William King asked:
The people working in every office often talk about developing a team, team work, their team, etc. but very few people actually understand just how to build an efficient team or work as a team effectively. Being part of a team is essentially feeling like you belong to something which is bigger than yourself. A very important part of being in a team and working together as a team is that everyone understands the aims and objectives of the company.
When you are working in an organization which is team-oriented, then you directly put in your individual effort into the total success of the business. You have to work with your colleagues in the company to bring about this result, not work on your own as you want to. You have to adjust and compromise with your teammates and only then will the organization achieve success. Although you still retain your own job profile in a particular department, you are joined to the other members of your team to reach certain common goals. You no longer work alone, but think of the larger scheme of things such as the good of the whole company.
To be productive within a team, you must be able to separate the general sense of working as a team from the efficient team which has been created to realize a particular goal. Most people cannot differentiate between the two and this leads to lower productivity levels. It is also the reason why many team building meetings, retreats and seminars are considered failures by the participants. If team leaders cannot define the kind of team they want to create, then it is not practicable to develop an effective team.
Managers, executives and members of the staff in organizations think that team-centric organization structures are a great way to improve profits in business and also get better results. Since these kinds of business structures involve all the employees of the organization, they are most conducive to increasing productivity and profits.
Every team-based company is striving to improve their services for their customers. However, not many organizations are happy with their team improvement attempts. If your organization is one of them, go through the following checklist to know why. Careful attention is needed to these as these could help you build an efficient, focused team. Impromptu
1. Context:
Make your team understand the organization’s business strategy, how vital the team’s role is in achieving corporate goals, how the team’s work features in the company’s overall principles, values and vision.
2. Commitment:
Do team members actively participate in the team? Do they understand the company’s mission, and see how important their service is to the organization? Do they expect recognition for their work and want to improve their skills through teamwork?
3. Clear expectations:
Executive leaders should tell the team members about what is expected of the team’s performance. Team members should know why the team was built, and executives should support the team with the necessary resources and money.