Team Charter

What is this and why does it matter?

A “team charter” is a document that clearly outlines a team’s purpose, goals, values, roles, responsibilities, communication protocols, and decision-making processes. Creating a Team Charter helps multi-organizational teams establish clear roles, shared values, and mutual expectations. This foundational document promotes accountability, aligns team members on health equity goals, and fosters a respectful, collaborative environment. With a charter in place, the team is better positioned for coordinated, impactful action on health equity initiatives.

How should you work through this component?

Teams should start with the Team Charter sub-component by working through the Base Deck (Presentation), reading through the Team Building Definitions and Explanations, and then working together to actually create your Team Charter.

When should you work through this component?

More than once! Ideally, the work in this sub-component should be revisited at least once a year to update the Team Charter as teams evolve.

Curriculum to be completed for this component:

Self-Assessment Topics and Questions:

This self-assessment tool will help you identify, anticipate and address common challenges implementing the Roadmap.  Using it will increase your chances of successfully reducing and eliminating health and healthcare inequities. Each Roadmap component will have a set of questions and topics in their respective sections; AHE recommends utilizing the assessment questions in two ways:

• As an initial readiness assessment BEFORE working on a component of the Roadmap.
• For ongoing assessment as you implement each Roadmap component.

Already have a Team Charter? Work through the following questions to determine if it would be beneficial to update the Team Charter:

Team Charter Review

Which of the following best describes the composition of your team or collaborative?

• A. All partner organizations and individuals on the team have a history of working together on this initiative.
• B. Some, but not all, of the individuals and/or partner organizations have a history of working together on this equity initiative.
• C. Most or all of the individuals and/or collaborative organizations are new partners.

If you answered “A”, ensure that all team members are oriented to each component of the Team Charter and have opportunities to ask questions and seek clarification regarding the goals of the initiative and their specific role.  This is especially important for newer team members.

If you answered “B”, conduct a SOAR analysis if you have not done so already.  If you completed a SOAR analysis in the past, review the results and determine as a group if it would be beneficial to update the analysis. After reviewing and updating the SOAR analysis, review and update your Team Charter. Then, assess if partner organizations and team members are still aligned on each component of the Charter, a minimum of once every three months; make updates and revisions as necessary. 

If you answered “C”, consider conducting a SOAR analysis and then using the information gathered from the analysis to complete all the components of a Team Charter.  Then, assess if partner organizations and team members are still aligned on each component of the Charter a minimum of once every three months; make updates and revisions as necessary.

Do all team members have access to the charter? If not, how can they obtain and maintain access?

Mission and Goals Alignment Exercise

• Ask each team member to independently write down the team’s mission and goals (without looking at or referencing the Team Charter).  Ask each person to submit their written mission and goals; ensure that submissions are anonymous.  Review the written responses as a group to assess alignment and agreement across the group.  Do the submissions match the mission and goals as written in the team charter?  If not, conduct a group review of the team’s mission and goals.

Team Discussion Questions

• How often does the team refer to the charter to guide their work and inform their team culture and working relationships?  When was the last time this happened?**

Accountable Spaces Review

Team Discussion Questions

1. Does everyone have access to the accountable spaces agreement?
2. How often does the team use or reference the accountable spaces agreement?
3. How well does the agreement serve the team?**  Does it need to be updated?
4. Does the team follow the agreement?**
   1. If it does, describe with examples.
   2. If not, how can the team begin using the agreement to guide their interactions and conversations? 

Team Culture Assessment Exercise

Ideally, team members will submit their responses to the following questions anonymously, followed by the opportunity to discuss the anonymous submissions with the guidance of a neutral facilitator who is not a member of the team.

1. Does the team use the agreement to facilitate inclusive interactions for individuals holding identities typically excluded from power and authority?**
   • Please describe.
   • Please provide examples of successes and challenges that the team experiences regarding inclusive interactions.
2. Based on previous conversations and interactions, were there times when referencing and following the agreement would have been beneficial?
   • Please describe.
3. Do team member’s actions and behaviors  foster accountability to the agreement?**
   • Please describe.
   • Please provide examples of successes and challenges that the team experiences regarding accountability to each other and the agreement.

Leadership Structure and Decision Making Processes Review

Team Discussion Questions and Action Steps

1. Describe the leadership structure of the team.
   • Who are the team leaders?
   • How are the roles of the team leaders different from other members of the team?
2. Does the description of team member roles in the team charter match the roles that individuals have been playing in the work of the team ?
   • If not, does the leadership structure or the designation of member roles  need to be revised?  Does the Charter need to be revised?
3. Has the team mutually agreed upon a specific process or method for making decisions?
   • If yes:
     • Is the process or method documented in the team charter?
     • Does the team consistently follow the process or method when making decisions?
     • Are all of the team members happy with the decision process or method, or is there a need to revise it?
   • If not:
     • Consider a variety of decision-making methods or processes and agree upon at least one that the team will use.  Document the decision in the team charter.

Team Relationship Dynamics Review

Assessment Survey and Team Discussion Questions

The following multiple choice  survey questions are intended to be fielded shortly before a team meeting ends or immediately after.  Responses should be anonymous.  

The  team can review the survey results and utilize the accompanying  discussion questions to explore current team dynamics and how to improve them, if necessary. The guidance of a neutral facilitator for this exercise, who is not a member of the team, can be helpful.

1. Energy

How energized do you feel after our meeting today?

• Not energized at all
• Somewhat energized
• Very energized
• Extremely energized

Discussion Questions

• What are the earmarks of a meeting where you leave feeling energized or motivated?
• Reflecting on other meetings or gatherings when you felt energized – what made them     energizing? 
• What does feeling energized mean to you? What does it tell you about the meeting, team dynamics, the facilitator, or the project/topic?

2. Sense of worth

My perspective was valued in our meeting today.

• Strongly disagree
• Disagree
• Neutral
• Agree
• Strongly Agree

I was genuinely interested in, and curious about, the perspectives of my other team members.

• Strongly disagree
• Disagree
• Neutral
• Agree
• Strongly Agree

Discussion Questions

• What makes you feel like your perspective is valuable? What does that look like?
• What makes you feel like your perspective is not valued? What does that look like?
• What actions or words from the facilitator show that your perspective is important? 
• What actions or words from your team members make you feel like your perspective is important?
• What strategies or intentions should we set to make sure that everyone’s perspective is valued?

3. Clarity

I feel increased clarity on the project, our team, and/or my role after our meeting today.

• Strongly disagree
• Disagree
• Neutral
• Agree
• Strongly Agree

The next steps for me and our team are clear after our meeting today.

• Strongly disagree
• Disagree
• Neutral
• Agree
• Strongly Agree

Discussion Questions

• Individually, what does clarity for a project or your role look like?
• Reflecting on the past when you’ve felt the next steps in a project or role in a project were very clear – what made that project or role clear?
• What are some strategies we can use or actions we should take to help increase clarity around the project, team, and roles?

4. Productivity

How much capacity do you have to take the next steps in the project?

• No capacity at all
• A little capacity
• Some capacity
• A lot of capacity

How motivated do you feel to take the next steps on the project?

• Not motivated at all
• Somewhat motivated
• Very motivated
• Extremely motivated

Discussion Questions

• What is inhibiting your motivation?
• What typically helps motivate you?
• What factors contribute to your current level of motivation? Is it the project itself, the larger context or environment, stress, burnout?

5. Desire for more connection

I would like more opportunities to connect with my team members in the future.

• Strongly disagree
• Disagree
• Neutral
• Agree
• Strongly Agree

Discussion Questions

• What inhibits your desire for more connection with the team?
• What factors contribute to your current level of desire for more connection with the team? Is it the behavior of team members, the larger context or environment, stress, burnout?

6. Conflict

Generally speaking, when our team experiences and addresses internal conflict or significant disagreement, even though it can be difficult, it ultimately strengthens our relationships, helps us transform for the better, and reminds us of our common goals to advance health equity.

• Strongly disagree
• Disagree
• Neutral
• Agree
• Strongly Agree

Discussion Questions

• Does the team avoid directly addressing disagreements or conflict?  What impact does this have on individuals and the ability to meet team goals?
• When addressing or negotiating conflict does the team keep to its accountable spaces agreement?
• When addressing or negotiating conflict are all perspectives heard and the people sharing them treated with respect?

Goal and Objective Setting:

About the Roadmap Goal and Objective Setting Tool

This tool is designed to facilitate goal setting and completion for your team. The tool will allow your team to:

1) Record goals that align with the various Roadmap components; 

2) Record objectives, time frames, and target completion dates, among other important items for each goal; and 

3) Monitor progress of goals per Roadmap component

Your team is welcome to engage with this tool as much or as little as it would like, and is helpful in the development, implementation, and evaluation of your health equity initiative. We encourage you to use this tool to ensure clear goal setting and promote consistent communication, accountability, and progress within your team. This tool is designed to be used over time as your team progresses through the Roadmap and your initiative. This is in no way intended to be used one way by all teams. This is meant to help you progress through the Roadmap component(s) on which you are working at a given time, and you may reach your goals in any order.

Each Roadmap component is listed as a separate tab. Navigate to the desired Roadmap component via the taskbar at the bottom of the webpage to add, edit, or view goals. Hide certain tabs as needed to narrow your view to specific Roadmap components or the snapshot. Changing the status of a goal will automatically shift the Snapshot view for the specific Roadmap component.