An effective team can be great for an organization. They help make a company more successful as well as profitable in the process. It is important for every organization to have teams that are effective and productive in order to be successful. Here are 8 characteristics that you need to cultivate in your organization to build an effective team at the workplace.
1. The Team Works Toward a Common Objective
A good team is a focused one. There should be one goal that the entire team works together to accomplish. While individuality is important, each team member should be a part of a larger whole. Therefore, their individual contribution should be a part of a larger system that is trying to accomplish something.
Therefore, it is upon the leader to only set a clear vision of the result of a project, and not the tasks, says award-winning entrepreneur and CEO, Brent Gleeson. Often, a leader can become an obstacle to the team by micromanaging and assigning dedicated tasks for a goal.
The goal should be clear and the team members should figure out how to achieve that objective themselves. This is also great for empowering employees to take initiative and to implement their ideas how they want to.
2. An Effective Team is Organized and Values Each Other’s Time
There is almost always a deadline for any kind of project. Deadlines can help us be more organized and help us value the efforts of other people’s time. An effective team realizes this. They understand the need for being organized in order to achieve their individual goals and the collective goals of the company.
Research shows that there is a relationship between employee efficiency and time management. Being more organized helps with being more productive and efficient in the workplace. That is why if you want your team at work to be more effective and consequently successful, you must create an office culture in which time is given importance. Have your team members organize their schedules and prioritize their assignments accordingly.
3. An Effective Team Doesn’t Shy Away from Problems
Problems can be understood as opportunities for pity or for growth. An effective team understands it as the latter. Each problem presents a chance to develop, learn, and implement new ideas. It is important, thus, for a team to come together and to effectively tackle a new issue. It is an excellent opportunity for a team to develop good teamwork skills as well.
4. A Good Captain is Necessary for an Effective Team
A team can be successful and effective when the person at the helm is competent, inspiring, and empowers the team to do better. Deep Patel, a serial entrepreneur and bestselling author writes that an effective leader must set goals for the team and be willing to continue to inspire their team members by leading by example. This will improve team spirit and help the team to keep pushing to achieve their goals.
5. Diverse Teams Help with Becoming Even More Effective
It is important to get different perspectives when coming up with ideas for a project. This is achievable through a team with diverse educational and social backgrounds. It allows for better developed ideas for projects because of the fact that there are more perspectives to question said ideas’ effectiveness.
Dr Meir Shemla, an associate professor at Rotterdam School of Management, says that diversity makes a company more successful, more effective and, in turn, more profitable. It allows for a greater pool of talent, giving an organization a more comprehensive understanding of the motivations and needs of a greater part of its client base.
6. Open Communication Allows for all Employees to Have a Voice
You can’t have a diverse team and silence them when it comes to decision-making processes. A team member is hired because of their skill set and it is in the best interest of an organization to make use of what their team members have to say.
This can also help remove any notion of favoritism in the workplace, in which some people’s ideas are often favored over others. Employees can feel a sense of belonging in the team when they have the platform to voice their opinions and possibly see those come to fruition through successful projects.
Serial entrepreneur and CEO, David Hassell, says that open communication can lead to an employee feeling valued, which then can allow for a greater sense of ownership in the success of their organization.
7. An Effective Trusts its Members
A team can only work well together if each member trusts the other to do what’s best in achieving a common goal. This means that one team member doesn’t have to worry about the other slacking off – which may result in others picking up the slack in their stead. Every employee should do their own part at the right time so that a sense of trust can develop in the abilities of the members of their team.
8. A Team That Cares about Each Other Works Better
According to an article in the Harvard Business Review, compassion has a great effect on the creativity of a team at the workplace. It discusses that when “people feel like they belong and genuinely care about one another, they will be more creative, resilient, and eager to contribute at work.”
If you are aiming to make your team more effective at work, then you must create a workplace culture that values compassionate workplace-relationships amongst your employees. Give guidance when necessary and allow your team to bond together by assigning tasks to themselves and each other for a common goal. Working together to achieve a common objective can allow for more interaction and, in turn, foster better relationships.
Last Few Words
Creating an effective team starts at the level of the leader. It is important to cultivate a workplace culture that allows team members the opportunity to work together to develop and implement their ideas.
