The Scale of Cooperation provides insight and an overview of where a team stands in its cooperation. In this way, the Scale provides tools that a team itself can use to reach a higher level of cooperation.

Struggling

A team can fall on hard times, it then becomes 'struggling' for everyone. Struggling has a price, but it is also a right. Going into battle creates resistance and annoyance, but may also be necessary out of injustice. Team members experience powerlessness. Appreciation for what does go well is lacking. Too often, 'on the man' played. Someone 'must' be guilty. Fear and an insecure culture lurk. Trusting each other gets lost.

There is a growing desire to move to a cooperative situation in one step. But this lacks a shared positive language, flexibility and creativity. And leadership from within the team, wanting to take a first step, daring to be vulnerable, taking unexpected positive paths in unexpected circumstances, taking the team along in a change. Not only leadership from the formal manager, from the vertical line, but also responsibility and horizontal self-organisation from the team are needed. With (these) intermediate steps manage to flourish and work together again. A team can go into 'struggling mode' with one comment. Cooperation is a step-by-step process, so a team is not out of it in one step. It does start with simultaneously wanting to take a first step.

Avoiding

If you want to get away from a struggling situation, we advise you to first stop fuelling conflict and pointing at each other. Count to ten and distance yourself. This gives peace, but also creates distance, we call this Escaping. Sometimes that seems like an impassable road, namely, what will you solve by doing that? The problem, the cause is still there in life. That's right. With the difference that now we can talk about the problem without getting personal. The team members engage in conversation, where sometimes even the contradictions have to be put on the table first.

Employing a team coach acts as a catalyst to achieve motivated results in cooperation. What is actually the problem and what is 'fuelling' it? It is not the person himself, but what the person does (or fails to do) that comes to the table. We find shortcomings and perceived lack (of attention and appreciation, for example).

The other way round is also possible: there was good cooperation and the motivation to do so is increasingly lacking. People avoid what was agreed. Again, the problem, which leads to a lack of motivation, has to be put on the table first, while everyone keeps circling it. Here, too, team coaching helps enormously.

Cooperate

In a cooperative group, there is spontaneous appreciation for what the other does and recognition for what the other needs. What gets attention grows. Mistakes made are put on the table and dealt with together. The mistake and who should be held accountable for it are no longer the focus, the mistake (the task itself) becomes the focus and attention turns to how it can be dealt with in the next situation. Only then does it become apparent that many could have done something. Team members make agreements on who does what, focusing on what could be done better. One plays 'on the task'. An open mind makes flexible and creativity flourishes. Everyone can contribute.

Giving and receiving recognition, being reliable, doing your thing and giving and receiving appreciation are the keys to developing a top team.

But now, what if you experience that it is not yet Cooperative? Even then, a cooperative attitude is important. What can already be done? Who is participating? What first step re-energises? Are you yourself under fire and is your initiative not appreciated? Then enlist outside help.