Team Purpose, Meaning & Vision

What is your team purpose?

Here are some questions for you to consider when reviewing or establishing your team purpose:

• Who do you serve?
• Who else?
• How do you add value?
• How do you deliver that value?
• What can the team achieve that an individual cannot?
• Are all of the team members aligned to your team purpose?
• Have you explored the individual purpose of each team member?
• What is it about your purpose that can inspire each team member?

What is the meaning behind your team?

In partnership with a revolutionary company called New Meaning, Winning Teams are introducing a new approach to understanding and managing the real meaning of the relationship between the individual and the workplace.

The Team Meaning Index (TMI) is a tool that can be used to determine how meaningful employees find working for any particular team leader or employer. The index is calculated using four personal meaning impact variables:

1. Employee Impacts – relate to what Hertzberg called hygiene factors. If any of these factors causes concern for a team member their relationship with their team leader or employer will be less meaningful or even be considered to have negative meaning
2. Endeavour Impacts – we find meaning through our endeavour, what we strive to achieve, our work or the deeds and tasks we perform. If there is a strong alignment (in the mind of the individual) between what the employee is striving to achieve and the goals of the team or organisation there will be a strong and meaningful connection for the team member
3. Commitment Impacts – we find meaning through what we make a commitment to, our personal relationships with others, family, community, etc. People commit to other people and not necessarily organisational ideals. If the demands of the team or organisation are detrimental to our personal relationships then the work place will be less meaningful
4. Connection Impacts – we find meaning through what we connect to, our hobbies, interests, passions, sports, etc. These generally exist within our broader communities and for many the meaning of work may simply be the means to pursue these connections. If work limits an employee’s ability to pursue their connections it will become less meaningful

The Team Meaning Index calculates an index that reflects the extent to which the organisation is a meaningful place to work. Once the index is understood the next step is to help employees help the team and ultimately the organisation to shape a meaningful work place using the Personal Meaning Index.

The PMI helps each employee understand the personal fulfilment and success they are seeking to realise in their life and where they are relative to that goal. The objective is to help all employees move from the bottom left to the top right where they feel both fulfilled and successful – with their work supporting this state.

If an employer can help its employees head towards this ideal it will have shaped a meaningful place to work, positively impacting work force performance and loyalty. This approach can be counter-intuitive to many organisations because it uniquely places the employee goals on an equal footing with those of the team and the organisation.

Organisations’ with meaningful work places succeed at managing the tension between the two using the TMI and PMI.

What is your team vision?

Here are some questions for you to consider when reviewing or establishing your team vision:

• Have you created a vision of winning performance?
• What does it look like?
• What does it sound like?
• What does it feel like?
• What will the journey toward the vision be like?
• Have you included how obstacles and set-backs will be overcome
• How will you know when the vision is realised?
• Shouldn't your vision extend beyond your immediate capabilities?

By clearly creating and communicating your Team Purpose, Team Meaning and Team Vision you will have established the key bedrock upon which every Winning Team is built.

To return from Team Purpose, Meaning & Vision to Team Foundations follow this link

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