Foundation/AGM2025/Election to Board/Answers and manifestos/Q04 Teamwork
Teamwork
OSMF board members bring diverse skills, experiences, personalities, and cultural backgrounds. How can the board foster a productive, respectful, and collaborative working environment? What kind of onboarding, training, or knowledge transfer should current and departing board members provide to help new board members work effectively?
Roland Olbricht - Q04 Teamwork
The past two boards (or even more) have asked the oncoming board member about there onboarding experience and made improvements from there on. In general, I would like to thank our administrative assisant Dorothea here that many board members have received the right documents and accounts in the right order to make sense.
Other than that, the board has shown rather little fricition during the four board periods I have participated in the board. The limiting factor nowadays is rather that one gets done less things than those that make sense in the 5 to 10 hours a week that board members usually have for the board workload.
More competence in politeness and teamwork abilities, but apparently people should train that before they get elected. I suggest you take a look whether candidates acknowledge the work of others or rather praise themselves, and whether they are more listening or more prescribing in their communications.
Brazil Singh - Q04 Teamwork
As part of their onboarding, new members should get a full overview of the Board's duties, current priorities, governance processes, and any legal or financial duties that are relevant.People who are leaving the board should be encouraged to write down what they did, share what they learned, and hold handover meetings to pass on important information and contacts. Training on things like best practices for governance, working with people from different cultures, and resolving conflicts can help the team work better together even when they don't agree.
Daniela Waltersdorfer - Q04 Teamwork
I love this question. The Board is a TEAM and we must function as one. A team respects each others in every possible way and finds way to actively collaborate. We need to work on being brave in kicking people out and reporting them when they do not respect their fellow teammates. People in the past who have tried to speak up have been negatively impacted, and some even decided to drop out of the Board. This is not fair. I even now wish I could share many things, but due to fear I'm not. I'd ask members of the community who would want to learn more, to reach out to every woman that has recently dropped out or decided to not run for re-election. I'm optimistic of the future of the Board and its members. We need to show respect for others regardless of whatever demographic or ethnic difference. And we need to push for diversity and representation, because in the end we are representing the OSM world-community. As far as knowledge transfer, we need to be okay and understanding of new board members coming in and ffeeling a bit lost. Previous board members need to set time aside to have conversations with them to help them guide them in a personable matter. I will always be grateful for the 1:1 times Arnalie, Craig, and Sarah had with me to walk me through many items.
Md Atikuzzaman Limon - Q04 Teamwork
The OSMF Board’s diversity in skills, experiences, and backgrounds is a strength that requires a collaborative environment. To foster this:
- Promote mutual respect and clear communication through regular team-building sessions.
- Define clear roles to leverage each member’s expertise.
- Implement a mentorship program for new board members, pairing them with experienced members.
- Provide comprehensive documentation on OSMF’s structure and operations, supplemented by training on conflict resolution and cultural sensitivity.
These steps ensure effective collaboration and smooth transitions, enhancing the Board’s productivity.
OSM Foundation's board election 2025: official questions
Q01 Motivation and Objectives
| Q02 Conflict of Interest Management
| Q03 Transparency and Accountability
| Q04 Teamwork
| Q05 Artificial Intelligence
| Q06 Access to Imagery
| Q07 Software Governance
| Q08 Map Styles on OpenStreetMap.org
| Q09 State of the Map Conferences
| Q10 Intellectual Property
| Q11 OSMF Enthusiasm
All board candidates' manifestos
2025 OpenStreetMap Foundation's: Board election - Voting information and instructions - Annual General Meeting
| ||||||