Team Spirit - What Causes It?

Watching the matches within the FIFA World Cup , I notice that the national line-ups apparently vary on solidarity . you would possibly wonder why this matters. Why is solidarity important? What brings it about? And what hinders it?

Sweden's solidarity

After eliminating excellent teams, Holland and Italy in qualifying, Sweden played their part, in sending defending champions Germany home early, by topping Group F. They lack individual talented players, but as a team with a collective spirit they have heart and get up to the challenge. they are doing well through determination and organisation.

"Alone we will do so little; together we will do such a lot ." (Helen Keller, deaf/blind political activist)

In keeping together with his no-frills squad, the manager had not picked Sweden's all-time top scorer Zlatan Ibrahimovic. The player had angered many of his former fans with what were seen as characteristically self-obsessed comments.

"As a team, we play as a collective, all the players together. With Zlatan, as an individual , as a player, he's an individualist, and therefore the play goes around him. Instead, now, we play more the team all at once ." (goalkeeper, Karl-Johan Johnsson).

Every single player has bought into the thought of working hard for every other and having fun together as a much bigger group outside the pitch.

Leicester City's solidarity

Winning English Premier league, Leicester City is another eleven whose performance has exceeded what may need been expected from the sum of its parts.

Leicester had some good players, but watching the entire squad and comparing it to the so-called "top" clubs, it is easy to ascertain why they were such long shots to lift the title.

"You may have the best bunch of individual stars within the world, but if they do not play together, the club won't be worth a dime." - (Babe Ruth, baseball player)

Pundits spotted the players' sense of team identity as an important think about their success. The squad knew the manager would be there the subsequent season. He persisted with most of the primary team players he inherited. This continuity built on the legacy of the club, another cornerstone of a robust team identity.

Team spirit was also helped by the players viewing the target of the club (i.e. avoid relegation) together they were capable of achieving. So there was no fear of failure.

Many technical sides defend by playing many safe passes then not letting the opposition have the ball. However, possession makes for a poor predictor of team performance. City weren't afraid to play three misplaced passes if the forth move led to a goal. Team members felt positive and proud to be a part of a gaggle playing a successful fast-paced counter-attacking brand of football.

Other football teams

Boys playing football got to learn to pass the ball unselfishly instead of dribble past opponent after opponent until they lose the ball. they have to be a team player and not purely an individualist. Some flair adult players are encouraged to succeed at the expense of collaboration when it's needed.

Professional football squads in England include highly rated players from other countries. These tend to possess dissimilar languages, cultures, values and problem-solving approaches to difficulties. this will hamper the expansion of solidarity .

Most football managers realise that solidarity are often hindered by voicing criticism of players publicly . However leaders vary in their team building skills.

Trade Unions

Without any emerging solidarity within a trades union, industrial disputes would fail. Unity is strength. Members got to identity with the cause and trust one another to sacrifice short-term income. Then they need an opportunity to barter from strength and gain better working conditions and pay within the future.

Personal services

Worker's morale is vital altogether walks of life. for instance in many organisations handling human troubles and private change - like educational, health and social services, or those to try to to with spirituality - solidarity are often fragile when one is faced with difficult-to-succeed-with-clients.

Many of those organisations use teams of workers with differing types of professional training who might not see eye to eye. handling complex and highly personal business raises matters of deep principle. this will mean that folks are often unwilling to switch how they approach things, resulting in a degree of inflexibility. Leaders can help by team building encouraging the giving and receiving of support, communication and sharing. Without this, mixed groups tend to point out disharmony also as collaboration.

"Teamwork begins by building trust. and therefore the only thanks to do this is to beat our need for invulnerability." (Patrick Lencioni, business management writer)

Unpaid volunteers tend to require to hold out their responsibilities on their own terms. With volunteers doing only short hours, solidarity suffers if members have little opportunity all to satisfy together to resolve different viewpoints.

Heavenly community spirit

When we make friends, we tend to try to to so with people that share our interests and values. With them we frequently feel most reception and liberal to be ourselves. it's going to be hard to imagine such a sphere where community spirit prevails. Swedenborg painted such an image of heavenly community. In such a scenario there are not any rows about how things get done. No egos wanting their own way. People joining together within the right spirit. Only wanting what's best for every other and for the team and community as an entire .

"None folks , including me, ever do great things. But we will all do small things, with great love, and together we will do something wonderful." (Mother Teresa, Roman Catholic nun)

As a psychotherapist , Stephen Russell-Lacy has specialised in cognitive-behavioural psychotherapy, working for several years with adults suffering distress and disturbance.

He edits Spiritual Questions a free eZine that explores links between spiritual philosophy and therefore the comments and questions of spiritual seekers. you'll share your views and determine more about making sense of life.

His eBook Heart, Head and Hands draws links between the psycho-spiritual teachings of the eighteenth century spiritual philosopher Swedenborg and current ideas in therapy and psychology.