Exploring the Team: The Interplay of Motivation, Spirituality, and Resilience

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A qualitative study was conducted in an effort to understand the role of spirituality in team resilience of Human Terrain Team (HTT) members serving in Afghanistan and Iraq. Although the current research has been able to determine a variety of characteristics that comprise the essence of team resilience (e.g. Leadership, Motivation, Culture, Innovation, and Sensemaking), for the purposes of this poster presentation the characteristic of Motivation will be discussed.

The research consisted of five in depth interviews participants (average of 2 hours in length), analyzed using a qualitative, iterative research approach. The study was coded for themes, using the NVivo software. The selection criteria are (3) social scientists, and (2) team leaders deployed to Afghanistan and Iraq from 2007-2014. The interviews were transcribed into Word document, imported into NVivo software program, in which the data was analyzed into emerging themes guided by theory. The process was repeated a second and third time by other student coders to ensure trustworthiness of themes.

The research literature does not differentiate phases of engagement or retention of members on a team. Based on the primary scanning, the data indicates a distinction in what influences an individual to join a team, what keeps him or her engaged with a team, and what he or she takes away from being a part of the team after separation. Therefore, for the purposes of this paper, Team Motivation will be divided into three sections: Attractive Motivations (why did one join a team), Commitment Motivations (why did one stay on a team), and Reward Motivations (what did one take away from his or her experience with the team).