Session 7.7 - Motivation & Team Health

Chapter 18: Teamwork | Duration: 1 hr

Learning Objectives

By the end of this session, you will be able to:

  • Identify what motivates team members
  • Read team health signals early
  • Apply actions to sustain energy and cohesion
  • Integrate motivation into weekly cadence

Introduction

Motivated teams sustain performance and handle challenges better. Chapter 18 notes that goals, recognition, and fairness fuel energy; unresolved issues drain it.

Motivation & Engagement

  • Meaningful, challenging goals shared by all.
  • Visible progress and feedback (dashboards, demos).
  • Recognition of contributions; fair workload.
  • Opportunities to grow (rotate roles, pair on new areas).

Team Health Signals

  • Positive: active participation, on-time status, collaborative problem-solving.
  • Negative: missed meetings, silent members, hidden work, rising defects, unresolved conflicts.

Keeping the Team Healthy

  • Use weekly cadence to celebrate wins and surface pain points.
  • Rebalance workload; address unfairness quickly.
  • Resolve conflicts; clarify goals; remove blockers.
  • Ensure transparent communication with instructor/management.

Summary

  • Motivation grows from meaningful goals, visible progress, recognition, and fairness.
  • Watch health signals: participation, transparency, defect trends.
  • Use cadence to reinforce energy and fix problems early.
  • A healthy team handles pressure and delivers better products.