Teamwork: Does it Exist in Your Organization?

The Webster dictionary defines teamwork as "work done by several associates with each doing a part but all subordinating personal prominence to the efficiency of the whole." Whew!! That's a mouthful. More simply put - several associates each doing part of the work understanding that the efficiency of the whole team is more important than any individual's. 

We all love to belong, to be a part of something. There are endless ways we belong - our families, clubs, organizations, sport teams, and gyms. There are probably an equal number of reasons why we need to belong. We are looking for ways to meet and interact with people, have some fun, share similar interests, work on self-improvement, or merely accomplish a common goal.

But how about the people at your company? Do they feel as if they belong? If your staff had the ability to complete the following survey anonymously, would you be surprised by their answers? What are your answers?

Always, Most Times, Sometimes, Hardly Ever, Never

Do you trust the people on your team?

Can you communicate openly and honestly with team members?

Do you feel like the rest of your team supports you?

Do you feel like you are all working toward a common goal?

If you are looking to enhance corporate results, boost morale, increase employee retention or strengthen your customer service, take a look at the structure you have in place to foster teamwork. A whole will always be much stronger than it's parts.

Here are some suggestions to increase the effectiveness of the team at your company:

Define the mission or goal - If you were asked to close your eyes and, without thinking about it, immediately point in the direction of north, how well would you have done? Most people would immediately look for a reference to give them a sense of direction. Your mission statement is that reference.

Do you have a clearly defined mission for the company? Does every one of your staff know the mission, understand the direction of the company and most importantly, comprehend their role in helping to accomplish this mission? If you don't have one, get your staff involved in the creation of one. With a team developed mission statement, they are more apt to create one they really believe in and support. With clear direction and a means to measure the results, people are motivated towards fulfillment of the mission.

Train, Train, Train - Use professional trainers and facilitators to help your staff develop the skills and the understanding to become an effective team. You can't put people together, give them a project and expect that everything will come out just fine! You must first understand what skills are necessary for them to accomplish the task. With that defined, assess whether or not your staff possesses these skills. If not, then provide the training!! If they do, then reinforce the training!!! All skills will dull without use!

One of the most important skills people need is the ability to communicate. Blending personalities and needs in a work environment while trying to accomplish the end goal is not an easy task. It can be made much easier if everyone is on the same team though. Teaching someone to be part of a team, to communicate openly and honestly is a learned skill.

Understand Their Values - Each one of us developed our beliefs and values from our parents, family, and the world around us. It is with these beliefs and values that we evaluate those we interact with. Educate your team on the importance of understanding and respecting different values and beliefs play. They play a key role in developing a strong team.

Use Team Evaluation Tools - There are a variety of companies that provide team personality profile tools to evaluate each person and how they function in a team environment. These tools help each team member understand not only themselves but also the rest of the tram. It's a small investment towards building an effective team.

Reward Failure - Name a sports team or any other team activity that when they first started didn't experience failure many times before they became a cohesive team. Acknowledge failures as the learning experiences that will get you to the eventual outcome. If they aren't making mistakes, they aren't trying hard enough.

Create Teams Within the Team - Assemble teams to handle projects, develop new products or programs. Create the assignment and let them develop the plan to achieve the outcome. Give them the opportunity to pool their talents and skills and solve the problems. Most people will rise to the challenge when given the opportunity to play a part on the team.

One of the top two reasons people stay with a  company is because they feel like they are a part of the company. Pick that one idea above that you can put into action at your company to increase employee retention and morale.