Managers and most companies do not consider team building exercises as a high priority. A companies target is to provide good customer/client service and satisfaction and to have high productivity and the only way they can achieve this is by having a co-operative workforce.
Many companies neglect the most vital part of a workforce and that is communication, and now that the business world and the economy becomes increasingly competitive, workloads and workforces can decrease because of the lack of money.
By promoting team building within the workplace, it will encourage staff will communicate a lot better, they can build stronger relationships and help build morale within the workplace. This will all result in a happier and more productive workforce. When everyone respects and acknowledges each other within a company, extra steps will be taken to achieve any goals or targets and take it beyond the expectations.
So where do you start?
Commitment and consistency are the two most important elements to building up successful teams. Team building is a process and cannot be done and dusted in a single day or a weekend retreat, it demands a comprehensive strategy which aims at developing and maintaining a team-oriented work environment. But it doesn't have to be a trip away anywhere, team building can be done in the workplace daily, for example, gathering ideas on what the company can do to promote themselves.
Tip#1 is to involve everyone, even if they are in different departments. This way each person in each department can interact and talk with each other.
Tip #2 is to not shoot ideas down if you or other people think they won't work. Bouncing ideas off each other is the best way to develop new ideas.
Tip #3 is the opposite of tip #2, praise everyone for any ideas and try and continue the idea and think of new ideas around other ideas as well.
Whether your talking to a team or just one person, everyone should be open to ideas. Having an open door policy within a company can really help build up morale and confidence within a team. It is also important to encourage people to think outside the box and be more creative with their ideas - but remember, every idea is a good idea!
When starting to begin the process of team building, think to yourself and get the workforce to think:
- What is the purpose? Is every team member aware of their role and what is expected of them? Does everyone know what goals they are working towards?
- What is the bigger picture? Does the team know what they bring to the organisation? Do members have a clear understanding of the wider goals as an entire company?
- What resources do you have? Are the available resources easy to access? Are the team and management aware of these resources and how to use them? Is the team missing some resources that could help them reach their goal?
- What communication do the team members have? Is the whole team part of a decision making process?
- Is there high morale within the workplace? Do members of the team enjoy their work? Do they know of any strategies to use if obstacles appear? Do team members know how to deal with failure?
Encouraging discussion can help individuals find a common goal with other members of the team. It can also highlight any interests and ideas between colleagues which can help build strong relationships. Common goals, interests and ideas can build a foundation for a workforce to start becoming a strong team and start to improve company operations.
Treating every member fairly can lead to them trusting and respecting others more. This maybe quite hard because obviously, you build different types of relationships with different people of the team depending on who you work closely with. You have a way around this, listening and talking to everyone in the same way, will show that you value each member fairly. For example, when you speak to a whole team, you're speaking to them as a whole and not concentrating on an individual. When you're speaking to someone of their own, you should speak to them as individuals and acknowledge their individuality, which leads to them respecting you.
Always give your team confidence and encouragement that they need to succeed. Developing teams which can manage themselves and maintain the team building process is the real goal of team building.
Remember:
- Always encourage your team
- Keep their morale and energy up and make that a daily goal
- Be ready to listen and talk to any team member
- Communicate openly and honestly with your team and they will do the same.
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