TEAM

TEAM

TEAMS AND TEAMWORK
Assimilated and promoted by Victor Borchers

What a team is NOT:

  • “A group of people with just a common goal as with people on an aircraft who have a common goal/destination. Each person may have the same goal/destination, but they are not a team, they are just a group of people”. VJB
  • “A team is not a group of people that just work together. A team is a group of people that trust each other”. Simon Sinek

The National Research Centre defines a team as a group of people who:

  • Work together to complete a shared task
  • Are dependent on each other to complete the task
  • Have an array of skills enabling them to carry out some of each other’s tasks
  • Have different degrees of self-management, i.e. the team decides for itself how they allocate tasks and which methods to apply
  • Can have different degrees of autonomy
  • Have a team manager with direct managerial responsibility who is able to influence the processes of the team as well as some of the structures within and surrounding the team

Katzeback & Douglas in “The Wisdom of Teams” define a team as:

“A small number of people with complementary skills who are committed to a common purpose, performance goals and an approach (shared values) for which they hold themselves mutually accountable”.

The Sandglaz Blog states “The Six Characteristics of Highly Effective Teams”:

  • They have great leadership
  • They have team members high in emotional intelligence.
  • They have a good mix of introverts and extroverts.
  • They share the same stories.
  • They make time for humour.
  • They communicate proactively.

How do you build a team?

  • Consider each employee’s ideas as valuable.
  • Be aware of employee’s unspoken feelings.
  • Act as a harmonizing influence.
  • Be clear when communicating.
  • Encourage trust and cooperation amongst team members.
  • Encourage team members to share information.

How do you build an effective team? National Research Centre

  • Establish leadership.
  • Establish relationships with each employee.
  • Build relationships between employees.
  • Foster teamwork.
  • Set ground rules.

How do you motivate your team? National Research Centre

  • Pay your people what they are worth.
  • Provide a pleasant place of work.
  • Offer opportunities for self-development.
  • Foster collaboration within the team.
  • Encourage happiness.
  • Set clear goals.
  • Don’t micromanage (BUT YOU MUST MEASURE).
  • Don’t punish failure.
  • Avoid useless meetings.
  • National Research Centre