The Team Performance Model and Person-Centered Planning

The Challenge

The Institute on Disability at the University of New Hampshire is an entity that focuses on support for people with disabilities and their families. Through person-centered planning, the Institute enables individuals to create a plan for their future through a process-oriented approach, and it became evident that a manual for creating these customized plans was an imperative. “Because the purposes for planning are so diverse there’s been a tendency to oversimplify. We needed a tool that would address the dynamic elements of the process,” said Patty Cotton of the Institute.

The Process

Patty Cotton attended several Grove graphic facilitation workshops and was intrigued by the visual nature of the Group Graphics® Keyboard. When she subsequently encountered the Drexler/Sibbet Team Performance Model® (TPM), Patty immediately started using it in her work with person-centered planning.

“Person-centered planning uses a collection of visual tools. However, there is no sequencing or order to the process. The TPM provides that order and allows one to assess what tools to use and when to use them,” says Patty. “People are in a situation where they are completely dependent on others to act on their behalf. If you don’t attend to those early stages of trust building, the process can go awry very easily.”

The Result

Using the TPM as the foundation, Patty and her associate Susan Fox were able to create a comprehensive manual that addressed key stages of person-centered planning. “I believe that the TPM paired with person/family-centered planning is a powerful model for intuitive learning. My hope is that the manual makes it possible for individuals and families to live life and organize supports in the ways that they choose.”