How to Improve Team Collaboration at Work

For an organization to run smoothly and meet its goals, it is important to foster a work environment that supports collaboration amongst colleagues. Unfortunately for most organizations, team cooperation does not occur naturally. You must make an effort and take steps to help build and sustain a cooperative work environment.

Team cooperation in the workplace can mean many things. It involves the level at which employees participate in decision-making, how management and employees work together to resolve problems, and how all levels of the organization work together to achieve common goals.

If you know collaboration is important but your team still hasn’t quite mastered it, don’t worry — here are some ways to improve those skills.

1. Teamwork must become part of your workplace culture

For coworkers to successfully collaborate, the leadership within the organization must work to make collaboration one of the key values of the enterprise. Employees must see that the leadership within the firm works together as a team to accomplish goals. Also, the company’s leadership must award teams publicly when they are successful at working together to achieve their objectives.

To truly improve cooperation skills, leaders must provide an environment where employees are not afraid to share their ideas. Leaders must create a culture with positive team dynamics where the exchange of ideas is encouraged and rewarded. Teamwork and collaboration must be a central theme of the corporate culture to improve team cooperation.

2. Provide teams with the resources they need to work collaboratively

To make improvements with communication, the organization must provide the necessary resources to the teams. This includes comfortable workspaces where the teams can work together. If the teams are spread out amongst different locations, then the organization must provide the resources that allow the teams to work together remotely, such as video conferencing.

3. Be an example

Being the leader of a team requires setting an example of collaboration because team members often react to the environment that managers create. You can use your role as manager or team leader to exhibit being open to new suggestions. You may also support team members who are debuting a new skill or contributing a new idea, which helps expand the team's skill set.

4. Clarifying roles and setting expectations

Organizations will find when all employees are on the same page, team collaboration will quickly become a seamless and natural process. Making sure each employee understands – not only his or her role, but also the roles of the people around them will help everyone understand the big picture and how they fit into the larger puzzle.

It is also imperative that the leadership sets clear expectations for teams so that as employees work together, everyone is clear on which goal or objective needs to be reached.

5. Encourage openness and feedback

In order for your team to collaborate together successfully, they need to feel comfortable in sharing their thoughts, opinions, ideas, concerns, and feedback.

It’s important to foster an environment that encourages openness and feedback. Encourage constructive criticism, share successes and failures with your team, and let them know there’s no such thing as a stupid question! When people feel safe enough to speak openly, teams can work together more successfully.

6. Resolve team conflict quickly

No team will ever be perfect, and it is crucial for organizations to recognize this and have a system in place to handle any conflicts that arise. The system should allow any employee to share their concerns without repercussions. Also, employees should be allowed to have input on any solution to implemented by the organization.

Employees who know there is a system in place and are comfortable knowing the dispute will be handled fairly will be able to work with other team members in a healthy and collaborative manner.

7. Celebrate and reward successful teamwork

How you measure your team’s success will signal what kind of company you are. If you reward effective teamwork and successful collaboration, you communicate the values underpinning your business.

When you design your employee appraisal metrics, focus on team collaboration and individual successes. Make it clear that your employees’ team efforts will be noted, and collaborative achievements rewarded.

The teamwork and collaboration examples above are vital for a productive, efficient, and engaged workforce — but they’ll only work if your team knows how to collaborate. Luckily, it is possible to learn these skills and improve them over time so anyone can become a more collaborative worker.

Lean Quote: The Goose Story Teaches Lessons in Teamwork

On Fridays I will post a Lean related Quote. Throughout our lifetimes many people touch our lives and leave us with words of wisdom. These can both be a source of new learning and also a point to pause and reflect upon lessons we have learned. Within Lean active learning is an important aspect on this journey because without learning we can not improve.

"I've shown the players geese videos. I've shown them why geese fly in V formation, what everybody's role is, how geese support each other and, most importantly, why you fly further together. That's the bottom line. Geese wouldn't be able to migrate to the sun without all traveling together. It's the same for us."   —  Emma Hayes, US Women’s Soccer Gold Metal Coach

I share with you the Goose Story by Dr. Harry Clarke Noyes in the hopes that it might also inspire you to collaborate, share with & learn from others with the goal of becoming a better leader.

 THE GOOSE STORY

 BY DR. HARRY CLARKE NOYES

 

Next

fall, when

you see Geese

heading South for

the Winter, flying along

in V formation, you might

consider what science has dis‐

covered as to why they fly that way:

as each bird flaps its wings, it creates an

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.

 

Key Takeaway: 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 in front.

 Key Takeaway: 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 Head Goose

gets tired, it rotates back

in the wing and another goose flies point.

 Key Takeaway: It is sensible to take turns doing demanding jobs.

Geese

honk from behind to

encourage those up front to keep up their speed.

 

 

Key Takeaway: As a leader, how are you communicating with; and encouraging your team?

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. Only then do they launch out on their own, or with another formation

to catch up with their group

Key Takeaway: If we have the sense of a goose, we will stand by each other like that.

 

Unlock the Power of Teamwork

Have you ever seen a team fall apart because of bickering, infighting, or a failure of accountability? Not only is it frustrating to watch, it's also incredibly disheartening.

Patrick Lencioni, author of The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, defines “Teamwork is the state achieved by a group of people working together who trust one another, engage in healthy conflict, commit to decisions, hold one another accountable, and focus on collective results.”

High performing teams are the cornerstone of healthy and cohesive organizations.  Building these teams is not a complicated task, but many leaders fail because they allow one of the following issues to manifest within the team.

TRUST – A team needs to be comfortable with being vulnerable with each other about their weaknesses, mistakes, fears, and behaviors. Trust grows when relationships are strong!

CONFLICT – A team needs to share their passions, disagree, and challenge and question one another.  The stronger the relationships, the healthier the conflict!

COMMITMENT -   A team buys into important decisions (even if they initially disagree) once all ideas and opinions have been considered. Strong relationships promote buy-in!

ACCOUNTABILITY -  A team does not rely on their leader to be the primary source of accountability but rather deals with their peers directly. Strong relationships build comfort levels creating the ability to discuss missed deliverables and mistakes, and encourages ownership.

RESULTS -   Teams that trust one another, engage in conflict, commit to decisions and hold one another accountable are more likely to put aside their individual needs and focus on what is best for the team as a whole. When relationships are strong, team needs become the priority!

Use your awareness of the five dysfunctions to recognize issues as they happen, so that you can help your team to be more effective. And remember that these are just five of the factors that can affect the performance of your team, so use these alongside other team effectiveness tools.

10 Qualities of Strong and Successful Teams

Teamwork is the often underestimated tool that drives every successful business. Without a well-managed team, a company might not meet its full potential.

Each person on your team has the ability to bring their unique skills and talent to the table, but teamwork is required to truly take advantage of that.

Putting your employees into groups won’t help you if the team doesn’t have clear goals. They also need to have precise objectives and definite individual responsibilities.

When your team is aligned, it can be an incredible win for your business. In fact, employees who collaborate often at work are shown to be more engaged, more successful with their goals, and less fatigued.

Teamwork also has the power to improve your employees’ well-being because they’ll have a greater sense of connection with each other. And when your employees are happy and productive, your business will be bound to grow as a result.

Teamwork drives employees to think of the big picture they want to achieve. With that goal in mind, they’ll choose to work together instead of against each other. Teamwork can also break down silos between departments and smaller teams.

Finally, teamwork is important because it offers great learning opportunities. Junior employees can learn by collaborating with more experienced employees. Senior team members can get the opportunity to sharpen their leadership skills and learn how to build an effective team.

Here are a few qualities that a successful team possesses.

1) They know what is expected.

A new team needs to know what's expected of them, so you should establish the company culture you want to uphold from the beginning. This will show your team how to behave and how to approach their work.

Don’t forget your job as a leader either — being a good facilitator of these team values will ultimately ensure that everyone stays on the right track.

2) They communicate well with each other.

They communicate openly with each other, sharing their thoughts, opinions, and ideas with members of their team;  as well as taking into consideration what others have to say. Communication is essential for keeping track of progress and working together efficiently on tasks. Poor communication can lead to crossed wires, which can mean work is left incomplete/incorrect or conflicts can arise.

3) They focus on goals and results.

They agree on and set team goals based on outcomes and results, rather than just on the amount of work being done. A clear plan can then be set about how they are going to achieve these objectives, as a group, as well as each individual’s contribution. This provides them with clear direction and gives them something to aim for collectively.

4) Everyone contributes their fair share.

Each member of the team contributes their fair share of the workload and fully understands what their responsibilities are and where they fit in with the running of the business. They feel a sense of belonging to the team, are committed to their work, and really care about the success of the company.

5) They experiment.

Although teams are often most productive when they have well-defined roles, consider experimenting with new ideas. The most successful teams tend to accommodate informed risk-taking and allow ample opportunities for learning, especially if these experiments have the potential to generate better results.

6) They offer each other support.

Team members are always happy to assist others when they need a helping hand with work. Teams are often more productive when they are also offered support from the organization and access to the required resources.

7) Team members are diverse.

Everyone is unique and will be able to offer their own experiences and knowledge that others may not possess. Diversity is needed so that all of the required skills are covered by somebody in the team and each individual can be assigned a particular role on the basis of their strengths and skills. A variety of personalities, age groups, cultures, etc. can also bring creativity and a broad range of ideas to the table.

8) Good leadership.

A strong team usually has a leader that they trust and respect. This individual essentially works as the glue holding the team together and should be responsible for setting the pace, offers encouragement and motivation, and keeps all members of the team updated.

9) They’re organized.

The organization is essential for the smooth running of a business. Without it, the workplace can become chaotic and goals are unlikely to be achieved. Though each individual should be responsible for organizing their own workload, management should ensure that everything is running to plan and each member of the team is getting their work completed efficiently. Holding regular meetings can help to make sure that everyone is on the same page and deadlines are being met.

10) They have fun.

It shouldn’t be all work and no play! This can lead to burnout and a lack of productivity, so it’s important to inject a bit of enjoyment into working life. Teams who work particularly well together enjoy each other’s company and get together outside of the office from time to time to socialize and have some fun! Building a positive relationship with your colleagues can make for a much more relaxed environment and reduce conflict.

All team dynamics are different. Teams depend on the personalities of the members, as well as the leadership style of managers. However, the ingredients for what makes a successful team are similar across the board. Having mutual respect, common and aligned goals, open communication, and patience can all help make for a successful team.

5 Ways to Build a Strong Team

When I first became a manager, I really struggled with figuring out the best way to develop my team. I was so used to doing it all myself, that I didn’t realize that I had to unlearn a few of the practices that had gotten me to management level. I soon realized that as a manager, your teams’ success equates to yours. And not only that, but your ability to inspire and develop people is critical to your own future, as the higher you climb up the leadership ladder, the more you depend on the success and strengths of others to achieve key objectives and goals.

Empowering staff is an essential part of a manager’s job and assist them to reach their potential and it is an aspiration any manager should have. It’s also important to remember how tricky management can be because it requires dealing with different types of people and they all have their own personalities, goals, behaviors and motivations. This means there’s no single encompassing solution when it comes to managing a team.

While there’s no one-size-fits-all answer for the best way to manage a team, there are effective approaches that managers can adopt to support their staff, help them be productive and achieve their potential. Here are 5 ways that you can develop your team and earn yourself some kudos at the same time:

Build time into your schedule to devote to their growth

You’re busy, so are they, so you need to plan time for development, rather than just hoping it falls into place. It simply won’t happen if you wait for some time to crop up. See their development as something so important that it’s worth setting time aside for it.

Identify the skillsets that will make the team member more valuable to you

Do they have strengths in a specific area that would really advance your department in the eyes of customers or stakeholders? Are there skillsets they demonstrate that would add real value to your team or wider constituents? By identifying what you need and helping people develop those skills, you create an observable increase in the value of your team member.

Create opportunities for further growth and development

It won’t happen on its own. You have to pro-actively work towards developing those opportunities. What self-development could the person carry out? What e-learning and blended learning sessions could they immerse themselves in? Is there any mentoring sessions you could take with them? Identify what you could put in place for them, so they see the value in devoting the time to it.

Create a learning culture within the team

This means acting as the conduit to their learning, growth and development. Encourage them at every opportunity; acknowledge the efforts they are making; recognize any progress and success they are experiencing. A learning culture with drive their confidence and their will to improve.

Feedback, review and enhance learning processes

Feedback is the breakfast of champions, so ensure that you identify progress and feedback what successes they have enjoyed. Review the learnings and their applications. Create chances for them to share learnings within the team. That way, you build more reasons for your team member and others to enhance their knowledge and act upon it.

The last thing I want to emphasize is a caution. None of this will work if you don’t focus on building trust among your team. Your team needs to know they can trust you. Treat them with dignity, respect, and let them know that they are each valuable. If they know their success matters to you, they will respect your development feedback and reward you with the effort of improvement. And that’s one of your most important responsibilities as a manager – one that can be very rewarding as you help people achieve their personal best.

These 5 tips will help your team member take responsibility for their learning and choose their direction, rather than just seeing their role as a job that won’t augment their career opportunities within your department or company.

Effective Meetings Should Have a PAIR

If I told you that only 50% of meeting time is used effectively, would you believe me? (Don’t answer. I can hear you nodding from here.) There’s evidence that virtual meetings score even lower. And not only are pointless meetings annoying, but they are also a drain on your revenue: two hours per week spent in pointless meetings results in a waste of more than $541 billion in employee time.

It’s important to distinguish between effective and efficient meetings.

An efficient meeting starts promptly, stays on track due to good time management, includes as few people as possible, and achieves the stated objective.

Efficiency is a superficial quality. It says nothing about whether the right people were included for the right reasons, or whether the meeting generated any value.

An effective meeting brings a thoughtfully selected group of people together for a specific purpose, provides a forum for open discussion, and delivers a tangible result: a decision, a plan, a list of great ideas to pursue, a shared understanding of the work ahead. Not only that but the result is then shared with others whose work may be affected.

A simple acronym I learned will help us in this regard. Just remember that every meeting should have a PAIR.

PAIR stands for ‘Purpose And Intended Result’

The purpose of a meeting should be clear and stated before it is even called. It should be stated even before the agenda is agreed.

The purpose could be simple, like ‘To discuss the upcoming quarterly campaign’ or ‘To introduce our new CRM system to the sales team’.

Make sure the purpose is clearly stated, so everyone can assess its relevance to them and the time it’s going to take. Make the purpose attractive and inspirational if possible. People can see the purpose and identify whether it’s worth their time and energy attending.

The next part (Intended Result) is just as vital. We say ‘intended’ because it’s possible that the meeting’s overall result could be determined by the discussions carried out and may change during the meeting itself.

Examples of intended results could be: ‘To allocate responsibilities to each team member for the campaign’ or ‘To get buy in from every team member for the CRM system’

You may only have one purpose for the meeting (the ‘why’ it’s being held) but you may have more than one intended result (the ‘what’ you will achieve).

Attendees should be sent the PAIR for the meeting before being invited, so they know what their responsibilities are during and after the meeting. If their time is limited, they may be able to attend for just a section of it that discussed their specific agenda items.

A PAIR also allows you to determine the success of any meeting you may attend. If the intended result is achieved, it’s been a good use of time. If not, it can be re-assessed and determined if changes need to be made for future meetings.

So, ensure that every meeting you run has its PAIR before you invite others. And make sure that you know the PAIR for every meeting you attend.

7 Ways to Inspire Your Team for Peak Performance

In order to achieve great results, you should be constantly thinking about how you can motivate and inspire your team. The ultimate throttle on the growth of a company is the people so keep raising their inspiration and motivation levels. This will ensure a happy energized team always delivering great output.

Here are some ideas to consider:

Set the example

Of course, as a leader it is your responsibility to set the example for your team to follow.  The way you treat everyone is the way your team will treat their direct reports. Attitude is contagious so as a leader you want to set an amazing example of optimism which can radiate throughout the organization. Set an example by leading from the heart, taking calculated risks, treating people well, showing impeccable manners and finally sharing credit with the team always.

Share your vision and set clear expectations

You can only motivate and inspire your team if they know what they are working towards. Make sure your employees are aware of your vision and what your ultimate goals are for the business. This encourages everyone to work together to achieve better results.

Recognize peak performance and effort

This needs to be done at a level where the recognition is seen by others. Everyone likes praise and recognition, and if a good performance is publicly honored, the person shows that individual effort is seen at a higher level. And everyone else sees that too.

Get people to share their ideas and creativity

If people help contribute to something, they are more likely to take ownership and be committed to its successful outcome. So, get input and ideas from people when you are wanting to improve.

Encourage teamwork

Encouraging and promoting teamwork boosts productivity because it makes employees feel less isolated and helps them to feel more engaged with their tasks. You can do this by regularly holding team-building activities and opportunities for your team members to bond and get to know one another.

Give employees the space they need to thrive

A micromanaging boss can quickly stifle creativity. By giving your employees space and autonomy, you clearly show that you trust them the get the work done in their own way. This can inspire individuals to find more efficient or streamlined ways of completing tasks or to discover gaps in their skillset or the department as they work.

Provide opportunities for growth and development

Team members feel more valuable when they are learning and growing. To motivate and inspire your team to achieve great results you should provide your employees with opportunities for growth and development.

These opportunities should be tailored specifically to suit the individual employee and can be in the form of further training, setting challenging targets, inviting an employee to shadow you, or spending your own time teaching and mentoring somebody. Focus on teaching your team transferable skills they could use in different positions and encourage them to set themselves learning goals.

Motivation is an essential part of any workplace and you should be constantly striving to make your employees feel motivated and inspired. If you do this, you’re sure to achieve the results that you need. In the end, your workforce can reach operational excellence.