A few years ago, the department of professor Marja Lamoree from the Amsterdam Institute for Life and Environment (A-LIFE) was divided into two sections. “That changed the way we worked together: contact became less natural, and communication lines longer. That’s why we decided to take part in the TeamUp workshop, offered by the HR, Health Safety and Environment (HR & HSE).” The workshop consisted of three interactive sessions with exercises that helped the team strengthen their bond.
Personal timelines and shared experiences
“In the first session, we each made a personal timeline with key moments from our lives. It sounds simple, but it really helped us understand each other better. As professors and associate professors, we’re used to focusing mainly on content and emails. This was something completely different.” The workshop also created space to address tensions. “Opening up at work can be quite something. Not everyone finds that easy, but it’s incredibly valuable.”
Bringing long-standing frustrations to the surface
According to Lamoree, investing in work relationships is extremely important. “If you don’t, small irritations can easily slip in. The TeamUp workshop helps bring long-standing frustrations to the surface. That doesn’t happen automatically. You need to make time and space for it. And you have to learn to express yourself professionally about what you do and don’t appreciate.” The TeamUp methods help to start that conversation, Lamoree adds. “That was the most valuable part, it takes away tension. Not because you suddenly agree on everything, but because you understand each other better.”
What they learned
“I’ve come to appreciate my direct colleagues much more. We’re more considerate of each other and discuss things more often. Now, the four of us meet every two weeks for an hour, and we keep a shared document with discussion points. We already did that before, but now we do it more regularly and consciously. That really helps.”
When collaboration doesn’t come naturally
Lamoree warmly recommends the workshop, even for teams where collaboration is not effortless. “Even if you don’t always share the same vision or feel like you have less autonomy. By getting to know each other better, it becomes easier to talk things through. We gained a lot of positivity from it, our assistant professors are now taking part too.”
Want to participate in TeamUp with your team? Check out the possibilities.
