🌱 New Growth Together
Welcome aboard! Let’s reflect on how our garden of collaboration is flourishing with new teammates, nurturing our strengths, uprooting weeds, and planting seeds for future success.
Template Columns
🌼 Flourishing Flowers
Celebrate the team moments that blossomed and strengthened with new members.
Base column: What Went Well🪴 Tangled Roots
Identify challenges and initial hurdles faced during the integration of new teammates.
Base column: What Went Wrong🌱 Seeds to Sow
Suggest improvements to help our growing team thrive and connect even better.
Base column: What We Want to ImproveAbout this template
The New Growth Together retrospective helps teams reflect on integration experiences with new members, celebrating strengths and addressing challenges for better collaboration.
When to use this template
Use this template when onboarding new teammates, after a team restructure, or whenever you want to strengthen team bonds and collaboration following changes.
How to facilitate
Kick off the session by welcoming everyone, especially new members, and set a positive, inclusive tone.
Briefly introduce the garden metaphor to inspire open, growth-focused reflection.
Invite team members to add cards in the Flourishing Flowers column to highlight moments of successful collaboration and positive impacts from new team additions.
Ask participants to share challenges and pain points in the Tangled Roots column, focusing on integration hurdles or unclear processes.
Guide the group to brainstorm actionable ideas in the Seeds to Sow column, looking for ways to improve team connection, onboarding, or shared practices.
Allow time for everyone to review and discuss cards in each column, encouraging questions and deeper insights.
Prioritize the top Seeds to Sow and agree on next steps and owners for actionable items.
Wrap up with a quick round of appreciations, especially for positive adaptation and team spirit.
Pro Tips
Share a brief story or example for each column to prompt thoughtful contributions, especially from new members.
Encourage pairing newer members with experienced teammates in breakout discussions to foster connection and surface diverse viewpoints.
Make time for quieter voices, inviting reflections from every participant before moving on.
Keep the focus constructive—frame Tangled Roots as opportunities for learning, not blame.
Revisit Seeds to Sow action items in future retros to show progress and build trust.
FAQ
How can we encourage new team members to participate actively?
Start with informal check-ins or icebreakers to build comfort, and assure new members their input is valuable. Explicitly invite their perspective in each column.
What if team members focus only on negative experiences?
Acknowledge challenges but gently steer discussion back to strengths and opportunities. Highlight positive moments and balance 'Tangled Roots' with plenty of time in 'Flourishing Flowers'.
How do we make sure improvement ideas turn into real actions?
Assign clear owners and check progress on Seeds to Sow in the next retrospective. Keep accountability supportive, not punitive.
At a glance
- Duration
40–55 min
- Team Size
4-12 people
- Columns
3 columns
- Base Format
What Went Well, What Went Wrong, What We Want to Improve
Tags
Ready to get started?
Use this template to run your next retrospective