Keeping the Team Going

A team is like a car in that it consists of multiple parts joined together to accomplish a particular task. In a car, if the steering fails, there is no direction, and if the brakes fail, collisions are unavoidable. Each part or group of parts in a car must be regularly maintained, or the car will cease to operate properly. Likewise, if a team is to continue to function smoothly, the team members must pay attention to maintenance.

Dealing With Conflict

Conflict resolution is one form of preventive maintenance. Conflict that is not properly rectified will cause resentment, retribution, or retaliation. Any or all of those will eventually destroy a team. Unresolved conflict in a team is like rust in a car — it may not be immediately visible, but left unchecked it will deepen and spread, eventually ruining the team. Effective conflict resolution, on the other hand, enhances team spirit, improves team function, and protects the team against failure.

Conflict within a team is inevitable and normal, but team effectiveness is measured not by the amount of conflict but by the manner in which conflict is resolved. Not all conflict is appropriate or necessary. Conflict that thwarts the team's ability to accomplish its mission is core conflict and must be resolved in a constructive fashion and by consensus. This does not mean that team members must agree on every point, but they must find ways to support solutions that maintain agency integrity and further the team's purpose. Resolving core conflicts should result in "win-win" conclusions.

Other conflicts may involve peripheral problems — issues that do not significantly hinder the team's ability to accomplish its mission. Peripheral issues can be dealt with more quickly, without necessarily building consensus. Figure 2 lists points to remember for successfully dealing with conflict.

These points can be summarized as follows:

• Characterize the problem. Look at it from a systems perspective.
  
  
• Acknowledge relevant goals and interests by recognizing diverse agency objectives.
  
  
• Negotiate (but do not confuse negotiation with compromise).

A complete and helpful discussion of these steps can be found in the article by Fargason, Barnes, Schneider, and Galloway (cited in the supplemental reading list), in which the authors note that people involved in the helping professions often try to avoid conflict. Unfortunately, this means that the source of the conflict can undermine long-term cooperation between organizations that serve abused children. When that happens, children, families, and communities are ill served. Team members must recognize the importance of dealing with the real source of conflict in a constructive manner.

Promoting Teamwork

Many teams have found that joint training fosters good teamwork (see figure 3). Team members who train together may find opportunities to discuss issues of mutual concern, both in the training itself and during social breaks. Spending time together away from the immediate and constant demands of the office provides a break during which the team can focus on its functioning. Moreover, team members hear the same information, which improves shared understanding of the challenges and solutions common during the investigation of reported child abuse. Joint training can clarify understanding of mutual roles and responsibilities.

While not essential, social activities can strengthen team identity and function. Simply combining lunch with a team meeting can serve this social purpose. Some teams sponsor picnics, awards banquets, and other activities to reinforce the sense of belonging that is vital to effective teamwork. When individuals identify with the team in a positive way, commitment to the team mission is strengthened.

Preventing Burnout

People who work in child protective services, law enforcement, prosecution, medicine, mental health, and other fields associated with children and their families are typically sensitive to the feelings of others. The difficult cases they deal with require an inordinate amount of emotional energy, and tragedy becomes almost the norm of everyday work. They must also face the often unrealistic expectations of the public, the mechanics of the system, heavy caseloads, and inadequate resources. The load can be crushing and can lead to burnout. Burnout is a syndrome of physical and emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and reduced sense of personal accomplishment. It is a gradual process of loss that can lead to cynicism and ineffectiveness. Recently, burnout has been recognized as a problem not of the individual worker but of the social environment in which people work.

A well-functioning team can reduce some of this emotional loss by providing a much-needed sense of community. When there is a sense of shared values and commitment, there is an accompanying sense that the crushing emotional load associated with child abuse intervention is being shared. Team members can actively encourage one another, understand the stress as others cannot, and work together to find ways of improving working conditions.

Team social activities can also help prevent burnout. While child abuse cases will always be emotionally challenging and draining, they will be less so for a team than for a practitioner working alone.