Building team resilience

The following points will help you foster a secure base and enhance team resilience.

• How do we build a sense of trust within a team? How will we know trust exists within that team?

Trust is a crucial component of building a secure base. The collective learning that can be gained from when people make a mistake and when they are successful should be considered and shared. Trust is evident when people readily ask for help, admit to mistakes and skill gaps, and are prepared to disagree with the views of others. You will know trust when you see it: people will proactively help each other, be prepared to show vulnerability, and support each other when there are temporary spikes in workload. They will also provide mutual support during organisational and personal crises.

• How do we build commitment?

For teams to work effectively, people should be aware of how their role contributes to the mission and vision of the wider organisation (see KFP4 Mission and Vision). In other words, they must be able to see where their contribution fits into the wider endeavour. So, leaders at the team level should – preferably with the input of their team – develop a strategy, with goals and objectives, that is explicitly linked to that wider enterprise.

• How do we build a culture of shared responsibilities?

Stress is often triggered when people have a lot of responsibility but feel they lack autonomy over how they do their work. Responsibility without authority is an acknowledged source of stress, so engaging the team in considering how problems can be shared and resolved collaboratively can enhance a sense of autonomy. Opportunities to increase autonomy can be explored using Appreciative Inquiry and World Café approaches (see KFP2 Sense of Appreciation, KFP4 Mission and Vision and KFP5 Wellbeing).

• How do we build a team that recognises individual strengths?

An effective team needs a wide range of skills and experience. Encouraging a culture in which people ask for a second opinion or for someone to help them do a joint piece of work will ensure that people are recognised for their individual skills and strengths, while increasing the expertise and resilience of the team as a whole.