10 Ways to Improve Teamwork
Is it time to improve teamwork at your organization? Many studies show good teamwork improves efficiency, production, employee retention, and job satisfaction. However, I’ve seen very few organizations work at improving teamwork. If you’ve been in management for even a short time, you’ve experienced the benefits of a team working together or the detriment caused by teams working against each other. Is it time to work on improving teamwork in your organization?
10 Ways to Improve Teamwork
1. Help Each Other
It might sound silly to say helping each other improves teamwork because if you work together, you help each other. Not always. Have you ever heard, said, or thought the following? “It’s not my problem,” “Not my department, “Let them figure it out.” I have said all of this, and that’s not good teamwork. These are examples of workplace silos. A silo is when an individual or department separates itself from the rest of the organization. If you want to break down your silos, read this How to Demolish Silos and why You Should
2. Learn How to Communicate
Have you ever sent an email, left a message, or texted someone with no response? Of course, you have. We all have. With all the communication choices today it’s easy to get lost. For example, I check my email three times a day, so if you email me an urgent message, it could be hours before I see it. That’s not a problem if I inform others to text or call me if it’s urgent because I don’t check email every minute and have turned off email notifications. (Too many distractions when I’m writing.) Here’s my point: talk with your team about communication! Want to learn more? Read this. Why Communication in the Workplace Sucks.
3. Be Honest
Being honest with teammates is more than telling the truth; it’s sharing the entire story and all the details. Omitting facts or overselling are lies. Tell the truth even if it hurts. “Whether at home or the office, if you commit to something and then don’t follow through, is that a lie? I think it is. However, in business, I too often hear, “That’s just business,” “Sometimes it happens,” “I had other priorities,” or some other such nonsense.” — What is a Lie?
4. Share Meetings
Whether it’s your direct team or other departments, you should share meetings. It doesn’t have to be every week, but it can be. You can discuss project status, brainstorm ideas, share recognition, and more. “I’ve conducted thousands of meetings, and every one of them began as an outline. By creating an outline, you’ll better understand what you want to discuss, how long it will take, and who will be involved.”– Here’s more. How to Plan an Effective Meeting
5. Make Goals
Setting team goals together is an excellent way to improve teamwork. It can be as simple as developing a checklist for cleaning the restroom and setting a goal to follow it. The biggest mistake I see when people set goals is not including an action plan. A goal without a plan of action is a wish. How to Set Team Goals in 15 minutes.
6. Make Commitments
Make commitments to each and then think of them as promises. Don’t make a promise you’re not committed to keeping and don’t commit to anything you might not be capable of doing. Do commit to giving your team your best, to honesty, and to serving the team.
7. Track Progress
As a team, track progress, such as production. If possible, compare it to previous time periods, such as the previous month or the same period last year. Track safety, time to completion, and profits and losses, but also track team goals and commitments.
8. Problem Solve as a Team
“A decision needs to be made. It’s your call. What do you do? Throw a dart, spin a wheel, or ask the magic eight ball? Should you consult a Ouija board, or use structured techniques to analyze and plan solutions? It’s a leader’s responsibility to direct problem-solving, not bury your head in the sand and hope problems go away.” — 7 Steps to Problem Solving and More
9. Give Specific Recognition
Study after study shows that recognition is one of the keys to happy employees, and happy employees make happy teams. There’s nothing wrong with platitudes like “Thank you” or “Good job,” but why not take it a step further and go into detail? Instead of saying good work on project X why not talk about the steps taken to achieve the good work? Not only does this share that you care and are paying attention, but many teammates will repeat the process because of the recognition.
10. Don’t Backstab, Gossip, or Be Passive Aggressive
I can’t think of anything that will do more to tear a team apart than passive-aggressive behavior. “The NYU Medical Center defines a passive-aggressive individual as someone who “may appear to comply or act appropriately, but actually behaves negatively and passively resists.” Oftentimes, passive-aggression is comprised of anger, hostility, or learned helplessness in disguise, expressed in a covert, underhanded way to “even the score,” and with the hope of “getting away with it.” — Psychology Today
So, is it time to work on improving teamwork at your organization? Even if your team works well together, there’s always room for improvement. Berger Hargis is currently conducting team-building meetings, seminars, and projects. You can do the same. Start holding short meetings on each of these 10 topics. The links in each provide information you can share. One 30-minute meeting a week for the next 10 weeks can help your team be the best they can be.
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About the Author
Randy Clark is a speaker, coach, and author. He publishes a weekly blog at Randy Clark Leadership.com. Randy is passionate about social media, leadership development, and flower gardening. He’s a beer geek, and on weekends he can be found fronting the Rock & Roll band Under the Radar. He’s the proud father of two educators; he has four amazing grandchildren and a wife who dedicates her time to helping others. Randy is the author of the Amazon bestseller The New Manager’s Workbook, a crash course in effective management.
Photo by Clay Banks on Unsplash
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