In the article by Susan Heathfield, “12 Tips for Team Building in the Workplace”, she talks about employees of an organization contributing to the overall success of the that business. The team (employees) can help build a better business not just for owners, but for the employees, and customers. The more the business functions like a team, the better the operation.
Team building in the workplace significantly contributes toward employee motivation and among team members, thereby ensuring better overall productivity. But, Ms. Heathfield warns, leaders must recognize and define the type of team they want to build and then design team building initiatives to meet that need. “Developing an overall sense of teamwork is different from building an effective, focused work team when you consider team building approaches,” she writes.
The ability to build cohesive working units is a highly valued skill for most employers. Team building is a process by which individual members of a department or interdepartmental group are encouraged to develop a more collaborative working relationship. The company must have the employees with the right attitude to contribute and be a part of the company’s culture and team.
Ms. Heathfield outlines in her article some of the hot buttons to improve communication, success and team performance, such as Clear Expectations, Context, and Commitment. Look at the 12 Cs and see if some of these ideas are team building skills you can utilize in your own business or organization.
The 12 Cs
- Clear Expectations
- Context
- Commitment
- Competence
- Charter
- Control
- Collaboration
- Communication
- Creative Innovation
- Consequences
- Coordination
- Cultural Change
Having worked with many companies in which communication and collaboration slowed progress on many levels…one work session comes to mind that I was hired to resolve. One department was trying to complete a multi-million dollar project. By getting the lead department to actually sit down and communicate with the four other departments in their company, some of the problems began to get resolved. When collaboration was introduced, and most began working together, the project picked up speed and actually came in on time.