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How To Achieve Productivity By Working Together In A Team
By Kavita JhaveriNov 10, 2019
We all know the importance of teamwork and the resulting differences in opinion, ego clashes, miscommunication, fallouts, manoeuvres for self-progress etc. due to people working together. All these factors surely have an impact on productivity, department image, meeting deadlines and reputation. Thus we need to inculcate a cordial culture among the team members so that productivity remains unaffected.
Congruous performance by team members is a critical factor to achieve end-goal. It is in the advantage of the organisation to have a strong performing team. When the performance of such a team is correctly utilized, the team feels worthily recognised as a unit.
Teamwork creates a bond within everyone as all included is working towards the same goal. The process of team-building and teamwork should ideally never come to a halt.
Practice these to make a happy team willing to work
The most recommended means to inculcate team spirit is through leading by example. Team members will follow you if you set an example of performance and conduct.
To create a ‘sense of belonging’, as a team leader you should identify the strengths of each member and allot tasks accordingly, provide a platform for neutral and unbiased feedback on work, give equal weightage to the contribution of each team member.
Remember to construct the team efforts towards organisational goals. Otherwise, the efforts will lay scattered and will not contribute to anything particularly significant. To maintain harmony, it is essential that the team works in synchronization towards organisational growth even if the workload is distributed.
Whenever an opportunity arrives, never shy away from acknowledging top achievers without creating any sort of envy or negativity in the team’s outlook.
A survey conducted by Gallup has found that employees whose strengths are utilized effectively are likely to be 8% more productive. Reward accomplishers but don’t discourage or reprimand those failed. Recognition definitely boosts self-esteem but also do recognise those who made a failed attempt.
The reason behind what makes a culture based on strength to position itself as stronger is because diversification of intellectuality is able to make the teams more productive and can gamble or rather manage the risks better.
Every team has its limitations, so learn to accept these. Don’t get swayed into getting disheartened when you notice that the recently introduced productivity strategy is not performing as resulting. Team-building is a long term process as there are no shortcuts or sure-shot strategies. Be ready to acknowledge that things won’t always go the way you predict.
The team leader needs to ensure that there is no subjectivity involved when devising strategies for group performance or giving feedback. At the same time bear in mind that feedback and communication is a two-way channel.
It is quite likely that the team member has some powerful suggestions that might impact or improve team performance. Thus be open to suggestions, learning and evolving. Companies who have mapped out regular sessions on employee feedback witness much lower turnover and in turn higher productivity.
The goals set for each team should be realistic and achievable within the stipulated time period. Otherwise the team members might find themselves overloaded, discontent, stressed and agitated.
All of which will again impact productivity in a negative fashion. As a team leader, you should be confident about the abilities of the team members. Only then can efforts be aligned in a single desired direction.
Regularly indulge the team in extra-curricular activities to keep them refreshed and not let monotony set in. encourage healthy competition and do not allow to make any room for bitterness and resentment. Enhanced team spirit can not only ensure quality work but also pace up the work activity towards finish.
A team can be referred to as ‘high performing’ when they are collectively focused on the goal and have niche expertise with skills that complement those of other team members. These members are able to collaborate, innovate and produce results which are optimum quality on a consistent basis.
There is tireless pursuance to strive for excellent performance and these are supported by common goals, inspiring leadership open channels of communication, clarity of work expectations. Besides these there are also defined operations rules to abide by the group, prompt resolving of conflicts and a committed zone of accountability, responsibility, strong sense of ethics, trust and loyalty towards its members.
As per a model developed by Dr Bruce Tuckman, there are four stages to team development charted out. These are namely: forming, storming, norming and performing.
An important impediment to routine team performance is the need for holding team meetings. While these may be necessary at times, make sure that these do not consume more than the precise time. Avoid calling for meetings unless mandatory and include only those members which are needed, otherwise these can tend to while away time. If meetings are to happen everyday, try to schedule them in the morning hours and not more than 15-20 mins to discuss that which is imperative.
A small yet effective trick to kickstart team activities is to bring in a motivational message. Like is the practice of ‘thought of the day’ or ‘good morning’ messages which float around. Encourage team members to bring in a quote each day, or share some learning experiences. These again do not have to be like long speeches, just something spot on to revive the mood, bring in energy and get the team worked up. A sure shot way to make the team look forward to their work with jubilance.
Teamwork pays off
While all these are some proven methods of achieving productivity by working together in a team, it has to be borne in mind that each team carries distinct characteristic combinations. Not all the methods will result in the exact fashion for each. What is more important is that the team feels at home and is comfortable working with each other yet are serious about their work.
For a close-knit team it is easier to have trust on each other and fill in for the other’s absence. That is not to say that they should cover up the mistakes and compromise on their values. A formidable team is not only endearing to observe and seek inspiration from, these can also prove to be role-models to their colleagues.
Work doesn’t then seem mundane and team members shall not just stick to assigned or routine activities. They will seek more work and be proactive in approach. This definitely cuts off time utilized for assigned tasks and shoots up productivity. Wouldn’t workplace then seem like a friendly environment and nothing less than heaven!