Building a Better Team

Sep 10

Building a Better Team

There is no ‘I’ in a team. Together everyone achieves more. No one of us is as wise as all of us. A basic premise of team building is that the skills, gifts, assets and contributions that each individual possesses contribute to the team’s work. Teams don’t just happen. The success of any project depends on the team that works on it. A simple project might fail if the team is not effective, but a very complex project may succeed due to the efforts that a team puts in.

A good team leads to enhanced motivation, increased morale, greater productivity, harder work, more open communication and higher job satisfaction In short, they act like a jelly. In a good team, members help others & complementing each other, know each others strengths & weaknesses. They develop their own culture and norms.

Have you ever worked in a team, where you felt that you are very important and equally responsible, where everyone is ready to help you when you are stuck, where your opinion matters, where you have learned much from others and you never wanted to leave the team? I have. I owe much of my knowledge to that team. In my short experience, I have noticed how greater teamness (I know their is no word like teamness, but that is best I could use to convey the message) is effective and how demanding it is. It requires peak performance form everyone. The team I was in with my ex-employer has its unique signature. Guys outside the team envy us and still wanted to be part of that team. There was some sense of excitement, commitment & dedication and everyone in the team wanted to give his best shot.

A lot of above said depends on how good the leader of the team is. Few days back I read a survey on Why intelligent people leave jobs?. The finding of it were astonishing – More people leave jobs because of there immediate supervisors than any other reasons (money, work, etc). Aha! It makes sense!! Though this question is not related to this article, but the point I want to make here is that your BOSS makes a big difference in how you work and how you want to. When a team member leaves the team, he takes away the experience and expertise with him.

For effective team working in any team, it is essential that there exists trust between the team members. The definition of trust is, ‘ a firm belief in the reliability, truth or strength of a person or thing’. Trust needs touch. It is slow to develop and quick to be lost. It is built in a team over time through shared experiences in which members show themselves trustworthy by communicating openly, following through with commitments and acting effectively with and for the team. Effective teams are engaged continuously in problem solving and task performance, member inclusion, participation, loyalty, commitment, interaction, member roles, power, politics.

Building team requires interaction, and once it has been established, high degree of active and proactive action to maintain it. Action will maintain members confidence that the team is able to manage the uncertainty, risk, and points of vulnerability, yet the conveyance of action has as a requisite the communication of individual activities (Iacono & Weisband, 1997).

A direct communication is the most rewarding in building trust. It is also supposed to be richer as compared to other forms of communication available. Almost 80% of you communication consist of body language such as gestures, facial expression and postures. I prefer to talk face-to-face rather then sending a mail for any help required.

Building a better team requires 100% contribution from each team member, and it should always be remembered that teams are fragile social units. Small teams are more cohesive than big teams. Smallness is important because it ensures effective communication amongst the team members. Hiring of right people is important. And though it is very difficult to identify right people, every effort should be made to hire them. It is individuals responsibility to build the team. Before joining any new team, make sure that you really want to join it. Ask yourself why you want to be here? And can you contribute to it in any way?

A very clear action plan (project plan) should be made, so that it is clear who do what by when. This avoids confusion and misunderstanding and frees us up to do work rather than wonder. Conflicts and differences should be managed with in the team. Though, I agree, they can not be avoided but that can really be minimized. Not everyone can be happy with every decision. Few believes that one has to be diplomat in solving these issues, but being a diplomat in handling the differences is not the only requirement. In my opinion it is the least required quality. Rather than making everyone happy, you should consider what is best in the interest of the team and the product and the company. A friend of mine once said that You can not make everyone happy, and if you try to then you will end up being unhappy. Facing conflict and working through differences takes honesty, openness and courage, but it will ultimately bring the team closer together.

While writing this, I read a story whose title and author is unknown, but I have included it here, and have not changed a word of it.

Geese Team (Story)
- Title and author unknown

During the fall, when you see Geese heading south for the winter flying along in V formation. You might consider what science has discovered about why they fly that way:
As each bird flaps its wings, it creates uplift for the bird immediately following. By flying in V formation, the whole flock adds at least 71% greater flying range than if each bird flew on its own.

PEOPLE WHO SHARE A COMMON DIRECTION AND SENSE OF COMMUNITY CAN GET WHERE THEY ARE GOING MORE QUICKLY AND EASILY BECAUSE THEY ARE TRAVELING ON THE THRUST OF ONE ANOTHER.

When a goose falls out of formation, it suddenly feels the drag and resistance of trying to go it alone and quickly gets back into formation to take advantage of the lifting power of the bird immediately in front of it.

IF WE HAVE AS MUCH SENSE AS A GOOSE, WE WILL STAY IN FORMATION WITH THOSE WHO ARE HEADED THE SAME WAY WE ARE.

When the lead goose gets tired it rotates back into the wing formation and another goose flies in the point position.

IT’S SENSIBLE TO TAKE TURNS WITH DEMANDING JOBS & LEADERSHIP. PEOPLE (OR GEESE FLYING SOUTH) ARE INTERDEPENDENT ON EACH OTHER’S SKILLS, CAPABILITIES, GIFTS, TALENTS & RESOURCES.

Geese honk from behind to encourage those up front to keep up their speed.

WE NEED TO MAKE SURE OUR HONKING IS ENCOURAGING. THE POWER OF ENCOURAGEMENT IS THE QUALITY OF HONKING WE SEEK.

Finally…and this is important…when a goose gets sick or is wounded by gunshots, and falls out of formation, two other geese fall out with that goose and follow it down to lend help and protection. They stay with the fallen goose until it is able to fly, or until it dies; and only then do they launch out on their own, or with another formation, to catch up with their group.

IF WE HAVE THE SENSE OF A GOOSE, WE WILL STAND BY EACH OTHER LIKE THAT!!!