Are we not kind enough to each other?
Fortunately, VU Amsterdam is an engaged organisation where many people care for their colleagues. That has worked well for a long time, but the world around us has changed in the meantime. The workload has only increased, both for academics and service providers. Student numbers grew faster than staff numbers. National projects like Recognise and Appreciate additionally demand more coordination within a faculty but also beyond. Meanwhile, necessary cutbacks are on the doorstep. And contributing to a better world means that this outside world demands more cohesion and coordination from us.
We would like to be nice to each other, but at the same time we have to keep all those balls in the air, make choices that are not always fun and do additional tasks we are not always good at or have chosen to do.
How does the working group help with our workload and additional tasks?
If only there was one bite-sized solution that fixes everything. But seriously, we really can get better and more effective in how we work together. More than ever, good and efficient teamwork has become important. That starts with being involved with each other, and that is less obvious than you might think. We are not yet used to the fact that it pays to invest in collaboration and how we treat each other first, to reap the benefits in the long run.
What does it bring us, better teamwork?
When things get tense at VU, you see that it comes down to how we can and want to deal with each other. This requires more than ever the skill of each of us to learn to deal with a more diverse team, with too many tasks for too few people, with taking joint responsibility for a course, a research or a service that demands a lot from us. For example, it's no fun calling your colleague to account for the fact that he or she has left the surveying task running again. However, a better division of labour usually yields better results, better student evaluations and therefore a better education and nicer working environment.
Ultimately, everyone wants a workplace where you enjoy going, feel valued and understood in your input, and where the burdens are shared.
What specifically does the working group offer you for good teamwork?
We have developed an Art of Engagement workshop series with 3 sessions for teams . We will soon start pilots of this with some teams in faculties and services. After the summer, teams will be able to register for these (free of charge this year).
We actually always make time for teamwork only when there is trouble in a team. But by then a lot of damage has already been done: staff leaving or falling ill, work not being done properly, misunderstandings causing noise. It is so much more useful and fun to see teamwork as normal maintenance!
