Build a top team! | Sunday Observer

Build a top team!

23 July, 2017

When you walk into your office, do you really feel alive - do you eagerly look forward to another week at work? Or is it a drag because of the culture of competition and suspicion that permeates the atmosphere, where too much paperwork and procedures kill the spirit of accomplishment; where managers who are cold and remote drown your spirit with despondency?

Take a closer look at some great companies that have the following common values: the staff members enjoy working together; they have a strong sense of belonging and they know that together they are involved in doing something that has a significant meaning.

It is one thing to have an inspiring vision and a compelling mission. But, it is a completely different story to make that vision and mission come alive. For that to happen, you need a winning team. It is true that a winning team can be great and do wonders. Yet, if we get it wrong, it can turn out to be the worst thing that can ever happen to an organization. So, how can we ensure that our team really works?

Culture and team spirit

Pay attention to corporate culture. Statistics reveal that 60% to 70% of mergers and acquisitions fail because the corporate culture aspect is taken for granted. ‘The way we do things here’; ‘the way we behave even when the top management is not watching’, are some simple, yet, powerful means of defining corporate culture.

Team spirit is at the heart of all great achievements. It gives a sense of belonging and working together, connecting with a great cause and understanding the importance of customers.

For example, even in a small cafe, a lot of synchronization between cooks, stewards and cashiers is required to ensure customer satisfaction. Lack of good relationship and team spirit can have disastrous consequences. It is important that we accept and work together with our assigned teams. If our team members are constantly criticized and berated, they would get demoralized. There is an average distribution of abilities and intelligence among staff, and taking that into consideration, equal opportunities should be given to all members. Yet, for those with higher capabilities, assign whatever work is best for them, e.g. encourage them to get involved in research work or to write academic papers, if they are inclined that way.

Diversity and trust

All of us are different; we have different capabilities and play different roles within a team. Some of us are detail conscious, while others are inclined toward strategy and direction. A few others may be commercial viability oriented and the rest, experts in delivering at grassroots level. The more diverse a team, the more creative and dynamic it could become. Where there is diversity, trust needs to be built. Where trust is present, invincible teams are birthed. Trust is built gradually, when people share their experiences together, inside and outside of work.

Flexibility and strength

By having flexible work boundaries, everyone is encouraged to learn to do a bit of each other’s roles while focusing on their area of strength. This would help the team to reach its full potential, while concentrating on their area of expertise. They should be willing to do whatever is required to make the team win.

Promoting shared values is important in a workplace. If team members embrace the same values, it would stimulate cohesiveness. So, freely articulate values and ensure they are institutionalized into the fabric of the organization. Publicly praise those who practice values that you perceive as important to the success of the team. Encourage honest and respectful communication within teams. Consistent, clear and courteous communication builds team spirit.

It becomes unfortunate, when some team members promote selfish agendas and motives. If such members continuously put others down, take all the credit, sabotage teamwork and make themselves more important than the rest, then intervention is necessary.

Empathetic observation based feedback to the offenders is a vital component in making effective teams. A wise man once clarified the difference between heaven and hell this way: he said, heaven is a place where people help and serve each other, whereas in hell people pull one another down and refuse to be of assistance. Is your workplace a heaven or a hell on earth? People work for money, but they would die for a cause. If employees willingly extend their energy, support and goodwill for the sake of the company, you can be proud that together, you have indeed built a top team with a great cause to celebrate!

(The writer is an HRD & Business Psychology Practitioner) 

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