Teamwork can be a powerful tool for moving a project forward. Working as a team has the advantage of enriching the existing ideas and generating lots of positive energy around one single goal. In this article, we share our tips for reinforcing productivity and unity within a team, in order to make each group project a success.
Tip #1 Assemble a Winning Team
A winning team is more than just the sum of its ideas. Forming a team where each member brings their own added value is no mean feat, however it is worth the effort. As Steve Jobs said, some people are incredibly gifted at achieving certain things and it is impossible to replace them with fifty ordinary people. Therefore, you must take great care when choosing the members of your team, ensuring that the diverse profiles are a good match and complement each other well.
Tip #2 Immediately Define the Strengths of Each Group Member
In order to work effectively as a group, it’s essential to identify the strengths and weaknesses of those working alongside us. Then, we are able to delegate and distribute the workload based on our aptitudes. As a result, each group member becomes an “expert” within the group. In addition to being rewarding for each individual, it reduces the number of modifications to be made to a single task.
Tip #3 Clearly Define your Objectives
As well as clear task division according to individual strengths and interests, it’s essential to define clear objectives. Setting specific objectives and expectations for the group as a whole will make sure everyone is on the same page. This will build an environment of unity, team work, team spirit and efficiency.
Tip #4 Don’t Criticize People Personally
Something bothering you? If the attitude of your coworker has been getting you down, getting on your nerves, or is detrimental to your work, it’s not likely to be personal. If conflict does arise within the work group, don’t criticize individuals personally. You can instead express your disagreement with the way in which the work has been done, the task objectives, motivation levels, etc. This approach promotes respect and leaves room for resolving the situation.
Tip #5 Think “We” not “I”
When forming a team, the goal is usually to move a project forward whilst also drawing our own individual benefits. However, focusing on our personal goals is often damaging to productivity levels when we stop taking into account the interests of others. Put your own interests aside and think about the good of the team as a whole, you’ll soon see that this way, everyone’s a winner.
Tip #6 Work on Communication and Collaboration
Clear, transparent and effective communication is one of the keys to successful teamwork. We recommend structuring your meetings in order to share individual progress, challenges, victories, etc. These face-to-face meetings (or using videoconferencing software) will mean you can connect and develop feelings of trust towards one another. You can also communicate with your colleagues through a chat (online instant messaging). The chat allows you to save time and respond quickly. A project and task management software can prove to be very useful for monitoring the steps taken by each individual involved in the project. With project management software, the whole team can access information quickly and easily, in one single location. This eliminates the need for going back and forth over emails and reduces the number of meetings.
Tip #7 Carry Out Team Building Exercises
Team building activities are ideal for strengthening links between colleagues and developing team spirit. Promoting exchanges between team members in a relaxed and informal setting will encourage those involved to mutually support each other, helping each other to achieve an objective.
Here are some ideas for team building exercises you can organize with your group:
- A collective challenge (escape game, treasure hunt around town, etc.) to encourage the team to pull together, promote team spirit and find solutions by working together
- A sports activity (rafting, a relay race, soccer, softball, athletics, etc.) to encourage friendly competition and help people to bond
- Doing something creative (improvisation, theatre, a group art project, etc.) to foster creativity and develop trust between team members
- A quiz for getting to know each other better, and growing and developing links between team members
- A networking activity to boost communication between members
To inspire and promote productivity across the team, don’t forget that you’ll also need a strong leader with the right skills.
If you’d like more tips from the team here at Kiwili, we recommend our post all about project management and our advice for leading a team effectively. You can also learn more about how to use the SMART method to define your project management goals.
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