Team-building is an essential step to running a well-functioning business or organization. Without team-building, employees may feel that they are doing their jobs in a vacuum and that their concerns are unheard of by management. There are many aspects of team building that can be put in place in any corporate structure which can ensure a business is set up for success.
What is Team-Building?
Team-building is the process of transforming a group of individual employees into a functional group organized to collaborate and meet their customers’ needs. Team-building involves building bonds between group members, fostering a spirit of respect for each other and their common goals.
Team-building includes the daily interactions that employees have when they work together to carry out job requirements. The team should create a set of procedures that everyone should follow to get the job done and how team members should interact to produce positive results.
Team-building may sometimes involve structured activities like team retreats led by team members or by an outside facilitator. These events are usually effective in promoting a rapport between employees. Still, if they are poorly managed, they will turn off employees and reduce their chances of working together effectively.
Team bonds enable employees to get the job done in accordance with the goals of your company. Make sure that team-building opportunities are directly related to the team’s daily duties and special projects.
Daniel Menard, a senior executive and business coach from Carignan, Quebec, is well aware of how important team-building is in the workplace. According to Daniel, there are a number of advantages that a properly constructed team can bring to your company as a whole.
Areas Where Positive Team-Building Can Help Your Company
Daniel Menard says that the primary function of team-building in the workplace is encouraging proper communication. Teams that communicate in a collegial, respectful manner are far more likely to be able to get the job done. When employees get to know each other outside the confines of their jobs, they are more likely to relate to one another on a personal level, giving them a place to start conversations and a shared sense of commonality.
Team-building can also help employees live up to the organization’s values. This is especially important for nonprofit organizations, where the mission may take first place over any sense of profitability. Every team member needs to believe in the mission and know how their job fits into the organization’s overall function.
How to Build a Team
Team-Building Consultants
Many employers outsource team-building to consultants. They run retreats and meetings meant to foster personal relationships between employees and make sure that everyone is on the same page. While these retreats and events are effective, they can be costly. Companies do not have to spend a great deal of money on team-building activities to accomplish amazing results.
Fostering A Collaborative Work Environment
Fostering a collaborative environment among people with different job descriptions may be tricky, but it is one of the primary building blocks of team-building. Everyone needs to understand that they are working together, and competition should be kept at a minimum. Some exceptions include sales and marketing professionals who are highly motivated by a spirit of friendly competition. Team members should know that they are not competing for their leaders’ attention and goodwill.
Proper Training
Properly training new employees and integrating their efforts into the team’s work can promote team-building. New employees are sometimes left to figure out the team’s function and relationships on their own, but it is good to have a meeting where the new members are introduced and where their job functions are set out in relation to the rest of the team.
Communication
A balance needs to be struck between communication, skill, individual intelligence, and a shared commitment to common goals. We have already established that a positive method of communication is the most important element of team-building, but the other points also deserve attention.
Skill-Building and Individual Intelligence
Without skill, a team cannot succeed. Team members need to be good at their jobs, or they need to be coachable to improve upon their performance.
Individual intelligence is important, but it is secondary to communication and skill. Highly intelligent team members should be included to provide new perspectives and creative thought. Still, team members with less innate intelligence and more capacity for teamwork are equally crucial to have on hand.
A commitment to a shared ideal is a must. Everyone on the team needs to know how their efforts fit into the company’s goals. Too many employees feel that they are toiling in a vacuum and that no one cares about their output and contributions. Every team member needs to be encouraged to do the right thing and to take the company’s values to heart.
If Team-Building Doesn’t Happen
A workplace without a proper capacity for team-building does not function as well. When people are doing their jobs in a disconnected fashion, they do not have enough contact with their coworkers to produce a coherent whole. They may be unsure about the company’s goals and how their work fits into them. It will be impossible for them to build a properly functioning team.
Team-Building is Essential for Success
However you choose to build your teams in the workplace, you should be aware that you are completing an essential activity. Ensure that your human resources professionals are well-trained in team-building activities, but do not confine team-building to human resources alone. Department supervisors should also take part in team-building.
Daniel Menard wants companies to understand that team-building is an essential part of working toward success. When leaders follow those recommendations, they will be able to create a more effective team.
