Build Your Team To Reap Business Success
The success of an organization largely depends on the way in which the employees work together as a team. Teamwork, coordination, and understanding are a must if the organization has to achieve targets on time. After all, a project is never a one-man show. It is always coordination that helps. Good teamwork helps to make the workplace more productive. It helps build employee morale and attain profits faster.
Also, teamwork makes problem-solving easier as people with different sets of knowledge, skills, and talents come together to work on a common problem. Together they can devise a creative solution to any challenge or problem the organization is facing. Around 86% of executives and employees have stated that lack of teamwork, collaboration, and proper communication are the reasons for workplace failures. If you want your team to work together and produce amazing results, start by building a team that works together in unison. Read on for some great tips you can implement in your workplace.
Tips To Improve Teamwork In Your Organization
Here are some surefire tips that will help to promote teamwork within your organization:
Clarify The Roles
When people work together as a team if there is confusion about roles and responsibilities each should take up, the chances of conflict are more. Even worse, there might be situations where an employee delegates their responsibility to another person as the roles are not clearly defined. To avoid such scenarios, it is vital to document the rules and responsibilities of each person so that there is no conflict or confusion regarding the same. This becomes even more crucial when you are onboarding remote workers as you don’t even come face to face with them.
It’s true that all the employees need not know all the details about the roles and responsibilities of other employees. But, it is always better than they have an idea about the roles of their immediate team members. To offer clarity, you can create a handbook for each team. The book can have details about each team member’s roles, projects, and responsibilities. If there are common tasks that involve multiple teams, use workflow images to clarify the role of each individual involved in the task.
Conduct Informal Events
All of us would love to have some time off work, don’t we? A time to relax, forget deadlines, involve in some friendly banter, play some games, share a lighthearted moment- isn’t that something everyone craves for? Especially when work starts getting monotonous and stressful, it’s always good to break the ice by planning an informal event.
Though informal events help to overcome team-building challenges, never force it on your team. Don’t make it compulsory to participate in these informal activities as some may not be comfortable doing it. It might be fun for you. But, it might be degrading for an employee. Hence, the idea can backfire and build resentment among your team members. Hence, instead of imposing things like a ruthless dictator, check what they like to do and include those activities. You can even choose the safest option- a treat at a fine dining restaurant with their families would be something everyone would like.
Use Teamwork Recognition Programs
Appreciation and acknowledgment always help in motivating employees and building teamwork. Start by rewarding teams that work together with coordination and produce great results. Think of ways in which you can acknowledge a team publicly in front of other teams. This will make them proud of their achievements and keep them motivated to work harder. Also, it will build a connection between the teammates as they celebrate a moment of appreciation by the top management. A team that wins together will always bond and work well together.
Encourage Two-Way Communication
Teamwork will only be effective if the team members feel that they can talk freely, share ideas and suggestions without being shot down by others in the team. Each person should have the confidence to voice their opinions freely. They should never feel judged or feel as if another team member will ridicule or dismiss their opinions even if they try to speak. As a manager, you need to ensure that the communication between team members flows upward and not downward. Communication should always be a two-way path in which all participants talk freely without worrying about the circumstances or work environment. You can even use corporate communication tools to archive conversations so that crucial information never gets lost.
Stop Micro-Managing
Always remember that your employees are not your kids. They are all adults with their own opinions, likes, and dislikes. Would you like it if someone always peered over your shoulders to keep an eye on you and tell you what to do and what not to do? No, right? The same is applicable for your employees too.
If you want teamwork to grow and flourish in your organization, you need to respect them and let them make decisions on their own. What you can do is set goals and deadlines for the teams. Then give them the tools they will need to complete the tasks perfectly. After doing all this, leave them to do it at their pace using their creativity and strategical brilliance. Always remember the fact that even an employee who is 100% committed to the organization will not perform productively if someone is micromanaging everything they do. Hence, instead of micromanaging, try to build a culture of respect, honesty, and trust. This will help teamwork to flourish beyond your expectations. And, if you want to monitor employees without looking like an intruder, you can always use the HRApp, employee monitoring software.
Celebrate Individuals And Their Individuality
The old saying that there is no “I” in a team is no longer applicable in today’s changing workforce. Today’s team environment demands individuals to be respected for who they are. Denying individuality is no longer a welcomed trait in any organization. Each person will have their own preferred way of working, skills, and personality. So, it is not fair to group all in one and expect everyone to behave in the same way. What someone likes to do a lot may be something another person doesn’t like to do at all. So forcing both of them to do the same in the name of teamwork will only build resentment in the mind of one.
A recent study by the Aachen University in Germany pointed out that while 10% of people are early risers, around 20% prefer to sit and work at night. Another 70% comes somewhere in the middle. Still, almost all organizations are tailored for the early risers alone, which is actually not a good practice. Similarly, if you ask an introvert if they like working in an open-plan office environment, you might not get a positive reply. Hence, while promoting teamwork, always ensure that you allow each individual to work in the way they feel more comfortable, productive, and happy.
