Team building
This may be the first time any of you are working together as a team. New members will regularly be joining the team as others leave. There will be an ever changing mixture of professional and cultural backgrounds, and personalities. Living and working conditions will be difficult.
Problems can arise: individuals can feel isolated, feuds can start between sections, there can be a duplication of work or tasks can be left undone as everyone thinks it was someone else's job.
You can address these problems in a number of ways:
- Weekly team meetings will help you identify problems (although they may not be the forum for solving them). Meetings need not be formal or long but follow up is important if participants are to value them. Beware of a few individuals dominating; everyone should have the opportunity to put their point of view.
- Private meetings with individual team members will provide you with views and suggestions which often will not come out in more public meetings.
- Encourage sections, e.g. finance, programme, logistics, to work together to find solutions rather than always coming to you for guidance or decisions.