Successful Teams!

Hey guys great points, personally I believe that there is two main components of teams that make them successful. These are:

1. Use of good communication techniques.

When talking to members within a group make sure you use the right channel to communicate to them. This will not only make your message easier to comprehend, but it will also make it easier for your team to give helpful feedback. Good teams have informal environments which encourage team cohesiveness and allows members to insert humor into serious matters. Humor is a big factor, when used right it can help ease tensions and reduce stress. Additionally using the right communication techniques will help a team overcome barriers such as language, and interference.

2. The ability to collaborate rather than compete.

It's human nature to compete and want to be the best. When put into a team the members have to put aside their individual goals and come together for a common mission. The members help each other to make the team project better instead of letting members struggle to make themselves look better. Being competitive isn't always detrimental, teams should compete with other teams to ensure that they put their best foot forward.

Effective Teams....

1. Deal With Conflict

Every team that has ever existed, be it in business, sports, and even school have encountered conflict. Teams are made up of different types of people each with their own personality and opinion on how things are to be done. Conflict can sometimes arise because of these different opinions and personalities. Successful teams are able to confront conflict in a professional manner.

Successful teams that are able to deal with conflict allow team members to air out their differences in a task oriented manner rather then a person oriented manner. By focusing on the root of the conflict rather then the person who created the conflict allows the conflict to be resolved in a constructive manner. Conflict can only be resolved if all parties come to a consensus decision on the topic. No team member can feel like his/her opinion was not heard.

Question for Discussion:

Think of a time when your team encountered conflict. How did you and your team resolve it?

2. Agree On Procedures

All successful teams develop various procedures and rules to guide the operation of the team. They assign roles, tasks and delegate the work load amongst the team members. By establishing these procedures, teams are focused on a result and every team member feels like each person is doing an equal amount of work. These teams also decide on how decisions are to be made within the group and follow through on that procedure whenever a key decision has to be made.

Ethical Responsibilities

Everyone in a group accepts responsibilities when the group is formed. There are certain responsibilities every member must be aware of and follow. Without every member fully participating the group cannot function as it's absolute best. Some important ethical responsibilities are:

1. Do your best - When joining a group you need to offer every skill you have. If every member puts in 100% a group can preform at its absolute best but if you hold back skills because you are afraid of work the final product will not be as good as it could be.

2. Good of the group - When you are part of a group you need to put the needs of the whole in front of your own. Every member of the group should have a say in decisions and in it is necessary to consider others ideas even if they don't match what you think.

3. Fair play -  Solving problems is a cooperative event, you must keep personal issues aside.

4. Fair hearing - When in a group every member had a voice. You can expect to have your voice heard by all other members and in return you have to be willing to hear others. You can also expect feedback and for everyone to take your suggestions seriously but again you must return the courtesy.

5. Appropriate team behaviour - If you are a team leader it is necessary for you to model good behaviour, provide feedback, acknowledge effort, and keep the team on track.

If every member of a team fulfils these basic responsibilities the team and everyone in it will have a much better experience and produce better results. 

TEAM : Together, Everyone Achieve More !!

Working in teams, if it is done right, could mean achieving better resultes and get more work done in a shorter period of time. However, it could also mean frustration, dis-satisfaction, and lower productivity. The question is, what are the characteristics of a successful team ? Experts discovered that that effective teams share some or all of the following characteristics.

Small Size, Diverse Makeup

People say "too many cooks spoil the broth". Large groups are difficult to interacte with which could lead to less agreement on actions and reduce productivity. Teams of 4 or 5 are most effective for almost any projects.

Groups that have different gen

der, age, ethnicity, social background, training, and experience tends to produce more creative decisions. The key business advantage of diversity is the ability to view the project from multiple perspectives.

Have you ever worked with a diverse group before ? How is it different from homogeneous groups? please we would love to hear about your experience.

Agreement on Purpose

An effective, motivated team begins with a purpose. Setting clear and specific goals will lead to meaningful discussions that will increase productivity and saves both time and money. However, setting small goals require big investment of time and effort.

How can an organization divide their general purpose into specific goals ? Any thoughts ?