You can't just switch on teamwork. It takes time for a new team of volunteers to reach its full potential. What's more, team members go through stages as they move from strangers to co-workers. When you understand the stages of group development, you'll know how to help your new team to become effective and we even plan to discuss the good practices to boost group dynamics as well.

Step-by-step IMPLEMENTATION

Share a story of a past group membership (15-20 mins)

Invite participants to stand up and go to one end of the room. „Imagine a virtual bridge!... from here to here. We are over the Grand Canyon. Has anyone been there? Unbelievable depths, a 20 m wide river from the bridge looks like a tiny stream. But that's not the point. The point is to cross the river.

The task is simple: everyone can cross the bridge, on one condition: if they say a group role/situation that is true for them, but not for anyone else... and the others don't know about it. So, say I could say I've been a team member of Apollo 13 in space, trusting that you haven't.... And then I could cross the bridge. The only thing wrong with that is that it's not true for me. But if I say, for example, that I was a volunteer student organization lead in the university, that's accepted. Do you understand the task? Who will start?”

Support everybody to share a personal example.

💻Virtual version: Ask every participant to switch on their camera and when somebody shares a story can switch it off. This helps to count back who is reminding and may motivate to share. Finally ask everybody to switch back the cameras and take a team photo, where everybody waves hands.

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A good team characteristics (30 mins)

15’ Ask participants “What do you think is a good team?” Collect examples and ask for some clarification why they think so.

In sports there are a lot of good teams, may they share examples. If not, share one about your background (football, handball, basket, etc). “When is a team successful in sports? When do we say it is successful?” Facilitate a group discussion and collect ideas.

15’ Characteristics of the winning team

Share one by one the below characteristics of a good sports team and ask participants to say what it means specifically for a good volunteering team.

Everyone does their best

The criteria for success are clear

The team and the players have the same criteria for success

The team is organized around the criteria for success

Players are willing to change immediately

All players can play multiple roles

Players have complementary skills

The team is a "we" team

The coach is present at the match

Good performance is recognised

The coach helps the players to achieve success

The coach is respected

All players feel responsible for the team's results

All players are loyal to the team

All players take initiative to influence the game

The essence of football is for all players to mobilize their energy to score goals and defend the goal. In a volunteering camp, the aim is for all volunteers to mobilize their energy to do a service for a local community, meanwhile the team learns a lot.

As a summary, ask “What are the main characteristics of a winning team?”. You may conclude with the ACE acronym: Aligned, Capable and Engaged. Volunteers know and agree with the objectives, feel they can influence the situation to achieve the goals, and are willing for their own initiatives with risks.

💻Virtual version: Try to facilitate the discussion in an online meeting. In the characteristics first share the list and ask a voting on the most important things (e.g. ZOOM poll with multiple choice, where each participant can vote 3) and only after them discuss the list based on this priority.

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Group dynamics and high performing teams (60-90 mins)

30’ Effective cooperation exercise

The letters for "effective cooperation" should be cut up separately and printed on A4 papers one-by-one. At the beginning of the exercise, write "Effective cooperation" on the flipchart, then use the rope to mark a circle in the middle of the space where the letters are randomly spread out, upside down, all clearly visible. Designate a line behind where the participants will line up, from where they can start. Then explain the exercise: “The aim is to create your "effective cooperation" word behind your line as quickly as possible. To do this, you have to get the letters there. Rules: Only 1 person is allowed outside the line at any time. You must take turns, it is important that everyone takes her/his turn at least once. Letters can only be brought in order, one at a time. One person may only turn one letter at a time. If it is good, he runs back with it. If he turns up a letter that is not the next in line, he must put it back upside down in the circle (it does not have to be in the same place).” At the beginning they are given 5 minutes to discuss, after the time is up they must give a hint as to how long they can complete it. They can try more than once, always allowing minimal time for planning between trials. They can also say a new commitment for time before a new trial (should be a challenge). They are NOT allowed to go around the circle in the planning stages, they cannot try out their strategy.

Reflection questions: “How do you feel? What strategies have been successful? What was a key point to identify a good strategy? How effective was your cooperation? How did the team work together? What have you observed regarding group dynamics?”

💻Virtual version: Instead of this in-presence activity you may use the 4 stands once activity. Participants turn off their camera and should set a view when they can see everybody in the call or activite spotlight for those with camera on. The rules of the game are explained: “Four people can be seen (camera on) at a time for a maximum of 10 seconds. Players are not allowed to communicate with each other, but everyone has to pay attention and everyone is responsible for making sure that 4 people are visible at the same time, no more and no less.” It will take a few minutes for the group to get the hang of the game, then they will get into a good rhythm of standing up, sitting down and working together. It's very exciting, and makes the group feel good. The reflections can go as in the above activity.

30” Group dynamics

10’ Debrief group “People often take on distinct roles and behaviors when they work in a group. "Group dynamics" describes the effects of these roles and behaviors on other group members, and on the group as a whole. What can we do to improve group dynamics?”

Facilitate a group discussion about the possible strategies a group leader can do. You may speak about:

define roles and responsibilities - create a team charter to define the group's mission and objective, and everyone's responsibilities

use team-building exercises to help everyone get to know one another

get to know the team - understand individual’s strengths and weaknesses, and facilitate the group development

tackle problems quickly - if you notice that one member has adopted an unhelpful behavior, act quickly to challenge it

focus on communication - make sure that everyone is communicating clearly, ensure enough time to discuss situations on a fact and feelings level as well

pay attention to the warning signs of poor group dynamics and intervene if needed.

30’ Forming-storming-norming-performing-adjourning

Briefly describe the theory in the appendix and create 5 groups from the team. Each team gets a phase of the theory and should answers the following questions on a flipchart:

What happens at this stage? How do we recognise it?

What do we need to move the team on to the next stage?

Review the answers in a big circle. Start with the first phase and walk around the flipcharts and discuss all stages, focus on leadership tasks and actions.

💻Virtual version: The small groups can work in break-out rooms and after that present their ideas for the whole group.

30’ Reflect on past camps

As a final step ask all participants to “Remember back situations in your volunteering experiences, when something went wrong, when the group development was blocked and the team was not able to progress well? What would you do now as a leader if you can restart it?”

Give all participants 10 mins to collect their situations on a paper and when everybody finished ask them to share their examples. Facilitate a group discussion about the actions they would take, ask other ideas from the team members. If you have more time you may review one-two situations with the full group in detail, asking the owner to share more information.

💻Virtual version: The discussion can be facilitated in an online meeting, you may collect the ideas on a virtual whiteboard.

REVIEW & DEBRIEFING

Group dynamics describes the way in which people in a group interact with one another. When dynamics are positive, the group works well together. When dynamics are poor, the group's effectiveness is reduced. Problems can come from weak leadership, too much deference to authority, blocking, groupthink and free riding, among others. “What can you do as a leader to prevent malfunctioning? What will you be careful about in your next camp? What do you plan now to study more?”

TARGET GROUP size & specifics

10-30 participants workcamp participants, leaders

DURATION

min. 90 minutes

TO DO List

& Deadlines

prepare room suitable for the group and for the activities (may outside or a space large enough to move)

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