Nearly every workplace requires employees to be part of a team. Each team member needs to bring forth their best efforts to communicate effectively and work together, which hopefully leads to improved team effectiveness and more success. If a team doesn’t work well together, it can impact the entire organization.
Unfortunately, sometimes teams simply do not work efficiently. There can be “blockages” which cause issues leading to failures in projects. If teammates don’t get along, the entire team suffers – deadlines are missed, arguments take place, and stress builds. When there is a problem in a team, the issue should be addressed by the manager or colleagues immediately to prevent any further fallout. But oftentimes the problems are ignored and tension begins to build. However, if a team knows about the most important qualities they should possess, it’s easier to prevent blockages and grow together.
There are five areas that should be acknowledged when working as a team:
Mission, vision, and goals – The team should have a strong vision of the future and the organization should have a clearly defined and well-communicated mission statement and purpose. Plans are created as a team and work is managed against the goals or objectives.
Team roles – Work should be organized to support the team’s goals, and each team member should have a clearly defined role. If everyone knows what their own responsibilities are, the team can function well and move smoothly through complex projects.
Operating processes – Teams should be aware of the organization’s operating processes. Policies and procedures are used to manage the work or operations of the group, like problem solving, conflict management and decision making.
Interpersonal relationships – Team members needs to be able to work well with each other. Trust is key in a team where each person is responsible for both their own tasks and the achievement of the team as a whole.
Inter-team relationships – Teams also need to work with other teams in an organization. When teams are competitive or hostile it is a drain on the entire company and this often leads to serious failures. Teams must work cooperatively and collaboratively in order for an organization to succeed.
Why Work to Improve Team Effectiveness?
One of the biggest priorities for teammates should be the effectiveness of the team itself. Each team member should know what their responsibilities are, and communicate with others when there are any issues – and they should also keep the team’s objectives and goals in mind at all times. If a team works well together, there are less problems in the organization overall. The team can handle any task thrown their way and this leads to a better bottom line.
To learn how to improve team effectiveness, watch HRDQ’s webinar “Team Effectiveness: What is it Anyway?” . You will learn about the HRDQ product Team Effectiveness Profile, and discover how to identify issues that block effectiveness, how to reduce or eliminate problems that can drain a group’s energy, and how to maximize the group’s productive efforts. Watch the webinar today!
