Let’s Chat: Together everyone achieves more

By Linda Tooth on April 3, 2024.

Throughout my years teaching in post-secondary, the one term that has caused the students the most stress is teams or teamwork.

The textbook Canadian Organizational Behavior defines teams as “two or more people who interact and influence each other, are mutually accountable for achieving common goals associated with organizational objectives, and perceive themselves as a social entity within an organization.”

Students must realize that post-secondary is a training ground for them regarding employment and they will experience teams and teamwork in their professional lives.

When teams do not function properly within a classroom or board room setting the instructor or leader faces the challenge of finding a solution that will make the team happy. Sounds easy enough, but it is not. Someone within the group is likely to be left feeling hurt, taken advantage of, or even bullied.

The four stages of teamwork are forming, storming, norming, and performing.

In the forming stage we see excitement and goal setting. In the storming stage we see frustration and a need to re-focus our goals. The norming stage sees resolutions and improved communication. The last stage of performing sees the team come together to achieve their goals.

When people do not come together and function as a team, the hard but inevitable choices must be made about having people leave. Open communication is critical as it allows everyone to understand what has occurred and why the team is crumbling, like a badly baked cookie.

Workplace bullying and intimidation have no place within any organization. When that starts to happen the appointed leader of any team must make it stop. Again, unpopular decisions will have to be made but it is for the betterment of the organization.

In a small community where people tend to know one another or they know someone who knows someone, chatting over a cup of coffee and sharing their interpretation of the day’s news is commonplace. We are seeing that here in this community. It has unfortunately painted this forgotten corner of the province in a dark and disturbing light I never thought I would see.

I urge those working in these environments to make the tough decisions that need to be made, have open communication with everyone and let us rebuild this community to the incredible place I know it was and will be again.

Have a Meowtastic Day.

Linda Tooth is a communications instructor at Medicine Hat College

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