Building Teams and Empowering Members 1

Empowerment Empowerment is not bestowed by a leader, it is the process of an individual enabling himself to take action, control work, and make decisions. Leaders have the responsibility to create work environments which foster the ability and desire of people to act in empowered ways. 2

Success in Empowerment For many in Extension, empowerment is the goal we have for our projects and the volunteers, participants, or clients with whom we work. Empowered volunteers are usually recognized by their attitude toward work, and attention to detail. Their Challenging personality usually brings out the best in everyone, which improves the whole team. 3

Empowered Teams In the business world, many professionals view team-based, organizations as the best design for creating success. Employee involvement is not a goal or tool; rather, it is a philosophy that empowered employees contribute best to the ongoing success of an organization. 4

Empowered Teams This same practice works well in the non-profit model. Empowering teams creates an environment where members have a direct impact on decisions and actions taken by the organization. Successful team building of effective and credible teams requires attention to… 5

The Ten C’s of Team Building Principles 6

1.Clear Expectations Define team purpose Communicate expectations and outcomes Affirm organization support: time, people, money 7

2.Context Recognize team’s role in context of organization’s goals and values Members know why they are participating, and how their work fits into the organization’s plan Team members understand that 20% of the problems they will experience as a team will fall within the context of the task or mission the team is assigned to accomplish. The other 80% of the problems will relate to their team culture and the processes team members establish and commit to for interacting. 8

3.Culture In an effective team culture, members understand where their work fits in the total context of their organization’s strategic plan and success goals. When the organization culture supports teamwork, members understand how the strategy of using teams fits into the total context of their organizations strategic plan and success goals 9

4.Commitment Acknowledge importance of team mission and participation Affirm commitment to accomplish goals and expected outcomes Be consistent with meeting times and days Take time to know members and their unique skills 10

5.Control Create sense of ownership Recognize service as valuable Share meeting leadership among members Brainstorm ideas and problems in smaller breakout groups Create atmosphere of personal involvement 11

6.Communication Prioritize tasks as a team Provide information needed to work on assigned tasks Make sure tasks are worthwhile and time is not being wasted Communicate clearly and honestly with each other Encourage shy members to participate Share diverse opinions and address conflicts 12

7.Collaboration Get to know team members Understand member roles and responsibilities Work together to accomplish tasks Learn problem-solving techniques The whole team focusing on desired results, the best possible vision of the future 13

8.Coordination Understand concept of the internal customer-- one you provide a product or service to Embrace cross-functional team involvement 14

9. Creative innovation Value creative thinking, unique solutions, and new ideas Provide training and education necessary to stimulate new thinking (films, field trips) Build confidence by teaching new skills Encourage members to tell personal stories Build connections among team members 15

10.Consequences Reward and recognize team successes Design reward system that recognizes both team and individual performance Identify specific accomplishments of team members Recognize members in public Solicit feedback. Members appreciate the opportunity to share opinions 16

17 Total Team Involvement

The nice thing about teams is someone is always on your side 18

19 No Tennessee Master Gardeners work here