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Team Building in the Workplace
Traditionally, team building in the workplace has not been a
top-priority for organizations. While the attention was focused on
increasing productivity
or serving clients, the tendency was to neglect the most valuable
asset; the human asset, employees.
However, with the
organizational environment becoming more and more demanding
and
competitive the need for team building has become appearant and
imperative. Team building in the workplace is vital as it
enables better communication, better relationships and
ultimately increases productivity. Valued, respected, motivated
employees commit themselves to go the extra mile to meet and exceed
organizational expectations.
Where to
start?
The key to successful team
building in the workplace is the two Cs approach: Consistency and Commitment.
Team building is not a
simple one time activity or an event just before the
holidays.
It is is a process that requires an integrated, holistic
plan in
order to develop and maintain healthy teams and healthy organizations.
Start with some basis questions:
- Purpose: Does
your
team
has a clear purpose of
existence? Does it have clear realistic goals? Is everyone in the team
aware of expectations, plans and their roles to make it happen? Is
there any ambiguity in their job descriptions and their
responsibilities?
- Big Picture: Is your
team aware
of where they fit in
the organization? Do they have a shared a vision and a shared purpose
of functioning?
- Resources: What
resources are currently
available to your team? Do they know how to access and use them? What
other tools are they missing?
- Communication: What
communication systems are in
place? Is there a two-way communication between the manager and team
members? How do team members communicate with one another? Is there
openness and transparency? How are the decisions being made?
- Enthusiasm: Are your
team
members excited about they do? How do they deal with hurdles
and failure? Do they
smile?
Action
Plan Action for Sustainable Team Building in the Workplace:
Create shared
grounds:
Facilitate the creation of goals
and objectives that all team members
share. Through the facilitation process identify and elevate
common interests, talents, ideas etc.
This way you
are facilitating a shared path that leverages
everyone's
talents and strengths. It makes everyone part of the
solution and it makes the team function as a unified,
well-oiled group. By exploring and elevating common
grounds you are
also
creating a resource-base of expertise and talent
for your agency.
Value
the individual: On top of facilitating a healthy
relationship with your
team as a whole, you also need to build relationships with the
individual
team members. The relationship with each of them will be
customized and
different, but always equal. That involves you talking and listening
and coaching everyone differently, based on their skills, needs and
possibilities. And remember by addressing the team as a group
you are
addressing
commonalities, but by addressing the individual you are addressing
the extraordinary in people, the unique talents and gifts. This gives
amazing results.
Orchestrate
small wins: Managing a few small wins
for your team members
increases their sense of worth and self-esteem. As they
perform
successfully they become more confident and more skillful. This feeds
positivity and brings more
success.
Nurture creativity: By
stimulating your employees creativity you are opening the door to
amazing innovative ideas, plans, visions etc. De-formalize the
process.
Don't just brainstorm a meeting to seek diversity of thoughts
and solutions. Grow it, spread it, allow everyone to
share their thoughts and ideas as often as they wish. Don't just seek
diversity, seek uniqeness. Trigger their
inspiration. Set-up idea boxes, give out idea note pads etc.
Recognize the value of their input.
Make them owners:
Make decisions
with them, plan with them,
visualize the future with them. Transfer leadership to
them, empower them. This is the ultimate stage of a successful team
building process; building self-managed teams, building leaders. Click
here to learn more on how to empower
your employees.
Quick
Tips for Team Building in the Worplace:
- Always root
for your team!
- Keep boosting
their morale and energy!
- Be there for
them!
- Be honest with
them!
Related Articles
Employee
Empowerment
Team
building strategies
Free
Team Building Activities
More
Resources:
Team building is so important that many MBA and masters degree
in organizational leadership programs have incorporated team building
education into their programs.
Team
Building in the Workplace > Team
Building Skills
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Outstanding Leaders
consider themselves a work in progress
Dr Franklin
C. Ashby
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Management
Terms
Decentralization -
pushing power and decision
making downward.
MBO
- Management by Objectives.
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