Behind every successful project is a great work team.
A work team is a cohesive unit of individuals who are responsible for the production of goods and services of a company. An effective work team requires the collaboration of experts from multiple fields led by a supervisor that directs how the tasks should be planned and carried out.
Forming a great team may seem like an easy thing to do, but it isn’t as simple as it sounds. If you think it’s enough to fill your team’s vacancies with people who have great resumes, all companies would enjoy the luxury of having effective and efficient work teams.
There are many factors to consider in order for you to create a team with a strong sense of collaboration, responsibility, and harmony. Establish your goals, identify the kind of culture you want, and preferred leadership style to make the process smoother.
Here are 8 things to consider when you’re assembling a work team:
1. Set your team’s goals
Begin with an end in mind. Setting your team’s mission, vision, and goals will help you clearly define everyone’s roles. Knowing what you want to achieve within your team will help establish an innate sense of accountability in each member. This will make it more convenient for you to measure the productivity of each group member and give you some clarity on how you can enhance group performance.
When faced with issues and conflicts, having a shared goal aligned with your team’s values will enable you to think of solutions that reflect what the team and company stand for.
2. Establish your rules and guidelines
Your rules will set the tone for employee interactions. You can base the rules, regulations, and guidelines of your team through the goal you have set.
Setting technical rules and creating policies will give your employees a sense of order. Will you allow your employees to work remotely? Will you allow them to work flextime?
On the other hand, setting performance guidelines aimed at keeping everyone accountable for each other will help your team gain a need for continuous improvement. How will you measure performance? When will you ask for updates and meetings? Team organization through rules and guidelines will make management more convenient.
3. Look to have some diversity
While it was previously highlighted that differences between individuals can possibly pose as a hindrance, these differences can also yield positive results in their own way. People tend to gel more with people they share similarities with. However, some sources have indicated that a simple thing such as making your team gender diverse can heighten your company’s productivity.
Different people often come up with different ideas. By working alongside people with various backgrounds, employees can help improve one another by sharing each other’s experiences and strengths.
Asides from boosting productivity, this will also help them maintain their mental well-being in the office. Employees are more likely to feel comfortable working in an environment that doesn’t make them feel left out.
4. Identify your communication process
Everyone must be able to speak their mind. With everyday interactions in the office, having open communication lines will have a wide array of tangible and intangibles benefits.
In some cases, being democratic can be difficult, especially when faced with a project that requires the team leader to be authoritative.
Allowing your team to have the right to express their thoughts and opinions will make it easier for everyone to conceptualize solutions when dealing with a problem. It also gives your team members a sense of inclusion that will help make them feel valued at work.
5. Define the team culture
What culture do you want to establish? Openness? Trust? Depending on what culture you are looking to establish, you would want to find personalities that are best suited for what you are trying to build.
Norms and practices within your group will develop gradually over time but letting it unfold without supervision will put your team at risk of developing an unproductive culture. You have the responsibility to find the perfect balance of being productive and having a fun and easy vibe.
If you want a team that has an open communication, you wouldn’t want to hire people that have a difficult time identifying and assessing an issue. If you want to have a team that is keen on self-improvement, you wouldn’t want to find individuals who are oblivious to growth and development. During the recruitment process, it’s best to ask your interviewees situation-based questions in order to get a grip on their tendencies and behavior.
6. Assert leadership
This is the most crucial part when you want to build a team. What kind of leader do you want to be? What leadership skills do you currently have and what do you want to develop?
Often, people build teams with leaders who are lacking the required skills. As a leader, you will be accountable for everything that your team is responsible for. If you and your methods are ineffective, then this will reflect in your team’s performance.
A true leader cultivates his/her members through honesty and transparency. Leadership does not mean that you must establish a sense of authority and tell everyone what to do. Rather, leadership calls you to be hands-on and participative on all their endeavors.
7. Build a relationship outside of work
As you observe your employees over time, you should make the effort to know everything you can about them. Be aware of their likes and dislikes, their sources of motivation, and their lives outside of work. Knowing what motivates them and what their tendencies are will help you understand them better, eventually telling you what buttons you need to push and to avoid.
Forming a relationship outside of work will help you build a sense of trust with your employees. In return, this will make it easier for them to trust you. Trust alone can influence their judgment, decision making, and self-belief.
8. Build a conflict management process
In a pressure-filled environment such as work, tensions between employees will eventually occur. While your team’s culture and communication process may work as preventive measures, there are some instances that arguments are unavoidable.
As the team’s leader, you must be fair when treating your members with unbiased mediation. A fair conflict management process will allow you to see both sides effectively and will make it easier for you to reach a resolution.
Every member of your team will always have good intentions so it’s best to approach things calmly to have a clearer view of the big picture. Managing conflict in an orderly manner will also help build trust and creativity among members.
Build the Right Team
Taking note of the factors listed above should guide you both in the construction and adjustment of your team. These will tell what kind of people you should look for in the recruitment process. When you’ve already built a team, these considerations will help you plot proper assessment and evaluation methods.
Assembling a great work team is no easy task, but it will be an easier process when you keep all of these in mind! If you need more guidance, don’t hesitate to consult with your recruitment agency.
