When I hear the word team I tend to think of a small group of people working on a shared project or task. I frequently assigned team projects to my college students. Eventually I would hear complaints about the bad team member or the freeloader, or the lack of leadership. I finally developed a grading scale that allowed team members to evaluate individual contributions to the team effort. But I was never comfortable with this, as it seemed to be a "carrot and stick" approach to motivation. When the Paradigm Project (Points of Light Foundation, 1995) identified creating a sense of teamwork between paid and non-paid staff as one of the key component of highly effective volunteer programs I found myself thinking more and more about how to manage motivation on a team.
I would like to suggest that teamwork is not so much about a structure for accomplishing work, as it is a state of mind about how we accomplish our work. Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, 10th Edition defines team as "marked by devotion to teamwork rather than individual achievement."
"If everyone understands that each one is responsible for the performance of the team, then there's no place to hide", says Michael Oswald, author of Teamwork Is an Individual Skill; Getting Your Work Done When Sharing Responsibility. "The first step is to know your power on the team and to personally feel ownership for team productivity. The team has to win if you are going to win," states Oswald.
NowDocs, winner of the "Best of the Web 2000", is a print shop and courier service that serves customers who need documents printed, bound and delivered in a hurry. The company employs 90 people worldwide. "Teamwork and individual responsibility are stressed daily", says Oswald. "You can't say, 'Oh, I'm just a member of the team, so I'm not responsible for making it run smoothly'."
Whether you manage a volunteer program or you hold a leadership role in a volunteer organization the challenge of building an effective sense of team can often feel overwhelming. Sometimes paid staff and/or volunteers fear that they will not be valued personally and won't be recognized for their individual contribution in a team atmosphere. Loss of individuality is one of the major barriers to effective teams. "Being expected to conform and to subjugate individual needs and desires for the common good is degrading for team members. . . An effective leader is sensitive to the need to preserve individual dignity, to capitalize on differences, and to not try to achieve conformity." (Rees, 1991, p.42)
Managers and leaders must assure employees and volunteers that each person's contribution will be heard, valued and acknowledged. The challenge is to enhance, not lower, the self-esteem of each member. Team members need to feel they can speak their minds. Encourage open communication and talk about this issue. Teamwork is demotivating if a team member is not getting personal needs met. Ask people what's in it for you? What would help you have greater buy-in? Helping them satisfy personal needs through a team approach creates a win-win. Have conversations about what needs to be accomplished and how to divide up the work. Help everyone understand that the team has to win if they are going to win. "Teamwork is an ongoing negotiation among diverse individuals who are all working toward a common goal. An effective leader acknowledges individual differences and challenges the members to meet as many individual needs as possible while achieving the common goal." (Rees, 1991, p.42)
This may mean paid employees have to understand what motivates the volunteers to be there and what they are looking for from their volunteer experience. Volunteers may need to understand the pressure and expectations of the workplace for paid employees. Creating an atmosphere where both sides can meet their personal needs helps the organization benefit from the synergy that occurs when all members can contribute fully and actively.
It's important to remember that while building the social dimension of teamwork you cannot lose sight of the work to be done. "Leaders benefit by addressing regularly both the social and task needs of the team. To the extent the team does its tasks well, it will be productive. To the extent it manages its relationships well, team members will have a sense of belonging and commitment." (Rees, 1991, p.42)
Some of the most successful companies in the country have built their success around this concept of creating a sense of belonging and teamwork. The Walt Disney Company requires every employee, no matter what level or position, to attend a new employee orientation that stress the "traditions, philosophies, organization, and the way we do business as the Disney team (Collins & Porras, 1994). Disney, Nordstrom, IBM and Procter and Gamble are all known for creating an environment that reinforces dedication to an enduring core ideology." All of these companies create a sense of belonging to something special through:
You may not like or agree with all of these methods, but creating a sense of team requires deliberate action. Creating a sense of team between paid and non-paid staff or among volunteers is about creating a sense of belonging, specialness, oneness, and the belief that only by working together do we accomplish our mission and reach our vision.
References:
Collins, James & Porras, Jerry (1994). Built To Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies. New York: Harper Collins Publisher.
Himmelberg, Michele (2002). In Team Groups Sometimes it Pays to Take Things Personally, The Columbus Dispatch, January 6, 2002 (p. 125).
McCurley, Steve (1995).Building understanding and collaboration: creating synergistic relationships between staff and volunteers. Washington D. C.: The Points of Light Foundation.
Rees, Fran (1991). How to Lead Work Teams. San Diego: Pfeiffer and Company.