A project management approach results
in a strong emphasis on teamwork - from people from all levels
of the organisation. How can you go about building effective teams,
quickly? Its all comes back to one's attitude about people...
THE
PHRASE "TEAMBUILDING" is
often heard and sometimes overused, but in today's work environment
the importance of building successful and effective working teams
can not be overestimated.
With effective teambuilding skills, employees can unite around
a common goal and generate greater productivity. Without these
skills, companies limit themselves and their staff to the effort
each individual can make alone.
Team building can lead to:
- Better communication
- Team member motivation to achieve goals
- A climate of cooperation and collaborative problem-solving
- Higher levels of job satisfaction and commitment
- Higher levels of trust and support
- Diverse co-workers working well together, increasing team productivity
and creativity
- Clear work objectives
- Best practices in terms of operating policies and procedures
Do you need to focus more on teambuilding? Here are a few signals
to be aware of:
- Decreased productivity
- Conflicts or hostility among staff members
- Confusion about assignments, missed signals, dropped catches
and unclear relationships
- Decisions misunderstood or not carried through properly
- Apathy and lack of involvement
- Lack of proactivity, imagination, innovation; routine actions
taken for solving complex problems
- Complaints of discrimination or favoritism
- Numerous but ineffective staff meetings, low participation,
minimally effective decisions
- Distrust of others intentions or "hidden agendas"
- Complaints about quality of service
According to the "Guide to Managing Human Resources" by
the University of California, Berkeley, bringing people together
to discuss organizational goals does not create a team; neither
does a social event or even a crisis which forces people to co-operate
for survival. A productive team must be built.
The first rule of team building is: To lead a team effectively,
one must first establish leadership with each team member. Remember
that the most effective team leaders build their relationships
of trust and loyalty, rather than fear or the power of their positions.
Be aware of employees' unspoken feelings
Set an example to team members by being open with employees and
sensitive to their moods and feelings.
Act as a harmonizing influence
Look for chances to mediate and resolve minor disputes; point continually
toward the team's higher goals.
Delegate problem-solving tasks to the team
Let the team work on creative solutions together.
Be clear when communicating
Be careful to clarify directives and business objectives. Encourage trust and cooperation
The relationships team members establish among themselves are very
important. As the team begins to take shape, pay close attention
to the ways in which team members work together and take steps
to improve communication, cooperation, trust, and respect in
those relationships.
Encourage team members to share information
Emphasize the importance of each team member's contribution and
demonstrate how all of their jobs operate together to move the
entire team closer to its goal. Consider each employee's ideas
as valuable. Remember that there is no such thing as a stupid
idea.
Facilitate communication
Communication is the single most important factor in successful
teamwork. Facilitating communication does not mean holding meetings
all the time. It means setting an example by remaining open to
suggestions and concerns, by asking questions and offering help,
and by avoiding confusion in communication.
Establish team values and goals; evaluate team performance
Be sure to talk with members about the progress they are making
toward established goals so that employees get a sense both of
their success and of the challenges that lie ahead. Address teamwork
in performance standards. Ask your team the following questions:
- What do we really care about in performing our job?
- What does the word success mean to this team?
- What actions can we take to live up to our stated values?
Have a clear idea of what needs to be accomplished
Know what the standards are for success; establish clear time frames.
And make sure team members understand their responsibilities.
Use consensus
Set objectives, solve problems and plan for action. While it takes
much longer to establish consensus, this method ultimately provides
better decisions and greater productivity because it secures
every employee's commitment to all phases of the work.
Establish a method for arriving at a consensus
Conduct open debate about the pros and cons of proposals, or establish
research committees to investigate issues and deliver reports.
Establish the parameters of consensus-building sessions
At the outset of the meeting, establish time limits, and work with
the team to achieve consensus within those parameters. Watch
out for false consensus; if an agreement is struck too quickly,
be careful to probe individual team members to discover their
real feelings about the proposed solution.
Set ground rules for the team
These are the norms that the team establishes to ensure efficiency
and success. They can be simple directives (team members are
to be punctual for meetings) or general guidelines (every team
member has the right to offer ideas and suggestions), but make
sure that the team creates these ground rules by consensus and
commits to them, both as a group and as individuals.
Encourage listening and brainstorming
The first priority in creating consensus is to stimulate debate
without aggression. Remember that employees are often afraid
to disagree with one another and that this fear can lead a team
to make mediocre decisions. Encourage debate to inspire creativity,
which will result in better results. |
