Working in a Team Supporting Displaced Persons in Migration Situations

Original Editor - Sue Piché

Top Contributors - Naomi O'Reilly, Jess Bell and Stacy Schiurring  

Introduction[edit | edit source]

"Teams are often fluid … personnel including physicians, nurses, surgical assistants and pharmacists might have to jump into a new care team at each shift change or for each new patient. The fundamentals of good collaboration are the same no matter how transient the team … It's about having clear roles, clear goals and a clear plan of care." [1]

If you find yourself in an obligatory position or in a volunteer situation working within a team in migratory situations with displaced persons, consideration of the following categories will shed some light on the expectations of your personal views and behaviours. The underlying truth that continues and is repeated is VERY important to understand….You will be expected to work often under difficult circumstances and with limited resources.

Self Reflection and Self Assessment[edit | edit source]

The ability to look at yourself objectively is an important step in personal decision-making. Knowing what you feel and think are important, but try to look within yourself and judge what others will think as well.

What exactly are you bringing to the current situation?

Is your involvement productive, destructive, or necessary to the overall goal? Your ability to reflect on your actions and adjust yourself during your work will assist in team coherence and goal achievement.

Are you able to learn by doing? Reflecting on experiences within work, you should be able to identify what worked, what didn’t work and what you could do better next time. The team itself may have exercises in reflection, but individual abilities to reflect and provide input to the team are essential for advancement.

Are your motivations self-driven out of a sense of desire to help or is it because someone else is making you feel you should do this?

Personal Attributes[edit | edit source]

Attributes could also be considered your “baggage”. Some of it you carry around without much choice:

  • age
  • gender
  • reputation


But despite the importance of these, you also carry "deep-level" factors, such as:

  • personality traits
  • values
  • abilities
  • cultural upbringing; which you have limited control over changing.


Are those attributes that you can’t change able to facilitate the achievement of objectives of the team? Will you be comfortable in the team structure - for example, if the team is composed of white males and you are an African American female, are there any issues derived from this that make you feel uncomfortable or unable to perform your role?

Those deep-level issues, may clash with others on the team, could you work with others who are different in their beliefs, either through acceptance or tolerance?

If you have a military background, then you will carry a sense of team cohesion and shared mental models that will assist your comfort and ability to work in a team.

Are you an introvert or extrovert? Extroverts are usually more comfortable in team settings, but they can (and are not afraid to ‘rock the boat’) whereas introverts are quiet and not usually keen to lead or be the center of attention, but they are excellent listeners and have a great ability to focus.

Know your own strengths and weaknesses at work. Embrace your natural inclinations. Accept yourself the way you are. Do you feel comfortable setting and maintaining boundaries? Boundaries can protect you and honour your needs.

You will probably be expected to interact with many people with a variety of their own attributes; ask yourself if you can cope with long hours of this exposure. Alone time can help, however, will you be able to schedule alone time?

Safety[edit | edit source]

Trained ‘first-aiders’ have this drilled into their heads – you are of NO USE to anyone if you aren’t there. If your safety is compromised, then so is the assistance you can provide others. This goes back to your ability to self-reflect and assess. You need to take care of:

  1. Yourself
  2. Your colleagues or other team members
  3. Migrants who give your team its goals (purpose for the work)


The “I’m Safe” Checklist from the Canadian Patient Safety Institute can help individuals to assess their own situations.[2]

  • Illness (How do I feel? Am I thinking clearly?)
  • Medication (Is my medication likely to impact my ability to do my job?)
  • Stress (Am I stressed - are there any factors in my personal or work life which are impacting my ability to do my job?)
  • Alcohol and drugs (Am I affected by the effects of these drugs?)
  • Fatigue (Am I sleep deprived and fatigued?)
  • Eating and elimination (Am I skipping meals and toilet breaks?)


You will often be working in difficult situations with little resources, so you will be expected to perform ‘self-checks’ and ‘buddy-checks’ regularly.

What are your ACES (Adverse Childhood Experiences), triggers or past traumas? If you experience triggering, how would you normally handle it and could you do that in this current working situation?

How do you deal with stress? And rest assured YOU WILL BE DEALING WITH STRESS. Will you be able to use your stress-relieving techniques in this situation?[3][4]

Financial[edit | edit source]

Money can be motivating, but also a deterrent. If you volunteer, can you cope with not making money, or will it cost some fees even to volunteer (example for transportation or amenities). Not all positions on a team are voluntary, and it’s worth it to ask if it’s possible to negotiate a salary.

If you are getting paid, will it be enough to cover everything? Do you need to get paid exactly what you are worth or can you compromise? Perhaps you can take holidays from your regular job and get vacation pay that equals things out – but what if something happens and the work is extended or you are unable to return to your regular position? Can you cope? Money can be a motivator to work hard, or to quit.

Role Responsibility[edit | edit source]

Are you qualified? Can you do this work? Do you have a professional license? Are your professional licenses and/or insurance adequate coverage for the situation? Will they cover your location, if it’s not in your home/state/province/country? Some areas on the globe have restrictions regarding who is allowed to work in their territory.

If you are a doctor, were you trained in an old-school medical model where the doctor-patient relationship is the focus and everybody else is there to support that relationship? If so, you may have more challenges coping with processes, because that model is no longer used. Everyone, in the chain from the migrant's point of origin to point of destination and any stops along the way, EVERYONE is significant.

Do you feel your role will be significant? If not, then perhaps this work would not be best for you.

What will your role be? Do you have a good understanding and can you accept the role? If the role doesn’t seem suitable, there are many positions that often need to be filled in these multi-teams assisting migrants. Perhaps there is a different role that you haven’t thought of or done before, that may suit you better. But here’s the bitter reality: roles can change unexpectedly and they must adapt to the situation. Once you have a clear idea of your role, you’ll be expected to perform it, but then if that role changes, so will your understanding, so will your expectations. You may be asked to work outside your routine - but be aware of your scope and stay within its boundaries (especially if you have a professional license).[4]

Often professionals like to have all the answers, and can find themselves frustrated with the lack of records or knowledge available. You should be able to engage with your best intentions in a role even if that role may not seem to be ideal. Are you willing to assist others in their role? (e.g., your strengths and skills may assist fellow team members to decrease their workload or frustrations). Although leaders try to provide training, if you have experience, it will benefit everyone if you speak up and share. All the work - the ‘dirty work’ and the ‘fun stuff’ is important, be prepared and accept both equally. Don’t assume that others will work and interact the same way that you do.

Rather, start by observing others. Do they prefer emails to calls? Do they want to chit-chat before meetings? Do they need to discuss something before making a decision? If your answers are different, consider flexing to their preferred work style. You will get more done, and people will be more drawn to work with you.

Communication[edit | edit source]

Are you capable of relaying information verbally, nonverbally, and in written form? You will most likely be expected to converse with many different people, would this be a problem for you? An added challenge is working in a second or third language or being forced to use an interpreter. Are you up for that challenge? Sometimes charades and body language expressions are the only thing you have in common to communicate.

Traits that will support you with working communications are:

  • being an active listener
  • being able to converse with confidence
  • being capable of receiving and giving feedback
  • understanding and using body language to convey positive messages
  • speaking with clarity and volume


Do you listen? Honestly, by listening to another human being we acknowledge them, and provide the message that we truly ‘see them’. Can you remain calm, think through and/or assess a situation then explain it rationally to someone else regardless of their position/role, whether subordinate or superior in your area? If you are tempted to gossip, your credibly will be swiftly compromised. Provide solid and verified information.

There will be meetings, debriefs, and huddles, formal and informal opportunities to share information. Maybe you are more comfortable taking notes and listening than participating. Not all contributions come in the form of conversation. Focusing on listening and understanding others’ points of view instead, is just as productive.

Dedication and Commitment[edit | edit source]

Are you willing to uphold the duties you are given in order to support the team? You need to contribute as often as possible and ensure you are available and committed to doing what’s best for the team. If team goals are not something you can get behind and support, then you will not be a positive influence.

Collaboration and Cooperation[edit | edit source]

Cooperating, working with others is imperative. You may have worked with others before without any issues, however collaboration is more powerful at generating positive results.

Are you comfortable asking colleagues "How can I help you?" at every opportunity? This single question builds goodwill, reciprocity, understanding and collaboration.

Accountability[edit | edit source]

Are you responsible? You will be responsible to perform in a certain way at certain tasks, but accountability is a bit different - it encompasses the outcome of your performed responsibilities. If you can take pride in your work, fulfill your role and responsibilities and are able to equally take credit or criticism for your actions, then you are accountable.

This is tricky, because nowadays there are legal proceedings that call into question ‘why would a licensed practitioner want to be held accountable, if they have made a mistake – even an alleged – or perceived mistake, they will be punished.’ Accountability implies holding a worker to their promise of performing certain tasks, but it is quickly becoming associated with punishment/blame, and individuals are becoming reluctant to come forward to be accountable in some situations. Being responsible to complete tasks in a successful and timely manner and understand which tasks take priority over others is a positive component of accountability. The flipside: the ‘blame game’ never has a winner.

Can you deal with the scrutiny of accountability? Some people will fail to live up to commitments, it could be you in these difficult situations. How will you handle those interactions? Can you stand up for yourself or are you inclined to look elsewhere for blame? No good comes from throwing another co-worker under the bus. Speaking up for yourself and others when you become aware of goals or tasks that do not seem achievable or realistic, will be a positive support to setting others and yourself up for success.

Flexibility and Adaptability[edit | edit source]

Roles and responsibilities are fluid in crisis or stressful situations, they can change quickly and unexpectedly. Can you? When priorities shift and sometimes they do so very radically, everyone has to shift focus. Team leaders would like to be on top of this to guide everyone, but the reality will be that many of those decisions will be made by you, the individual. You must be able to self-regulate your actions in accordance with the team needs and adapt to ever-changing situations.

If you are prone to stress or anxiety due to changes in goal direction, this may not be the work for you. You may have to jump into a completely different role or location if other workers are suddenly unavailable. This may involve dealing with different processes and expectations. Creativity is an asset here. Tapping into your creative side to deal with issues and using stress relieving techniques will help you cope.

Reliability[edit | edit source]

Others will rely on you. Can you consistently participate?

You must do your part to complete your fair share of the work and follow through on tasks. However, it’s hard to reliably complete tasks if you feel they are unrealistic. Are you able to ask others for help?

Allowing others to help you, accepting and sharing both physical labour and thoughts regarding tasks and the situation, will go a long way to being a more authentic and approachable member.

Openness and Willingness[edit | edit source]

Are you willing to pitch in and help whenever needed? Can you put aside your emotions when there are differences regarding perspective, approach, or style, in order to figure out how to ensure the job gets done? Are you comfortable jumping in to help others do their part and help solve problems and take action?

If your focus is only on completing your own tasks, and you are unable see the completion of all the tasks that will lead to achieving the overall goal, then perhaps this is not work for you.

Can you become involved, try new things, ways (processes), to inspire and to empower others? There may be structured programmes that a team leader will organise in order to build cohesiveness. Are you open to new ideas that may be uncomfortable for you, but will benefit the team? Are you willing to participate in training and team building, to regularly get involved in the team’s activities and decisions? You may be the one that the training is helping, but you may be the one who has the experience and your ability to share and coach others will be helpful.

Are you comfortable contributing your thoughts and opinions and working towards building relationships?

Interpersonal Relationships[edit | edit source]

You will, definitely, be expected to treat your team members with respect, consideration, and courtesy consistently, even if you don’t necessarily agree with someone else’s opinion or way of doing things. And they will be expected to do the same with you. It will help if you focus on shared interests rather than individual positions.

Can you follow orders, adhere to protocols and processes? A focus on assigned tasks allows the concern for team goals to be at the forefront rather than a focus on personal opinions that don’t further the achievement of the goal.

Having a genuine interest (curiosity) in others is helpful. Can you extend yourself to ask questions to others about their lives? You can build on small bits of information to have further conversations. Whether your team is multicultural or more homogenous, you need to be able to put aside your biases. Look at what others bring into the team, they will be looking at you as well. Do you make friends easily? If not, then you will need to make more effort here.

You’re not expected to find your new best friend forever, but you must be able to trust others and they need to trust you. Trust is key, and it is built through conversations and friendship. Colleagues who like each other, help and support each other rather than just tolerating each other. This expectation will be extended to the migrants you will be dealing with regularly. If this concept is difficult, then this may not be the work for you. In a crisis, you will be expected to provide reassurance to the migrants, not just empty words but you need to be able to inspire hope and calm escalating fears.

You must also be direct, give clear simple ‘orders’. This will seem very authoritative but necessary. People in crisis often become confused and will need you to anchor their thoughts and emotions. You will be the calm in their storm. Despite how patient, or understanding, or nice and cooperative you are with others, conflict can (and probably will) arise. Whether your values and beliefs clash or whether your opinions of how to complete tasks differ, can you calmly address the issue? Are you able to set aside personal opinions and listen to others? Do you see conflict as a failure, a battle to be won? If you see it as a battle, then it will be – you have to shift your thoughts to the situation as an opportunity to explore options. You may have to seek the assistance of others to resolve the issue. But no matter what – there needs to be a resolution. Even ‘agreeing to disagree’ is a resolution, provided the work of each individual and the team can progress.

You must be able to embrace the differences in each other and focus on common goals.

Problem Solving and Decision Making[edit | edit source]

Can you identify the cause of a problem and then find an effective solution to solve it? In order to do this, you will require the ability to make decisions, research, analyse information, and use active listening skills, creativity, and communication.

You will be expected to make decisions within your scope and area of responsibility. However, there will be decisions from leadership that will direct your work, that you may or may not agree with. If you can ask questions, look for understanding (if not complete acceptance) in these circumstances, so you can better continue to fulfil your tasks. Transparency of decision-making whether from your leadership or yourself will assist in the process of acceptance and forward the overall mission.

Do you have genuine curiosity on a daily basis? The process of asking questions about things is your mind’s way of gathering information in order to solve problems and make decisions.

Attitude[edit | edit source]

Have you noticed your self-talk? Whenever we ‘thought process’, we all have a narrative inside our mind, is yours positive or negative? Optimism fosters positive emotions, tells our brains that we can look forward to rewards, so we are more likely to listen, understand, collaborate, solve problems, etc.

Viewing the future in an optimistic manner includes:

  • giving energy rather than draining it from others
  • focusing on the opportunities not the problems
  • seeking and praising the things that are right and going well, rather than focusing on mistakes and criticising
  • trying not to judge things (or people) good and bad, seek to acknowledge differences without labelling
  • anticipating rewards by following outlined work


Negativity can arise naturally, when we see dangers, or experience trauma or failure, we have negative emotions that try to tell us to avoid that danger. The challenge will be to find your own "reward" or help your co-workers find theirs. If you can seek out advice, openly share ideas and each other’s positive attitudes, this will assist in calming these negative thoughts. You may be the one who needs assistance or you may be the one helping those around you.

Do you see yourself in a position to make positive change in others? Even a smile and an acknowledgement goes a long way. It needs to be asked, “What if you fail?” Being optimistic doesn’t necessarily make the outcome positive. How will you deal with small or large failures? Can you take away a positive or do you require time to mourn/grieve or heal?

Things will go array, from maybe something as little as not meeting a timing, to as severe as an injury, or death. Do you have a support system? Even team members with whom you previously had little interaction can become your best support.

Resources[edit | edit source]

References[edit | edit source]

  1. Weir, Kirsten, American Psychological Association. What Makes Teams Work?. Available from: https://www.apa.org/monitor/2018/09/cover-teams (accessed 01/07/2022)
  2. Canadian Patient Safety Institute. Module 4: Teamwork: Being an Effective Team Member. Available from: https://www.patientsafetyinstitute.ca/en/education/PatientSafetyEducationProgram/PatientSafetyEducationCurriculum/Pages/Module-4-Teamwork.aspx (last accessed 28 January 2023).
  3. Choi YJ. Psychological first-aid experiences of disaster health care workers: a qualitative analysis. Disaster medicine and public health preparedness. 2020 Aug;14(4):433-6.
  4. 4.0 4.1 Said NB, Chiang VC. The knowledge, skill competencies, and psychological preparedness of nurses for disasters: a systematic review. International emergency nursing. 2020 Jan 1;48:100806.