When some people hear the word “team,” they automatically think of sports, for example, football, baseball, hockey, etc. Teams, though, are an integral part of society. Teamwork is necessary for industry, government, education, professional associations, and community and religious organizations, as well as any situation where people came together to accomplish a common goal.
The Importance of Teams in a Successful Business
Teams are vital in the business world. It seems that teams are ubiquitous in the business world, making employees who are good “team players” valuable assets to any corporation that hopes to be successful. Moreover, the record of team performance speaks for itself. For example, look at such team-oriented companies as Microsoft, General Electric, and Motorola, where teamwork has been pivotal in each company’s continued success.
The Composition of Different Business Teams
There are several different types of teams within a business:
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Manager-led teams (the manager specifies the team goal and how that goal will be accomplished)
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Self-managed teams (the manager specifies the goals, but the team determines how the goals will be accomplished)
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Self-directed teams (the team determines both the goal and how it will be accomplished)
Teams are also classified by how long they will be a team. For example, in a work team, members perform job-related tasks together regularly, sometimes daily. In a task team, individuals are assembled to work together on a specific task or to solve a particular problem, after which the team disbands. Finally, a governing team is composed of individuals who serve together regularly in a leadership or management capacity.
Effective Teambuilding Behaviors in the Workplace
Referring to a group of individuals as a “team” does not make it a team. A “team” is composed of individuals who are all working together toward a common objective that has either been mutually agreed upon or else delegated to the team for accomplishment.
There is more to a team, though, since teamwork requires a coordinated effort from each member; mutual accountability; and a high level of commitment, both to one another and achievement of the goal. Additionally, each person must see the needs of the team as more important than his or her own needs. But what is it exactly that makes some teams effective and others ineffective?
What Makes a Winning Team in Business?
In addition to core competency and working knowledge, winning teams possess ‘teamwork factors’ that significantly contribute to their overall success:
- Experience (knowledge and vision)
- Problem-solving ability (being proactive)
- Openness (willing to deal with problems and promote an exchange of ideas)
- Supportiveness (desire to help others)
- Action-orientation (rises to the challenge with energy and focus)
- Positive personal style (motivated and a motivator; enthusiastic and friendly)
Of course, just certain behaviors can contribute to a team’s success, other (negative) behaviors can destroy teams and prevent them from achieving their goals. Such negative behaviors include the following:
- Inappropriate humor
- Toxic language
- Hidden agendas
- Conflict for the sake of conflict
- Internal power struggles
- Failure to follow through on commitments
- Inability to remain focused on team goals
Building a Successful Team in the Workplace
For a workplace team to be successful, members should establish team logistics and agree upon certain guidelines, for example:
- What is the team’s purpose?
- Where and when will members interact?
- How will members communicate? (Online, face-to-face, teleconference, etc?)
- What form of leadership, if any, will be utilized?
- How will decisions be made?
- How will tasks be divided?
- What resources or tools will be needed?
- What will be the timeline for goal completion?
- How will members address any sources of conflict?
- How will success be measured?
In addition to establishing logistics and guidelines, members should strive to do the following:
- Reinforce positive behaviors in one another.
- Serve as catalysts for effective change
- Promote self-reflection on both an individual and team level.
- Help the team maintain its focus.
- Work continually to ensure the accomplishment of the team’s goal.
In conclusion, a team is successful only in direct proportion to the involvement and dedication of each team member. And, ultimately, teams that understand the essentials of team development, as well as appreciate the contribution of each team member, will realize far greater success when it comes to workplace projects and endeavors.
Business Tips for Team Success
Large and small businesses have found that effective teamwork is comprised of a variety of team members with very different ideas. Two or more people with a specific performance objective or recognizable goal assemble for coordination of activity and ideas. For the teams to achieve the goal, agreement of the result should be clear, but the steps to the goal require open minds with different creative ideas.
The Interpersonal Relationship of the Effective Teams
The leadership of the company or the organization chooses members for a team who are known to achieve excellence and who have successful communication skills. The leader should be an individual who has proven to be an understanding listener that can bring people together. The members of the team should be able to demonstrate a focus on team spirit and see that individual contributions must merge as one unit.
Successful Leadership Role
Human behavior dictates that this will not happen consistently. Therefore, the leader has to be vigilant about keeping a clear and elevating goal at the center focus in every aspect of the process. If the team members become unfocused and politicized, the team will lose the sense of urgency or significance about the objective. A team cannot be allowed to bring in other goals and individual goals cannot take priority over team goals.
Goals Need Clarity and Timelines
In any great endeavor, whether it is a specific space shot or a marketing strategy, the clarity of the goal is of utmost importance. What, how, who, and when are the questions that need to be addressed in the first meeting of any team meeting. What is the goal, how are the goals to be achieved, who will focus on what steps and when will each step, and the final goal be reached?
Incentives for Team Members
Again, Human Nature is at work in everyone, regardless of how altruistic the person is. Every human being has payoffs in mind. For some team members, it is the satisfaction of a job well done, or simply keeping the job. For others, as is the case with sports teams, it is money. Each company or organization has to be aware that in special teams, incentives must be offered to keep the carrot in front of the nose.
A good incentive would be award dinners when the goal is reached and certificates of achievement for the team members. In hard financial times, kudos offered in the form of high-performance marks in the personnel file goes a long way to keep team members motivated. If the accountant deems it possible, raises for those who excelled are more than great.
Team-Building for Success
Teams are ubiquitous in the business world. It is going without saying that every employer should know how to make his/her team more productive. In this case, they organize different kinds of team enhancement.
So the following aspects should be taken into account:
- Listening to every member of a team,
- Establishing interpersonal communication,
- Selecting the right leader,
- Setting clear goals,
- Providing members with incentive bonuses.