What do you do if your collaborative team lacks equal participation and contribution?

Collaborative teams are always a challenge. It's essential to assess the level of commitment, ability to commit, and skill sets of the team members. Each member should be recognized for their contribution appropriately. Often times team members that don't have as much time, but want to participate appreciate not feeling a demand. Team members who don't have the skill set or complete skill set appreciate encouragement and the opportunity to learn. The team members with the skills and time appreciate the recognition of their efforts, and often times take pride in helping others learn. The challenge is to not create an environment of comparison between members contributions.

Take a close look at the dynamics within the team to identify the factors contributing to unequal participation. For instance, in a non-profit program development team, assess whether certain individuals dominate discussions, or if there are barriers preventing others from contributing effectively.

I've been in team settings that become toxic due to individual members not appreciating others or trying to undermine or show other members up. In my experience, this takes some face-to-face open conversations. Most times identifying the problem and outcome will result in a joint decision on how to move forward with the aggressive team members. For team members who don't feel appreciated, it is an opportunity to set agreed-upon goals and outcomes. Regardless of the challenges, there will be times to ask team members to leave for the good of the group, and to accomplish the goal.

Initiate open and honest conversations with team members to understand their perspectives on participation and contribution. For example, in a public administration setting, holding regular team meetings where everyone has a chance to share their thoughts can help uncover underlying issues and encourage equal participation.

An open dialogue is the cornerstone of resolving participation disparities in team settings. After a thorough assessment, it is imperative to engage in conversations that offer a safe environment for all team members to share openly. These discussions are meant to delve into the reasons behind unequal engagement and collaboratively develop strategies for improvement. Such dialogue should be constructive, aiming to understand and address the concerns without assigning blame, thereby fostering a culture of mutual support and teamwork.

Clearly define the expected level of participation and contribution for all team members, emphasizing the value of diverse input. In a non-profit program development context, outlining specific roles and responsibilities can help set clear expectations for each team member's involvement.

In setting expectations, I like to gather input from all stakeholders. It's important to assess projects to ensure they align with the foundation's goals, values, and direction before starting. Then assess what motivates each stakeholder involved in the process. Once there is a clear understanding, then deadlines, metrics, and goals are determined with input from all stakeholders to ensure buy-in to the project.

Whether I'm a team member or in charge of the team, I find it important to understand and connect with each team member. I've learned along the way that the best team member isn't always the most knowledgeable, but the one who cares and works the hardest. These are both ends of the spectrum, but both need to know they are supported. The knowledgeable employee appreciates feedback on their contributions, while the hard worker appreciates the opportunity to learn and feedback on what they have done to help. Everyone will fall somewhere in that spectrum. They all need consistent and frequent feedback.

Monitoring progress is accomplished through follow up meetings with updates on team progress. The meetings should follow a consistent pattern, and include updates on what was completed since the last meeting and goals to complete for the next meeting.

Continuously track and measure team participation and contributions to identify any improvements or persistent issues. For example, in a non-profit program development team, monitoring the allocation of tasks and the diversity of ideas shared can provide insights into the team's progress towards equal participation.