Development Cooperation Handbook/Guidelines//How to check the level of togetherness in a team

To accomplish anything, a small group has to be able to work together. As in a well-tuned machine, or a championship sports team, each member has to function smoothly, with all the effort aimed at common goal. Four factors must be considered :


 * 1. Do the members get along? It’s nice to like one another, but it’s not necessary. What is necessary is that they can get along and work with one another.


 * 2. Are the members satisfied? This question usually has less to do with the group’s purpose—the product—than it does with the working conditions—the process—and the way members were “chosen” for the group. People who are there because they want to be there are more likely to be satisfied than those who were ordered to attend. Working conditions are also an issue. Is the work area comfortable? Do they have enough space for the group as a whole and for their own individual needs? Do they get the time, supplies, information, freedom, and respect that they need in order to do their jobs?


 * 3. Are they committed to the project? Is the project something they believe in? Is it something they want to see happen? Are they doing the job simply because it was assigned to them by a superior. Or are they ambivalent—or even opposed—to the job they are supposed to be doing?


 * 4. Do they want to stay in the group? This is a function of how well the group gets along and works together. Do they feel part of the group? Is there an esprit de corps? Do they feel a sense of commitment to the group itself? Do they want to continue to work with the other members until they finish the job?