The best way to run your business, is to have a team that work together, teamwork is the way forward. The process of working collaboratively with a group of people in order to achieve a goal.
Teamwork is a crucial part of a business, as it is often necessary for colleagues to work well together, however simple or complex a task is. Teamwork means that people will try to cooperate, using their individual skills and ideas and by providing constructive feedback. When a business lacks teamwork, the business will suffer. There are many suggestions for ways to improve teamwork.
Encourage Social Activities
Teamwork works well when workers know each other and are comfortable discussing a variety of issues. Arranging team building activities will encourage people to build on a good, strong working relationship. Events could be informal, such as meeting together over coffee at the nearby café, or the team building event may be more intense, such as a competitive sports day, requiring people to work close together as a team.
Identify any existing problems
Ask the team for feedback to assess what needs changing and where improvements can be made. Examples of problems include one group member being unable to meet deadlines, conflict over how best to proceed on the project. Although people might think it best to let issues/problems resolve themselves over time, this isn’t the best option as it may take a long time or not resolve itself at all, causing more stresses between the time. Always handle a problem the moment they arise. Encourage group members to discuss issues collectively, instead of letting the problem grow.
Negativity between the team is not encouraged. Comments such as, “we’ve tried that, and it didn’t work”, or “that’s not a good idea” is not going to make people feel comfortable to openly discuss their ideas in the future. Any ideas that people share, should be considered, and viewed as a team. Always remember that every member of a team has their own strengths, whether it be improving a process, reaching a goal, or creating something new and exciting.
So, overtime, to be able to continuously better the skills amongst the team, first keep focused on the positives. How do the team, and all individuals contribute successfully towards the business? Identify individual’s strengths and their weaknesses, so these can be worked on and over time, improved. To begin with, praise all the positives, maybe give them a new responsibility or role that highlights their strengths, and on the other hand, with the areas where there is room for improvement, point this out tactfully. Always remind the individual it isn’t bad to have negatives, everyone has them. Define the key roles of each member clearly, so there isn’t any confusion.
Communication between a team is crucial. Without communication, a team will not work. Holding regular reviews with the team, meetings and discussions will allow the team to bond, gain trust within one another and to openly share their ideas for the business.
Mary Clarke
