Positivity – Camaraderie

[Anonymous]

There is a strong sense of belonging to the team. The team celebrates and acknowledges accomplishments. Empathy, playfulness and humor are present.

[Alexis Phillips]

Tips and questions about Camaraderie on teams:
– What does Camaraderie mean on this team? What are the benefits of it?

– With intact teams in geographic proximity it is not so difficult to create structures for social interaction and play. Sometimes that play can be purely for the sake of the team’s entertainment or for “team building”.

– More and more teams gather for purposeful volunteer efforts that also build camaraderie and a sense of meaningful, shared contribution. Teams work together to clean urban parks, build homes with Habitat for Humanity, volunteer to handle a water stop at a Breast Cancer walk and run, etc.

– What cause or activity has your team found to bind them together?

– With virtual teams it is more challenging but it is possible when they get creative. For example, hold weekly “water-cooler” teleconferences simply for the purpose of getting to know each other. Or a virtual happy hour with wine (or other beverage) and snacks.

– How is Camaraderie created on teams? What is the long term effect? How is it sustained?

– What Team Agreements would support Camaraderie on the team?

[Rebecca Jones]

Rather than start a new post on Exercises to Build Camaraderie, Improve Communication, Respect and Value Diversity, I’ll add a post here to continue this thread.

I’ve used this method for many years, including most recently when I was a senior manager for a department of 140 staff, and working with my team of 7 managers. It is a highly visual, very effective way of helping people first to understand the types of thinking and approaches within the team and then to understand each other’s perceptions, assumptions, preferences and approaches. It’s important to start with the team ‘makeup’ first as you’ll be coaching the team rather than the individuals.

The team uses one of many tools to identify their preferences – StrengthsFinder, Myers-Briggs, DISC, etc..

Each team member is asked to familiarize themselves with the tool (e.g. – if it is StrengthsFinder to read Gallup’s overview and understand the research and basis for the survey.) We do a one-on-one debrief regarding their results, discussing what rings true for them — what they have difficulty relating to or agreeing with, and how this profile relates with previous profiles they have completed.

I then create a visual overview of the key results for the Team, showing the Team makeup. For instance, I’ll walk through I use StrengthsFinder with a team. I create a simple matrix or table, with the team members listed down the side and each of the Strengths listed across the top. I highlighted in different colours each of the Strengths represented on the team. This shows very clear and quickly the Strengths present on the team, and those missing. For the team meeting, I use a version that does not show the team members names down the side.

At the Team meeting we view and discuss the Team makeup (I work with the leader to determine what we want to call it…..sometimes it is simply called “Our Team Views”) that does not show individual team member names. Questions I use:

1. What do you see?
2. What Strengths are within the team?
3. What Strengths are heavily within the team? (meaning more than one person has the Strength)
4. What are the implications of this for the team’s communication? for the team’s decision-making? problem-solving? resource management?
5. What Strengths are missing from the team altogether?
6. What are the implications of this for team communication? decision-making? problem-solving? resource management?
7. How would you describe this team makeup? What descriptors would you use?
8. When have you seen the Strengths of this team evident? or…..How does this blend of Strengths exhibit itself in the dynamics and outcomes for the team?

Then we look at who it is that holds each of these innate Strengths; each individual describes their Strengthsfinder profile in their words and how they relate to it; they often address the questions I posed to them during the one-on-one profile. The Team discusses how the profiles ring true for them or where they disagree with the results and why. They take notes as their colleagues describe their profile.

We then build an action plan for using this reality in how the team operates by asking the team to address these questions:
Given the implications of team’s innate strengths for team communications, problem-solving, decision-making and resource management:
1. what team norms should we have?
2. what will be our vulnerabilities when it comes to decision-making or problem-solving? when will we need to make sure that we are compensating for the absence of xxxxx strengths?

Finally, I have them do a quiet exercise and prepare to talk with their colleagues about what they’ve just learned about each other. The exercise is to take one of the strengths for each of their colleague, and to then relate to that colleague how it helps them better understand and better appreciate their actions: ”

Now that I know that you have an innate strength of xxxx, I understand ….”

We go around the table for each person to relate to another colleague how this new ‘insight’ offers ‘sight into’ how their colleague contributes, communicates or responds.

The visual overview of the team goes on the flip side of the team norms, as a reminder to the team both of their productive behaviours and actions, and the types of thinking and talents are within the team.

[Rebecca Jones]

I’m so sorry – I neglected to list 2 of my favourite questions when doing a debrief of a diagnostic tool such as StrengthsFinder or DISC. These 2 questions should be added into the post above. My apologies!

What are your preferences in terms of communication?
What are your ‘go to’ behaviors, particularly in stressful situations?

[Author]

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