Great businesses are built with great teams. Building and maintaining great teamwork is crucial to a highly functional operation. Teamwork is important for better problem solving, greater productivity and better use of resources. Working as a team helps in achieving performance goals and helps people grow.
The following points are important when building a winning team:
Team Characteristics. Productive teams usually share many characteristics. They have a common purpose each member is committed to achieving. They stay involved until the objective is completed. They care about each other and are concerned about how their actions and attitudes affect each other. They listen to each other and respect all points of view. Their leaders encourage everyone’s participation in the decisions to be made. If you looked into groups of employees who work as teams, you would see these characteristics or traits.
Acceptance of assignments. It might make each of us happier if we could choose all our work. However, this is unrealistic. Still, when real teamwork exists, team members willingly accept assignments. Motivated by respect and peer pressure, they also work hard to get their jobs done right the first time and to meet deadlines.
Understood and accepted goals. A team needs purpose, direction, and goals. These are accepted by the members of the team, and they work collaboratively to achieve them. Their manager has explained the importance of achievement of these goals in the bigger, corporate picture, and team members understand why it is so important for the goals to be reached. Committed to their accomplishment, they assist one another to make them a reality.
Progress and results assessed. Teamwork requires that members be result-oriented as well as process-oriented. Their focus is on their objectives, and their activities are directed toward those goals. Periodically, under direction of a leader, the team assesses its progress. That knowledge serves to guide future team action.
Shared trust openness and candor. In a healthy team, members essentially trust one another. Despite occasional conflict, members get along well and enjoy each other’s company. They cooperate, are involved and participate due to their trust level in the team’s goal. Team members will openly share ideas and discuss alternative solutions because of trust and respect for their teammates.
Drawing parallels from sports, businesses that have the best teamwork tend to thrive. This high level of teamwork provides a work atmosphere that people enjoy. Trust, openness and teamwork provide opportunity for all.
Source: Parts taken from Happy Manager Blog.
