How to prepare working group? How do you work as a team? What are the factors of team success?
Collaboration and teamwork are becoming more complex, but success still depends on the basics, so any team needs to be collaborative and flexible under the leadership of the team leader.
We live in a global society that uses teams to create wealth, market share, customer service, competitive advantage, and other signs of organizational success. Any business team that forms the social “glue” in organizations that bring together people, processes, and technologies to produce services or products.
Organizations cannot function without teams. However, teams must be properly designed to fit organizational cultures and vice versa
Organizations need teams to produce creative products, just as artists need their work tools. There may be a science to organizing team collaboration, but there is also an art to it, too. Artists are no more often able to predict the outcome of their creative endeavors than managers can predict the outcome of their team’s challenges.
Management “science” is necessary and contributes to practical theories for teams to work together better. However, a more balanced approach may blend science with art and increase team effectiveness.
Why is teamwork and building a successful team important in the workplace?
Why exactly is teamwork so important in the workplace? A healthy team provides benefits to the individual, the organization and society as a whole:
1. When an individual is seen as a contributing member of a team, they feel valued and derive intangible benefits such as a sense of self-worth, happiness, and satisfaction. This provides stimulation, a sense of accomplishment, and intellectual learning.
2. The organization benefits from the high productivity that teamwork provides. Healthy teams mean engaged employees and a vibrant workplace culture. It also means that people interact more, which helps work get done efficiently and spurs innovation.
3. Society gains a huge boost by getting healthy people and businesses to contribute their time and energy to the greater good through volunteer work, community events, and building supportive infrastructure.
Can we afford not to enable excellent, skilled teamwork in organizations today?
How to build a strong business team
Building a strong team starts with trust and clear communication. When teams trust all members and communication is clear and frequent, teamwork begins to build. As a small business owner, each team member must contribute and work well with their peers.
You must encourage and acknowledge great teamwork and quickly resolve any conflicts that may arise. Set clear and recognizable goals and objectives and always listen to feedback from your team members.
Encourage collaboration and help all team members secure all the supplies and materials they need to be successful.
1. Set a clear team building goal. State your goals and expectations clearly and specifically. Create frequent team meetings and other ways to communicate. Plan team building activities and retreats. Research and create a feedback and measurement system for your teams.
2. Build trust and openness with your employees by talking to them often. Schedule as many one-on-one meetings as possible and actively listen to your colleagues. Create feedback mechanisms such as surveys and focus group meetings. Be visible to your employees and develop good teamwork skills.
3. Schedule and attend team building activities. Design your own team building games or select a vendor who can do them for you. Plan off-site meetings and dinners where you get to know the team’s key players. Set team building goals and ensure they are a part of all employee performance reviews.
4. Create rewards and incentives for good teamwork. Advertise the team’s featured players on your website and all internal company communications. Create group rewards and incentive programs that pay frequently. Solicit feedback from all team members and clients and constantly learn who the team’s top players are.
5. Implement your programs across your entire organization. Announce your meetings and talk to as many colleagues as possible during these meetings. Create energy in these meetings and make some team activities part of launching your program. Give your full support and answer all employee questions.
6. Measure and review your teamwork program often. Get feedback from your employees and review your measurement for the program. Adjust your program based on feedback and measurement. Offer additional rewards and incentives as needed. Consistently communicate teamwork goals, objectives, and program.
How to boost creativity and collaboration in any team
Without conditioning people to be competitive and to look out for themselves teamwork may become problematic. However, working together is a more natural condition for human beings than working in isolation, and teamwork is a natural tendency. Arts and sports also provide people with the experience of working together.
1. Encouraging talent
It is important to have the right people on your team who are able to add their brilliance to the project. Collaboration works best when team members have complementary skill sets required to complete the project.
To create innovation that your customers actually want, consider collaborating with them, as well as with experts within your organization, including technology, design, marketing, and finance. This will help you access collective intelligence and make informed decisions.
2. Healthy relationships among team members are evidence of the possibility of cooperation.
Appreciating others, engaging in meaningful conversations, and being able to resolve conflicts are essential components of collaboration. Find ways for the team to get to know each other not just as professionals, but as human beings, to build trust and provide occasions for informal social interaction.
The easiest way to do this is to share meals together.
3. A guiding vision and clarity of purpose are the keys to collaboration.
Warren Bennis said, “Great groups believe they are on a mission from God… Their clear collective purpose makes everything they do seem meaningful and valuable.” Use storytelling and images to capture the hearts and minds of your team.
4. Provide a clear objective for the task.
Team members jointly prepare a written statement of purpose for their collaboration and define rules of engagement that include goals, roles, responsibilities, and deliverables. Communication about how decisions are made.
5. Linking the project with the goals and vision of the company
Creating meaning and value for the organization and customers.
6. Create an atmosphere of safety, trust and respect.
Encouraging multiple perspectives, diverse perspectives, and creativity. Keep members active with stimulating and quality discussions on cutting-edge issues.
7. Provide great leadership.
Boost your employees’ brilliance and do everything you can to remove barriers to high performance. Avoid being
8. Don’t be too authoritarian and give the team time to influence decisions.
Help build team connections across the organization. Give credit where it is due and acknowledge the performance of the team as well as the individuals.
9. Use coaching to promote a collaborative culture.
Training in improved teamwork, emotional intelligence, and navigating difficult conversations can lead to significant improvements in a group. Ask open questions like why? What if? What then? And how do we? To open dialogue and tap into creativity.
10. Provide adequate tour and resources
Provide infrastructure and resources that enable learning, communication and collaboration. and address cultural issues that hinder cooperation.
11. Add excitement.
Make collaboration fun and celebrate completion before moving on.
12. Pick up best practices and mistakes to learn from.
Post to your intranet or wiki to give everyone access to your wisdom.
7 ways to create a culture of teamwork in the workplace
We all have experience working on a team in the workplace, on the sports field, or in a social setting. From these experiences, we all know the signs of underperforming teams: poor cohesion, poor communication, low confidence, and a loss of milestones. Not to mention the lack of fun and celebration.
On the flip side, there’s something to be said for a team that works in “the zone”—when work becomes effortless, supportive, constructive, and incredibly satisfying. So, why exactly is teamwork so important and what can be done to make it happen?
Teamwork does not happen by itself. They must be incentivized to become part of the workplace culture and an integral part of the people, processes and culture. Once this happens, workplaces are more fun, more productive, and more creative.
Here are seven ways to enable teamwork in the workplace. Brainstorming is not one of them.
1. Division of labor
Teamwork does not mean that everyone does everything together. It requires organizing and breaking down each project into its components. Then sort out who will do what, according to their experience, interests, and availability. A good project manager will help you with this, but if not, head to the whiteboard as a group.
2. Ask for help
Getting work done requires time to focus on your own task, and the option to lean on others when you need it. This is teamwork. So when you need inspiration, expertise, or support, ask for it.
3. Exercise out loud
So your team is organized as you head downhill on your own mission. It’s time to start practicing out loud. This is critical for your team to stay connected as the project progresses. Find quick ways to let those around you know what you found out, what small stops you just went through, or what problem you’re facing.
Overcoming poor internal communications with the usual “stand-up” meeting where everyone gives a quick informal update on where they are can be a game-changer here.
4. Share a prototype
When you ask your teammates to contribute in an open way, don’t expect too much. People are busy in the workplace and don’t know where to start. Instead, share a draft or sketch — a prototype or outline of where you’re headed. Don’t polish this.
Your colleagues will be more comfortable building on things they know you haven’t invested excessively in and suggesting alternatives. This is collaborative teamwork at its best.
5. Build in the review process
Review meetings can make a huge difference. They do two things – put a particular plan, design or report into clear focus, and offer an “open season” when criticism of a team’s work becomes polite.
Encourage people to play the role of “devil’s advocate” and question things from all angles. Doing this at the concept stage will get the team into detailed alignment and often discover requirements that might otherwise be missed.
6. Gather for a common goal
If you want to be a team, you need to share a common goal. What big goal are you striving for? How does achieving the next stage contribute to this? Where does each team member’s contribution fit in? Knowing the importance of your work takes teamwork to the next level.
7. We celebrate together
Appreciate your teammates’ work. Take the time to say “thank you” for small, specific contributions to the team’s effort. And when you hit an important milestone toward your goal, take some time to celebrate together.