Gold Medal Teamwork Values
In order to identify a common purpose, demonstrate respect, assign and complete responsibilities, and trust one another, successful teams operate according to some common values. Identifying these values may result from an explicit process, emerge from natural interaction between team members, or be part of the institutional framework of the organization.
Take the example of identifying a common purpose; some of the values successful teams express include:
• Identify your assumptions. These are notions team members bring with them to a discussion of a goal or issue. Recognize that these are likely to be modified through interaction with the team and be willing to let them go.
• Suspend judgment. Team members dialogue with an open mind and seek to understand so they may more fully participate in discussion and decision-making.
• Own your intentions and their impact. Team members practice restraint, recognizing that what they say and how they say it matters. They also take responsibility for the impact of their comments on others.
• Demonstrate mutual respect. Respect can be demonstrated by listening to others’ points of view, presuming good intentions, respecting confidentiality and avoiding gossip.
Similarly, these values encourage the formation of trust and respect among team members and facilitate team members’ adoption of effective roles within the team and the commitment to responsibility for completing the team’s work.
The Playbook: Techniques of Winning Teams
Being a winning team does not mean never disagreeing. Just like each player brings different strengths to a game, having and sharing different points of view contributes to the best kind of decision-making. When the association commits to allowing controversy with civility, it is possible to disagree without being disagreeable. So how does a group of neighbors with mutual ownership of a property come together to work effectively as a team, whether or not they have management staff? The following techniques have proven successful.
First, the Association must clarify the team’s values by allowing each member to articulate a value they wish to see adopted and then asking each member to commit to these values. This is a fundamental activity used in Peace Circles, Talking Circles, and similar strategies to support having difficult conversations. When all team members participate in clarifying values, each is far more likely to buy into and protect these values. Articulating and committing to values helps build the foundation for team members to feel comfortable expressing their views and sharing their ideas.
24 | COMMON INTEREST®
Successful teams also practice active listening skills to promote discussion and the exchange of ideas. An active listener will “keep their head in the game” by devoting 100% of their attention to the discussion, asking open-ended questions that encourage robust discussion, paraphrase and summarize what they have heard to ensure mutual understanding, acknowledge the emotional content of what is shared, and reflect that in a constructive manner. As good communication is crucial, all members of the team should be willing and able to use these skills, not just team leaders.
Additionally, applying Talking Circle techniques (see more below) can help build relationships, both internally among the association’s board and with the association community. This structure gives each participant a voice in the process. And although this practice may seem uncomfortable to those steeped in American corporate culture, it is extremely effective at surfacing different points of view and generating ideas. Boards may also find the use of a Talking Circle to be a valuable first step in short and long-term planning.
Another method for demonstrating respect and navigating conflict is using of “I” statements. When team members share only their own concerns, thoughts, and ideas, they are sharing perspectives that are unique to them. These statements provide a foundation for mutual understanding to grow.
Finally, if you are the team member responsible for leading a discussion, the technique of neutralizing comments and opinions can enhance understanding and minimize conflict. Neutralizing involves restating a participant’s heated comments without inflammatory wording. It removes emotional content from a participant’s remarks without altering the facts or substance of a comment. For example, “That’s a stupid idea and here’s how I would do it” might be neutralized and shared back as “You favor a different approach that would do X instead.”
Interventions for a Troubled
Team Unfortunately, in today’s world many teams are functioning poorly. Civility and mutual respect can be hard to come by. Management staff and owners may find that the association is having difficulty reaching a common purpose, or that respect, responsibility, and trust are in short supply. In addition, an association may be struggling to address conflict with outside forces, among individuals or groups within the association, and even with the association itself. Several interventions are available to begin to get the association back into the winner’s circle.
• Talking Circles. In a Talking Circle, participants explore a particular issue or topic from many different perspectives. Talking Circles do not begin with an effort to reach a consensus on a topic. Rather, they provide a structure for all voices to be respectfully heard and offer participants diverse perspectives to stimulate their reflections. Like
• Summer 2024 • A Publication of CAI-Illinois Chapter
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