10 Question Quiz for NGO and Development Sector Staff in Nigeria to Assess Collaboration Level

Good collaboration rarely fails because people do not care. It often fails because teams work with unclear roles, slow approvals, uneven information, and policies that reward individual effort more than shared results.

For NGOs and development organizations in Nigeria, this can affect everything from community entry and safeguarding to donor reporting, field logistics, monitoring, partnerships, and learning. A program team may have strong community knowledge, while finance has the budget controls, MEAL has the evidence, and operations understands what is possible on the ground. If these teams do not work well together, even a strong project can feel harder than it should.

This quiz is designed to help staff reflect on how collaboration currently works in their organization. It is not an exam. There are no “perfect” organizations. The goal is to spot what is working, identify gaps, and choose practical improvements.

How to use the quiz

Answer each question based on how things usually happen in your organization, not how they are written in a strategy document.

Use this scale for each question:

If a question does not apply to your role, think about what you have observed across your team, project, department, or field location.

At the end, add up your score out of 40. The scoring guide will help you understand your organization’s collaboration level and what to improve next.

The 10 question collaboration quiz

1. People understand what good collaboration means in daily work

In my organization, collaboration means more than copying people on emails or attending joint activities. Staff understand that it includes shared planning, timely communication, mutual respect, joint problem-solving, and accountability to common goals.

Choose your score:

• 1, Staff mostly work within their own teams and define collaboration loosely.

• 2, Collaboration is encouraged, but people understand it differently.

• 3, Most staff understand what collaboration should look like.

• 4, Collaboration is clearly understood and practiced across teams.

  
  

This question checks whether people have a shared idea of collaborative work principles. Without that shared understanding, teams may confuse activity with teamwork.

2. Teams involve the right people early enough

When planning activities, budgets, field visits, procurements, research, or community engagements, staff involve the right departments early enough to prevent last-minute pressure.

For example, programs consult finance before making cost promises. MEAL joins planning before data tools are finalized. Safeguarding is included before community activities begin. Operations is informed before logistics become urgent.

Choose your score:

• 1, Teams often involve others too late.

• 2, Some teams involve others early, but it is not consistent.

• 3, Most teams involve relevant people before major decisions.

• 4, Early involvement is normal practice across the organization.

  
  

This question shows whether collaboration is built into the work process or treated as an afterthought.

3. Information moves clearly between teams and locations

Important information flows well between head office, state offices, field teams, partner organizations, and community-facing staff. People know where to find updates, who to ask, and what has changed.

Choose your score:

• 1, Information is often scattered, delayed, or held by a few people.

• 2, Information is shared, but gaps and repeated follow-ups are common.

• 3, Most teams receive the information they need on time.

• 4, Information-sharing is clear, reliable, and easy to follow.

  
  

In the NGO and development sector, poor information flow can cause repeated community visits, confused reporting, missed deadlines, or mixed messages to partners.

4. Staff feel safe to ask questions and raise concerns

Staff can ask for clarification, challenge assumptions, report risks, and raise concerns without fear of being embarrassed, ignored, or punished.

Choose your score:

• 1, People often stay silent even when they see problems.

• 2, Some people speak up, but it depends on rank, team, or manager.

• 3, Most staff can raise issues respectfully.

• 4, Open questioning is welcomed and leads to better decisions.

  
  

Collaboration needs trust. A junior field officer may notice a community concern before anyone else. A driver may spot a security risk. A finance assistant may notice a compliance issue. If people do not feel safe speaking up, the organization loses valuable knowledge.

5. Reporting lines support teamwork rather than blocking it

The organization’s reporting structure helps people work together across units. Staff know when to follow their line manager, when to coordinate with technical leads, and when to escalate issues.

Choose your score:

• 1, Reporting lines often create delays, confusion, or competition.

• 2, Staff collaborate across teams, but approvals are often unclear.

• 3, Reporting lines are mostly clear and allow teamwork.

• 4, The structure makes accountability clear while still supporting cross-team work.

  
  

This question looks at how hierarchy affects teamwork. Clear reporting can help teams move faster. Poor reporting structures can make people protect information, avoid responsibility, or wait for permission even when action is needed.

6. Managers model collaborative behavior

Managers and supervisors encourage teamwork through their own behavior. They share information, invite input, recognize group effort, and solve problems across departments.

Choose your score:

• 1, Managers mostly focus on their own units and outputs.

• 2, Some managers encourage collaboration, but others work in silos.

• 3, Most managers support cross-team work.

• 4, Leaders consistently model and reward collaboration.

  
  

Staff watch what leaders do. If managers praise only individual speed or departmental control, people will copy that. If managers value shared results, staff are more likely to work across functions.

7. Policies and procedures make collaboration easier

Organizational policies support collaboration in real ways. These may include clear approval processes, joint planning requirements, partner engagement guidance, safeguarding procedures, knowledge-sharing rules, procurement timelines, and communication norms.

Choose your score:

• 1, Policies are unclear, outdated, or hard to use.

• 2, Policies exist, but they do not always support teamwork.

• 3, Most policies help teams coordinate well.

• 4, Policies clearly guide and support collaboration across departments.

  
  

Policies should not be used only for control. Good policies help people know what to do, when to involve others, and how to reduce risk.

8. The organization creates regular opportunities for teams to learn from one another

Staff have spaces to share lessons, reflect on project results, discuss mistakes, and learn from different teams or locations. These spaces may be after-action reviews, pause-and-reflect sessions, joint field debriefs, partner learning sessions, or simple team check-ins.

Choose your score:

• 1, Teams rarely reflect together.

• 2, Reflection happens after major activities, but not regularly.

• 3, Teams often share lessons and adjust plans.

• 4, Learning across teams is a normal part of how work is done.

  
  

This is where many organizations can improve quickly. Collaboration grows when people have structured time to learn together, not only when a deadline is close.

9. Staff can identify practical opportunities to collaborate more

People in the organization can name specific areas where better teamwork would improve results. For example, joint work planning, shared partner mapping, combined field visits, coordinated community feedback, common data tools, or clearer referral pathways.

Choose your score:

• 1, Staff rarely discuss opportunities to collaborate.

• 2, People see opportunities, but few are followed up.

• 3, Teams identify collaboration opportunities and act on some.

• 4, Staff regularly turn collaboration ideas into better ways of working.

  
  

This question focuses on awareness and action. Strong collaboration is not only about attitude. It also depends on whether staff can spot chances to work better together.

10. Collaboration is measured, reviewed, and improved

The organization reviews how well teams work together. Staff feedback, partner input, project reviews, supervision notes, and learning sessions are used to improve teamwork.

Choose your score:

• 1, Collaboration is discussed only when problems happen.

• 2, Feedback is collected sometimes, but follow-up is weak.

• 3, Collaboration is reviewed during some planning and learning processes.

• 4, The organization tracks collaboration and uses feedback to improve.

  
  

What gets reviewed is more likely to improve. If collaboration is never discussed in performance reviews, project meetings, staff surveys, or learning sessions, it can remain a nice idea rather than a working habit.

How to score your organization

Add up your answers from all 10 questions.

Your total score will fall between 10 and 40.

A score is only a starting point. The more useful step is to look at your lowest-scoring questions.

For example:

• Low scores on questions 1 and 2 may mean the organization needs clearer team norms and better planning routines.

• Low scores on questions 3 and 4 may point to weak communication channels or low trust.

• Low scores on questions 5 and 6 may suggest reporting structures or management behaviors are blocking teamwork.

• Low scores on questions 7 and 10 may show that policies and review systems do not support collaboration enough.

  
  

This makes the 10 Question Quiz for NGO and Development Sector Staff in Nigeria to Assess Collaboration Level useful for team reflection, staff retreats, internal learning sessions, and project review discussions.

What to do after taking the quiz

The value of the quiz comes from the discussion that follows. Try not to stop at the score.

Pick two or three lowest-scoring areas and ask:

• What specific behavior or process is causing this score?

• Where does it happen most often?

• Who needs to be involved in fixing it?

• What small change can we test in the next 30 days?

• How will we know if the change helped?

  
  

Here are practical improvement ideas based on common gaps.

If teams involve others too late

Introduce a simple planning checklist before major activities. It should name the teams that need to be consulted, such as finance, operations, procurement, MEAL, safeguarding, communications, security, and relevant field staff.

Keep it short. If the checklist becomes too long, people will avoid it.

If communication is scattered

Agree on one main channel for official updates and one place for shared documents. Make sure field teams can access important information, especially when internet connection is limited.

Use clear subject lines, short summaries, and named action owners.

If reporting lines slow teamwork

Clarify decision rights. Staff should know which decisions require line manager approval, which ones need technical input, and which ones can be handled at team level.

This reduces waiting, duplication, and quiet frustration.

If policies do not support collaboration

Review policies with the people who use them. Ask staff where procedures create delays or confusion. Then revise the parts that cause avoidable friction while keeping accountability strong.

A policy that nobody understands will not protect the organization well.

If learning does not happen regularly

Start with short reflection sessions after key activities. Ask three questions:

• What worked well?

• What made the work harder?

• What will we change next time?

  
  

Keep the tone practical, not defensive. The aim is better work, not blame.

A simple way to use the quiz with a team

This quiz works best when people answer it individually first, then discuss patterns together.

A suggested format:

1. Give everyone 10 minutes to complete the quiz privately.

2. Ask people to add their scores, but do not force anyone to share individual totals.

3. Collect average scores for each question if the group is comfortable.

4. Identify the three lowest-scoring questions.

5. Discuss what is driving those scores.

6. Agree on one or two small changes to test.

7. Assign owners and a review date.

   
   

For sensitive teams, use anonymous responses. This can help people speak more honestly, especially where hierarchy affects openness.

The goal is not to prove that one department is the problem. Collaboration gaps usually sit between teams, systems, and habits. That means solutions should also be shared.

A Nigerian NGO or development organization may work across different states, partners, donor rules, languages, and community realities. Strong collaboration helps staff connect these moving parts with less stress and better accountability.

Use the quiz as a mirror. If the score is high, protect what is working. If the score is low, start small. One clearer planning habit, one better review routine, or one improved approval process can make teamwork feel easier within a few weeks.

The best outcome is not a perfect score. The best outcome is a team that can talk honestly about how it works together, fix what slows it down, and serve communities with greater care and coordination.