Community Learning Development Resource 302 – 11
WORKING TOGETHER AS A TEAM
SUMMARY
We work as a team of workers in the community. What does this mean for us and our practice? What is the nature of this co-working group and how do we want to develop our ways of working together? This resource (302-11) questions how the roles and functions of a team, might be defined and driven by team members, the client market, or the agency, and what status and power the team collectively has to organise and manage the work.
A checklist for reviewing the role and responsibilities of a team.
- Where is the management and responsibility for areas of work significantly focused, in relation to the functioning of a team?
- Four levels are identified, where responsibility and decision-making could be sited – with the individual; at whole agency or service level; within the client community; within the role of the team.
- Whilst responsibilities are commonly held at all levels, developing a team approach will need to clarify what responsibilities can be best managed collectively by the team.
- This analysis can help identify desired changes in working practice, in the development of a team approach to working in the community. Such desired changes will have implications for practice at other levels, in particular changes in power and responsibility. As such a developing team will need to seek successful outcomes at other levels and successful changes in relationships to support the team approach.
USING THE CHECKLIST – REFLECTING
- Are we working as a team? Use the checklist as a tool to help you identify the extent to which you work as a team.
- What might we achieve through working as a team? Use the checklist to explore the potential for working as team.
- How will we need to develop as a team? Use the checklist to explore what changes might be needed to make managing and working as a team effective.
- How well are we working as a team and what improvements can be made? Use the checklist to evaluate and review your practice of working as a team.