by Randall S. Hansen, Ph.D.
Working in teams is inevitable. For years now, organizational leaders have
recognized the added value that comes from having employees work in formal
or informal teams, but over the last two decades even greater emphasis has
been placed on work teams. Several studies indicate that more than 80
percent of organizations employ multiple types of workplace teams.
Team-building and teamwork skills are essential in the workplace and
highly desirable skills to possess when seeking a new job or promotion.
Teams working at their potential generate more productivity and better
solutions than if all the individual members had worked independently.
How can you be a better team member? How can you get your team to work
more effectively as a team? How can you lead your team to success? Here
are 10 tips for creating better teams.
1. Foster Open Communications. The best teams are those in which
every member shares their thoughts and opinions with the group, and where
decision-making is based on dialogue and not dictatorship. But open
communication is not just about having an atmosphere in which people can
talk freely -- it's also about team members listening to each other and valuing
each other's opinions. If your team lacks open communications, bring it up at
your next team meeting.
2. Build Trust. Trust is the cornerstone of all effective teams. Without trust,
there really is no team, just a collection of individuals working together. Teams
need to develop to a point where every member trusts that every other member
will do the work required and be an active member of the team. One of the trendy
methods of trust-building is having team participate in a ropes-challenge course,
where teams work together to solve problems.
3. Set Clear Goals. A team without specific goals will not nearly be as
effective as a team with goals. Goals should be specific, including a deadline
for completion. But goals should not necessarily always come from the leader
of the team; all goals should be discussed by the entire team, especially in situations
in which deadlines will be tight.
4. Review Progress. Once goals have been set, the team frequently goes
off to complete all the tasks to achieve its goal. This scenario is perfectly fine,
except that in too many instances, new information or actions can affect the goal's
completion. Thus, teams benefit from conducting regular check-ins with all team
members -- perhaps something as often as weekly -- to review progress and iron
out any wrinkles or overcome obstacles that have arisen.
5. Encourage Cooperation, not Competition. Despite being placed in teams
with co-workers competing with you for your next promotion, you must find a way
to collaborate with every member of the team. One of the worst labels in the workplace
is that of "not being a team player." You will be plenty of time to showcase your
personal accomplishments, but without your cooperation, your team may not succeed.
Collaboration is a must.
6. Focus on Professionalism. The reality of life is that we all have certain
types of personalities that clash with our own, but for teams to work, you have to
put aside these petty differences and focus on the positive aspects of all team
members. Remember that you are not forging lifelong friendships with your team,
you simply need to work together to achieve your goals. Downplay people's
negative traits and focus on their positives –- just as they will yours.
7. Celebrate Differences/Diversity. One of the best trends in society, as well as the
workplace, has been a growing diversity of people -- by race, ethnicity, gender, and
age. Diversity introduces new ways of thinking and leads to new ideas and better
decisions. Rather than feeling uncomfortable that most of the team does not look
or act like you, celebrate their individual differences and the value that each brings
to the team.
8. Be Enthusiastic. Even if you generally prefer to work by yourself, the
reality you are face is that teams in the workplace are here to stay. One way to
make the best of the situation is to jump into the team experience with as much
enthusiasm as possible. Enthusiasm is contagious, so not only will your enthusiasm
help you feel better about being a team member, it will lead other team members to
also become more enthusiastic.
9. Share the Work/Do the Work. The best teams are those in which
each member plays a vital part in work that results in superior performance; thus it
is imperative that each member not only feels he or she plays a vital role, but
actually does so. But sharing the work is only part of the equation. The other part is
that once the work has been assigned, each team member must be accountable
to complete the tasks. Much as been written about the "free-rider" problem within
teams, but with individual accountability within the team, people cannot hide
from their team responsibilities.
10. Clarify Responsibilities to the Team. Often one of the main causes of
team members not completing their work is not because they are "slackers,"
but because they simply do not understand their role on the team -- or the importance
that their work will lend to the team. The key here is that each team member must
totally understand his or her role on the team and responsibility to the team so the
team can succeed.
Final Thoughts
Your work life will include individual and team projects and assignments, and as
you move up the organization, the importance of working well in teams -- and leading
teams to success -- will gain more and more value. If you take these 10 tips to heart,
your satisfaction with teamwork and your performance on the team will improve greatly.
Finally, how do you think you measure up as a team player? Take our
Quintessential Careers
Quiz: Are You a Team Player?
Helpful Team, Team-Building Books
Instant Team Building, by Bradley J. Sugars (McGraw-Hill).
Quick Teambuilding Activities for Busy Managers: 50 Exercises That Get Results in Just 15 Minutes, by
Brian Cole Miller (American Management Association).
The Team Building Tool Kit: Tips, Tactics, and Rules for Effective Workplace Teams, by
Deborah Harrington-MacKin (American Management Association).
Team Players and Teamwork, by Glenn M. Parker (Jossey-Bass).
When Teams Work Best: 6,000 Team Members and Leaders Tell What It Takes to Succeed, by Frank
LaFasto and Carl Larson (Sage Publications).
Find related books in the Workplace Books
section of our Career and Job-Hunting Bookstore.
Questions about some of the terminology used in this article? Get more information (definitions and links) on key college, career, and job-search
terms by going to our Job-Seeker's Glossary of Job-Hunting Terms.
Dr. Randall S. Hansen is founder of Quintessential Careers,
one of the oldest and most comprehensive career development sites on the Web, as well CEO of
EmpoweringSites.com. He is also founder of
MyCollegeSuccessStory.com and
EnhanceMyVocabulary.com. He is publisher of
Quintessential Careers Press,
including the Quintessential Careers electronic newsletter,
QuintZine. Dr. Hansen is also a
published author, with several books, chapters in books, and hundreds of articles. He's often
quoted in the media and conducts empowering workshops around the country. Finally, Dr. Hansen is
also an educator, having taught at the college level for more than 15 years. Visit his
personal Website or
reach him by email at randall(at)quintcareers.com.
