions
  • Facility planning with community stakeholders
  • NIL collective coordination with various funding sources

Consensus building creates agreements that stick because all parties genuinely commit to the outcome.

Team Retreats & Intensive Sessions

Pre-Season Retreats:

Set the foundation for championship culture with intensive team-building and alignment sessions that go beyond typical “trust falls” to create genuine cohesion.

Mid-Season Resets:

When the season isn’t going as planned, a facilitated reset can turn frustration into focus and disappointment into determination.

Post-Season Debriefs:

Capture lessons learned, celebrate successes, and address unfinished business while memories are fresh and emotions are manageable.

Leadership Development:

Intensive sessions for captains, coaching staff, or administrative teams to build leadership capacity and alignment.

The SCI Facilitation Process

1

Discovery

Understand context, stakeholders, and desired outcomes

2

Design

Create agenda and process tailored to your needs

3

Prepare

Interview key stakeholders and set ground rules

4

Facilitate

Guide productive dialogue toward breakthrough solutions

5

Follow-Up

Ensure accountability and implementation support

Every session is customized to your team’s specific needs and culture.

Why Choose SCI for Team Facilitation?

Sports-Specific Expertise

We understand athletic culture, competitive pressures, and the unique dynamics of sports teams.

Proven Methodologies

30+ years of facilitation experience with over 1000 successful team sessions.

Neutral Authority

Complete independence allows us to surface and address issues others can’t touch.

From youth sports to professional leagues, we’ve facilitated breakthrough moments at every level.

The Impact of Expert Facilitation

94%

Issue Resolution Rate

3.2x

Faster Decision Making

87%

Improved Team Cohesion

100%

Recommend to Others

Teams report breakthrough results from even a single facilitated session.

Ready for Your Team’s Breakthrough Moment?

Don’t let another season pass with the same unresolved issues. Expert facilitation creates the conversations that change everything.

Available for urgent interventions within 48 hours

Confidential consultation to discuss your team’s specific needs.

Sources

Team Facilitation & Effectiveness Research

Voltage Control, The Impact of Effective Facilitation on Team Performance, Innovation, and Organizational Success (2024), https://voltagecontrol.com/articles/the-impact-of-effective-facilitation-on-team-performance-innovation-and-organizational-success/ [documenting how skilled facilitation enhances team performance through psychological safety and structured discussions; Google’s Project Aristotle identifying psychological safety as most crucial factor for team success].

Eric K. Shaw et al., ‘In the Moment’: An Analysis of Facilitator Impact During a Quality Improvement Process, 10 GROUP FACILITATION: RES. & APPLICATIONS J. 1 (2012) [analyzing external facilitators’ real-time interventions in primary care teams; demonstrating how facilitators impact groups throughout QI processes rather than through linear progression].

Laura McEwan et al., The Effectiveness of Teamwork Training on Teamwork Behaviors and Team Performance: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Controlled Interventions, 12 PLOS ONE e0169604 (2017) [meta-analysis of 72 unique interventions finding medium-sized positive effects for teamwork training on both teamwork behaviors and team performance].

Ina Busch et al., Interventions to Improve Team Effectiveness Within Health Care: A Systematic Review of the Past Decade, 18 HUM. RESOURCES HEALTH 2 (2020) [reviewing 297 studies showing training, tools, organizational redesign, and structured programs improve team effectiveness in healthcare settings].

Andrea Rönkkö & Ulrika Lundh Snis, Team-Skills Training and Real-Time Facilitation as a Means for Developing Student Teachers’ Learning of Collaboration, 95 TEACHING & TEACHER EDUC. 103278 (2021) [demonstrating positive impact of team-skills training and real-time facilitation on perceived learning outcomes and group reflection].

Consensus Building & Process Consultation

Lawrence Susskind et al., The Consensus Building Handbook: A Comprehensive Guide to Reaching Agreement (Sage Publications 1999) [establishing foundational principles for structured consensus-building processes; methodology for managing multi-stakeholder disputes and ensuring fair representation].

Lawrence Susskind & Jeffrey Cruikshank, Breaking the Impasse: Consensual Approaches to Resolving Public Disputes (Basic Books 1987) [developing framework for collaborative problem-solving in complex disputes; Chinese Edition published 1993].

Edgar H. Schein, Process Consultation: Its Role in Organization Development (Addison-Wesley 2d ed. 1988) [establishing process consultation as helping relationship model; focus on building client capabilities to solve own problems through observation and feedback].

Edgar H. Schein, Process Consultation Revisited: Building the Helping Relationship (Addison-Wesley 1999) [expanding process consultation framework; ten principles including “always try to be helpful,” “everything you do is an intervention,” and “timing is crucial”].

Larry S. Rockwood, Edgar Schein’s Process Versus Content Consultation Models, 71 J. COUNSELING & DEV. 636 (1993) [distinguishing between content-focused expertise models and collaborative process consultation; emphasizing client ownership of problems and solutions].

Sports Team Dynamics & Communication

Gordon Stewart et al., Performance Support Team Effectiveness in Elite Sport: A Narrative Review, 21 INT’L REV. SPORT & EXERCISE PSYCHOL. 1 (2024) [identifying clarity of roles, effective communication, interdependent working, and unified frameworks as critical for performance support team effectiveness].

Christopher McAuley et al., Factors Influencing Team Performance: What Can Support Teams in High-Performance Sport Learn from Other Industries? A Systematic Scoping Review, 8 SPORTS MED. OPEN 4 (2022) [identifying leadership style, supportive team behavior, communication, and performance feedback as key variables for team effectiveness across sectors].

Youngtaek Oh et al., Communication and Team Cohesion Moderate the Relationship Between Transformational Leadership and Athletic Performance, SAGE OPEN, Aug. 2023 [demonstrating mediating effects of communication and team cohesion on performance in elite Korean athletes].

Ersin Eskiler et al., The Mediator Role of Communication Skill in the Relationship Between Empathy, Team Cohesion, and Competition Performance in Curlers, 14 FRONTIERS PSYCHOL. 818954 (2023) [241 curlers across 69 teams showing communication skills fully mediate relationship between empathy, cohesion, and performance].

Athletic Insight, Team Dynamics and Communication in Sports: Boosting Performance and Cohesion (2025), https://www.athleticinsight.com/sports-psychology/team-dynamics-and-communication [addressing conflict resolution, role clarity, and psychological safety as foundations for team performance].

Conflict Management in Teams

Abdullah Al-Mamary, Conflict Resolution in Team: Analyzing the Cause of Conflicts and Best Skills for Conflict Resolution, 2 INT’L J. MGMT. & ENTREPRENEURSHIP RES. 372 (2023) [identifying five domains: cultural differences/emotional awareness, cooperative atmosphere, constructive feedback, communication/relationships, and leadership skills].

Kyle F. Paradis et al., Athlete Perceptions of Intra-Group Conflict in Sport Teams, 10 SPORT & EXERCISE PSYCHOL. REV. 1 (2014) [semi-structured interviews revealing conflict manifests through disagreements, negative emotions, and antagonistic behaviors in task and social contexts].

Nick Holt et al., Athletes’ Perceptions of Conflict in Sport, 17 SPORT PSYCHOLOGIST 446 (2012) [19 female varsity athletes identifying strategies including early team building, addressing conflict promptly, engaging mediators, and structured team meetings].

Mariana Voicu et al., Competitive Relations and Communication in Team Sports, 19 SPORT & SOC’Y 85 (2015) [linking player satisfaction, team effectiveness, unity, and performance to intra-team communication; emphasizing acceptance, valuing, understanding, and trust].

Organizational Team Development

Steve W.J. Kozlowski & Daniel R. Ilgen, Enhancing the Effectiveness of Work Groups and Teams, 7 PSYCHOL. SCI. PUB. INT. 77 (2006) [comprehensive review of team effectiveness research; multi-level framework encompassing individual, team, and contextual influences].

Rebecca L. Lacerenza et al., Developing, Sustaining, and Maximizing Team Effectiveness: An Integrative, Dynamic Perspective of Team Development Interventions, 12 ACAD. MGMT. ANNALS 688 (2018) [examining timing and evolution of team building, training, leadership development, and debriefing interventions].

Kevin G. Love et al., Advancing Research on Teams and Team Effectiveness in Implementation Science: An Application of the Exploration, Preparation, Implementation, Sustainment (EPIS) Framework, 18 IMPLEMENTATION SCI. 105 (2023) [framework for understanding team structures, processes, states, and effectiveness in implementation contexts].

Gustavo Palomino-Ccasa et al., Work Team Effectiveness: Importance of Organizational Culture, Work Climate, Leadership, Creative Synergy, and Emotional Intelligence in University Employees, 14 ADM. SCI. 280 (2024) [structural equation modeling showing organizational culture, work climate, and creative synergy mediate relationships between emotional intelligence, leadership, and team effectiveness].

SCI Research & Publications

Joshua Gordon, Strategic Negotiation in Sport: A Practical Guide for Negotiation Success (Sports Conflict Institute 2023) [applying negotiation frameworks to sports contexts; emphasis on interest-based approaches for athletic departments and sports organizations].

Joshua Gordon, Gary Furlong & Ken Pendleton, The Sports Playbook: Building Teams That Outperform, Year after Year (Routledge 2018) [comprehensive framework for building championship culture; proven methodologies for sustainable competitive advantage in sports organizations].

Sports Conflict Institute, The True Cost of Conflict in Sports Organizations, SCI White Paper (2015) [documenting financial and performance impacts of unresolved conflict in athletic departments; framework for early intervention].