The Positives and Negatives of Collaboration
Among United States volunteers, more than half say their tasks depend on collaboration with others to complete the job. Teamwork is key to efficient volunteer work, but managing the structure of teams within your organization might be more complicated than you realize. There are positives and negatives to collaboration, especially in volunteer work.
Advantages of Volunteer Collaboration
Understanding the advantages of volunteer teamwork can help you make the most of everyone’s time and effort.
Effective Division of Work
A team of volunteers working on tasks, especially larger ones, distributes labor and moves the work along. Furthermore, team members can gravitate to tasks with more vital skills, improving the completed result.
Higher Volunteer Morale
When a team of volunteers works together toward a common goal, they can feel a sense of accomplishment when completing a task. Individuals, as well as the team, can take pride in a job well done. The high morale may spill over into the organization and positively impact other volunteers.
Multiple Sources of Creative Input
Individual volunteers bring ideas and perspectives into a group. These different ideas can meld into an innovative approach that raises the level of work and service your organization can deliver to clients. Strategies for raising creativity in the workplace are often adaptable to the nonprofit sector.
Disadvantages of Volunteer Collaboration
While collaboration offers many advantages for your organization, it also has negative aspects.
Varied Working Styles
Invariably, people on a team bring different working styles to the task. While this can lead to creative results, differences can cause friction and ill will. These feelings might even last and spill over into other work, causing uncomfortable situations. Such disagreements can also hold up work on the task.
Too Many Leaders
Teams function best with one organizer and members willing to surrender the top spot and finish the work. With teamwork, you might have a situation where too many individuals are trying to lead, and not enough people are willing to follow. This situation can create inefficiency and lasting discord.
Distrust Among Team Members
Team members must handle their specific tasks efficiently without missing deadlines or failing to report progress. If even one individual leaves work undone, everyone might grow discouraged and begin to doubt not only the individual not fully participating but also other team members and the team supervisor.
Teamwork can help your volunteers accomplish large tasks they may not be able to finish independently. Collaboration may also cause problems if not managed well. By understanding the pros and cons, you can better guide volunteers to give your organization their best.
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