Community Building or Team Building?

Which will Serve You Better?

Community Building is the next generation of team building. It’s team building all grown up! However, community building and team building differ in four significant ways.

Let’s focus on the leadership aspect. Team building results in a group of people who follow the leader. We used to believe that was what leadership was. Community building results in a group of people who are leaders.

“I appreciated learning how building a true community culture goes beyond teamwork—it creates belonging and support. This approach feels important for pre-crisis care in first responder organizations.” Mark Schouten, ACP Paramedic Superintendent, Brant Brantford Paramedic Services

A team is a wonderful thing, but we need more than a team spirit; we need a community culture.

Imagine the Impact of Community Building

Imagine the impact community building on a first responders organization; support and inclusion of all, healthier cohesive environment, collaboration, communication, creativity, to name a few.

The best part of community building is that it fosters the growth of the relationships that are the foundation of any organization. It creates a safe space where it is perfectly okay to talk about issues while they are small – long before professional support would be sought. participants of our programs reported at the end of the LIFELINES™ Program a greater willingness to seek professional support than they reported at the beginning.

Supplying professional support is not enough. It has to be effective and timely. A community culture is both because it is always there, always available and does not depend on whether or not the right person is available. In a community, everyone is someone who knows and cares about you.

Every community is also a team but few teams are communities. If you want to have both in your organization, undertaking community-building training is your best course of action.

Photo by Gyan Shahane on Unsplash