Building a team (leggi di più sul Team Building in italiano)
The first step to building a successful team is knowing what you need to achieve goals. This can be anything from identifying your weaknesses to finding new employees to finding the right candidates for a specific job. You should start by creating a wish list of what you need in order to succeed. Then, consider how each item on your wish list fits into the company’s current strategy.
We’ll suggest you how to build the best team, and how to manage them.
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An Effective Team
A team is a cooperative group of people, enabling each member to perform better and more than he or she could working alone. A team may be an individual contributor to a larger organization, or may be part of a profession such as medicine, industry or sports. A team is required to accomplish goals in an organization that are relevant to its purpose of service.
Here are characteristics that an effective team must have.
- In successful teams, the team members find a common vision
- There is an underlying trust between team members and an attitude of helping each other.
- Ability to adapt to different contexts
- The ability to make shared decisions: each team member has the right to express his or her point of view but it is equally important to find a common mediation
- Ability to speak with one voice: it is not necessary to become friends on a personal level with your team but it necessary to find the way of a compromise in the decision making process.
- A team works around a goal and is able to communicate it to the entire organization
Here are the important elements to take care of to create the best conditions for building a successful team.
Interpersonal-relations
It is not necessary to become friends on a personal level with your team but it necessary to find the way of a compromise in the decision making process. For example, if two members of the team disagree on a certain issue, then find out why they have different opinions and try to persuade them to compromise.
Organizing a team building undoubtedly creates benefits in the relationships between individual team members because it helps to know them and to train the ability to understand the point of view of others.
There are different ways to propose a team building and there are many formats of team buiding.
Team building can take place on-site or off-site at a chosen location, indoor ot outdoor.
Spending time in a different setting and performing activities other than everyday will allow the team to overcome any barriers and have better opportunities for communication, as well as develop a more complete understanding of each other.
Mission
A company’s mission defines what the company does in their everyday operations. It is often a concise phrase that explains what kind of services/products the company offers and how they would like to be perceived. The mission can also define the strategy or goal of the organization.
Set SMART goals
It is important that a company sets SMART Goals:
- Specific: define clearly the purpose of the team
- Measurable: SMART goals are based on performance standards. This is a quantifiable goal that can be attained by all team members.
- Action-Oriented: SMART goals demand concrete actions with targeted outcomes and they have a project plan to guide team members in achieving them.
- Realistic: SMART goals are based on the probable outcome of team work or individual effort. They should not be overly difficult to attain, but should also challenge the person’s limits and stretch them to improve their performance levels.
- Time-Bound: SMART goals must have set deadlines for completion.
How to build an effective team
To develop an effective team, it is important to know the individuals who will be working together. It is essential that all team members understand their roles as well as their responsibilities and skills. In addition, prospective members should be aware of each other’s strengths and limitations before being accepted into the organization. For example, a central task for management would be to place people according to personality types and skills.
Leadership to support all the team members
An effective leader is able to offer listening to all members and be an example to the whole team. There are different styles of leadership:
- Delegation: this is good for individuals who have a transactional role.
- Development: this is best for those who have already developed themselves in the past. These leaders are able to mentor their staff and offer constructive advice and problem solving when necessary.
- Directive: the leader may be authoritarian or a dictator according to the circumstances but they must always be consistent with decision making as well as rules for employees when training or giving directions.
- Democratic: the leader delegates some of his authority and influence to members of the team, but retains enough power to make firm decisions.
If you are the leader consider that:
- you must identify your short and long-term goals
- you must get to know each team member as an individual
- you must keep the relations professional
Interpersonal-relations
As the team begins to take shape and feeling the sens of community, pay attention the the care of the interpersonal relations and climate, because it is a common thing that in the first phases can be different visions and the necessity to find a way of working together.
It is not necessary to become friends on a personal level with your team but it is necessary to find the way of an effective decision making process solving any conflict.
Organizing a team building undoubtedly creates benefits in the relationships between individual team members because it helps to know them and to train the ability to understand the point of view of others.
There are different ways to propose a team building and there are many formats of team buiding. Team building can take place on-site or off-site, it improves interaction between team members and help them to be more prepared in making decisions and accept feedback. Engaging the team in activities other than day-to-day and in a different context will create a transport effect that will allow the team to break down barriers, have better communication opportunities, and develop a fuller understanding of each other. It can also give team members a chance to appreciate each other for more than just the work they do.
Monitoring, and team building
By monitoring the performance, it can be possible to recognize any problems that may arise and deal with them immediately before they aggravate.
It is important that members of a team monitor their own progress for different reasons:
- to evaluate how well tasks are performed
- to measure the results of the team performance, and also on individual level
- to make sure they work with a sense of the big picture, knowing why every task they do is important for the entire organization
Success Celebrations
Success celebrations are also important because it allows members to reflect on their achievements as well as motivate them for better results in the future.
Conclusion: 5 steps to building a successful team
- Set SMART goals and understand the importance of what SMART means: Specific, Measurable, Action-oriented, Realistic and Timed
- Be able to work in a fast-paced environment and have strong leadership skills
- Members need to be comfortable with one another and all team members should have an equal voice
- Know each other’s strengths and weaknesses and spend time together so they can develop their relative expertise in the team
- Learn the importance of monitoring progress so that team leaders can provide proper feedback whenever needed; adapt their learning style for a more effective performance and celebrate success.
Team building activities are an excellent way for employees to help each other grow as a leader while also advancing their careers.