Accountability to Team Members
Team leaders who organize investigations have a lot more responsibility than the rest of the team. They should have gained confidence in their leadership abilities over time and feel sufficiently motivated before being put in charge of an investigation. A certain level of maturity must be evident, because the team depends on the decisions the team leader makes and they must have implicit faith in her judgment.
Just as the team leader is responsible to the members, the members are responsible to one another, the team leader, and the client. They should never argue with one another while on a case or speak ill of one another to clients or the media. If they have concerns about a fellow member that are pertinent to the case, they should resolve it within the group by requesting a meeting.
The Team Leader's Responsibilities
If an investigation is characterized by chaos, confusion, and ineptitude, the person in charge of the investigation is going to bear the brunt of the responsibility for it. If he cannot delegate authority and responsibility properly, it will soon become apparent.
Ideally, in larger, better-established organizations, the role of the team leader rotates as cases demand. This role may fall to the older investigators who have been on many cases and know the ropes, but they should be supportive when a novice investigator becomes a team leader for the first time.
The team leader must be responsible for the following areas:
Responsibility to the client
Responsibility to conduct an ethical, fair investigation
Responsibility for fellow team members' safety
Responsibility to supervise personnel and property in a professional manner that does credit to the organization
All are important and interconnected, but it should be apparent that client confidentiality and safety issues are paramount.
The Client's Responsibility
A lot has been said about the paranormal organization's responsibilities to the client and to its own team members, but we must remember that the client has responsibilities, too. When a client calls an organization to investigate unexplained phenomena in her home, there is usually no charge for the service and the investigators bear the brunt of the expenses.
Therefore, it behooves the client to keep this in mind when requesting help. She should attempt to be as cooperative and helpful as she can be. What should the client do?
Be truthful about the phenomena she has been experiencing. This means no exaggerations, equivocations, or withholding of evidence.
Allow the investigators full access to areas where activities have occurred.
Try not to place too many restrictions if full access can't be granted.
Be courteous and hospitable.
