Five Pillars of Community Ebook

The overall success of a community is greatly impacted by pillar two: Shared Responsibility. When starting a business, for example, a group of ordinary people get together to create something impactful; they have a vision. A business requires a group of people with different skill sets to make it function, and a shared responsibility to the whole to make it thrive. If leaders of organizations begin to separate themselves from the team, engagement numbers drop. It is critical that leaders reassure the “we” throughout the community. From the person with the most responsibilities to the least, everyone needs to understand the “we” in the team.

If employees feel stranded or alone, they will begin to individualize their work and fail to see the overall success that would be possible if everyone worked as a team. Remind the people in those communities that “we” are in this together and there will be increased motivation.To increase motivation and encourage “we” in our businesses, it is first important to understand why that isn’t happening. Max Ringelmann, an early 1900s French professor, established what is known as the Ringelmann effect.

Although Max was not original with names, he discovered that people exert less effort when everyone has the same role. The perfect example is with the game tug of war. According to the Harvard Business Review, “in a set of simple rope pulling experiments he discovered that people’s efforts quickly diminish as team size increases. He rationalized the decay in effort by suggesting it was difficult for team members to coordinate effort, and left it at that” (Rond HBR). This happens all the time in organizations and associations. If there is no unique role given, people inside of our organizations will start to believe their contributions have no unique meaning. If everyone feels like they are doing what everyone else is doing, what motivation is there to contribute more?

After Alan Ingham and company from the University of Massachusetts Amherst recreated the event, more and more studies began to develop over the Ringelmann effect. What the recent studies found out was “it didn’t seem to matter whether people were part of a larger team or simply thought they were part of a larger team — they worked less hard” (Rond HBR). Any leader in any organization must define what their community members roles are in this journey. If they do not, it is crucial to take a step back, look at the company’s vision, and reinstate it to the community. When leaders and community members understand the vision and that it is a shared responsibility, progress can be created together.

It can be very difficult to think about the thousands or tens of thousands of association members and establish a unique role for all of them. Step back to vision and communicate the direction and desired outcome so that people may self-select how they can play a role in that. Think about the person at the end of the tug of war game; that person is always trying and pulling the most weight. There is a unique role for everyone and all talents can impact the community differently. However, if people don’t understand their role and the vision, there will only be one person pulling as hard as they can from the back. With established vision, people will find a place for themselves on the rope and begin pulling together because they know their contribution is different from everyone else's.

According to Brent Gleeson, leadership strategist for Forbes: “leaders improve engagement by defining and communicating a powerful vision for the organization. They hire and develop managers that are emotionally invested in the organization’s mission and vision and give them the resources to build great teams with the right people in the right roles. They empower.” Engagement means that individuals care about the progress of the business and they understand that their role has an impact on that. If that is reassured, it will keep people motivated. Give credit where credit is due, and really define the importance of team effort within that vision.  Communities that know where they are going and why it matters are confident. Communities that can tell their people how they can contribute, begin to be more successful than others.

The fifth and final pillar is called Ongoing Ecosystem. Everyone wants to know that what they are investing in will last. If people hop on this track, will it remain sustainable for many years to come? If people think for one second that this organization is done, they will quickly go away from it. Think about some of the businesses with the most success and longevity like Ford, Coca-Cola, or even Apple and Microsoft. No one thinks about these companies going out of business because their vision is set in stone. Ford: “Go Further,” Coca-Cola: “Taste the feeling,” Apple: “Think different,” Microsoft: “Be what’s next.” These companies may have shifted slogans over their combined hundreds of years of business experience, yet they still find ways to establish their lasting vision through their messaging. They are always giving their communities new ideas, creating new branding opportunities, and always communicating their vision and how it fits with the future.
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The importance of vision alongside an Ongoing Ecosystem is important because it keeps people thinking beyond the future. A strong brand can change with the times but still maintain that same community vision to draw people in and keep moving the community forward.
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What people really want to know: “Is this thing going to exist by the time we are done?” If there is no messaging surrounding this final pillar as equal to the rest, there is no plan of attack to create success and motivation. When people decide to give their talent, time and energy, to anything, they really want to know if it’s going to last. Communicate sustainability and enhance the brand of the community or organization to keep up motivation.

Erecting these pillars and communicating about them allows organizations to build more connected communities. What’s incredibly vital for the success of businesses is communication, but that communication must be incorporated throughout the power structure. People are the greatest assets in the world because they make up our communities, and communities do incredible things when they work together. It is important to understand that people have feelings and in the right mindset are willing to share those feelings

Consider doing a survey with members or employees to ask important questions like: “Why do we exist? Do you know why we need you?” It is also important to ask simple questions around communication, connection, learning and working environments. Sometimes resolving a problem is a simple question away. Maybe the people in those communities simply need a reminder about the vision and where it is going.

It is vital that leaders explain to their communities what they need than what they can give. If leaders focus efforts on reminding individuals what’s in it for them, rather than why the business needs them, the whole point of community is missed. “We need you, we need you, we need you!” If leaders can flip that idea on its head and start telling people why they need them to help accomplish the vision, everyone will become more invested.

Are leaders able to offer community members greater rewards than monetary value? Besides that paycheck, here are new relationships, new education, and more opportunities for their own career. How can leaders communicate clearly with people on how much growth and progress they are making? What do people need; how do they feel; how can leaders address their needs? How can leaders reassure people day in and day out that we are still going to be here? The arch of these pillars start with vision and ends with vision; that’s what makes this work. This is where the vision is going, and this is why it will be here for generations to come. Always remind, and always encourage.

Remember this about people: more than what they want to get, they want to know what they contribute is valuable. On the contrary, companies have always been pushing and giving value in what can be given to their communities. The greatest value anyone can give somebody is to let them know they are valuable to the whole and why. That right there will transform how people interact. When organizations lay out these Five Pillars to Community, suddenly they’ve enlisted an army of people that can begin to do way more with less. Leaders can expand their small teams and begin to do a lot more because they have motivated their community members with vision. If leaders establish shared responsibility and find people roles that fit their strengths, they will become enlisted in the direction.

Then, it’s simple. Deploy the greatest asset in the world: motivated people.