101: Nurturing Teamwork
Teamwork, or collaboration, can be a tricky business. If employees don't work well together, it can drain the energy of everyone involved and negatively impact a project. Some team members may try to dominate the group. Others may not be pulling their weight. With deadlines looming and goals to reach, it pays to lay the groundwork early when forming a team. Here are three ways to keep everyone united (and effective):
Set it up. Establishing ground rules and a team mission is a crucial — and often overlooked — first step, said Dave Mattson in an article at Sandler.com. He recommends clearly articulating the team's mission and opening up the discussion for questions, to prevent misunderstandings. “Create a reporting infrastructure so that team members knows their roles and to whom they should report a problem,” Mattson wrote.
Remember STAR. STAR is a model used to illustrate important elements of teamwork, which happen in different phases, according to The-Happy-Manager.com: strengths/teamwork/alignment/results. The concept is that if a team member is using his or her strengths, he or she is better positioned for teamwork, can be aligned toward a goal by an effective leader and achieve results. “However, too much emphasis on the individual can cause significant problems,” the article said. “Instead of individual strengths coming together, what you often see is the weaknesses of individuals surfacing.”
Don't micromanage. Nothing thwarts the promoting of teamwork like micromanaging. Show your team you trust them, just as they need to trust each other. “Challenge them to do well, but don't push or badger them,” said an article at SmallBusinessChron.com, “and express gratitude to them for doing their jobs well.”
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