Building a strong team requires effective communication because assumptions can come up without it, leading to strife and, eventually, division. Among other things, the heart and soul of a productive team is communication, which is why this article delved deeper into the concept of team building. The author, Marcela, talked about how team building goes beyond assembling a group of highly skilled people to work on different tasks. Like Fetchly Labs, good management understands that effective team building requires cooperation with staff, understanding their strengths and weaknesses, and working to keep them happy, motivated, and productive. The author also debunked some common misconceptions/myths associated with team building and shared tips to help groups and individuals build great teams.
Team building essentially involves bringing a group of people together to work towards a common goal. There are many elements to team building, but the most important one is effective communication. Bear in mind that the heart and soul of a strong team is consistent communication because, without it, assumptions can come up, leading to division.
Another thing to remember is that team building goes beyond assembling a group of highly talented people to work on their tasks. Good management, for instance, understands that building an efficient team means the organization has to work to keep team members happy and motivated.
Whether we decide to or not, we will spend most of our lives working with other people and not everyone would be open to the idea of working with a team. However, there are a lot of benefits to working with a team. For example, college group projects or assignments require working with people, and for someone who hasn’t had the opportunity to work with multiple personalities, it can be quite challenging, but there are some benefits to working with new people such as:
- Division of labour to share the workload equally and ensure everyone plays a part in the success of the project.
- An opportunity to learn from the wisdom and experience of people.
- A chance to learn how to work with a team.
- A great opportunity to network and make new friends.
There’s no doubt that there are some assumptions and wrong beliefs surrounding how a team should work, which is why not all teams will function as effectively as they should.
Many of these assumptions do more harm than good, which is why we're here to debunk some of the most common myths and provide some tips for building a powerful team.
Some Common Misconceptions about Team Building
- First, there's the assumption that if every team member has a high-level intellect, then, as a group, they are bound to be excellent.
That's not exactly right because the amount of intelligence a group has is a collective one. It's not just simple math or the sum of their abilities. Instead, an excellent team achieves greatness based on their ability to understand and assist each other where necessary.
- Another assumption is that a team that thinks alike is bound to be more productive.
This isn't always true because diversity has a way of creating room for innovation. Based on research from Harvard Business Review, it's better to have a team with varying mindsets than to have all of them think alike.
- High-performing teams work together in perfect harmony.
It's okay to strive for harmonious working relationships amongst team members but never forget about the power of healthy disagreements. Studies show that team members can focus on team objectives and create great solutions when conflicts are adequately managed. One practical way to connect better with team members is to encourage constructive criticism and feedback. Constructive criticism should be unbiased, timely, and factual for it to have any positive effect.
- The team leader bears the responsibility for every project
Many believe that a good leader makes a good team, but there's a twist. The best thing a leader can do to encourage effective teamwork is to create an environment where team members are proactive enough to manage themselves.
Cross-functional teams like those in
Fetchly Labs can deliver excellent output because tasks are delegated, and team members learn to be dynamic enough to manage themselves.
Two identical groups may perform differently when you choose a team with diverse mindsets, skills, and intelligence. One may perform better, and the other will struggle, but that's perfectly normal. Studies have shown that the key to high performance among team members lies in their mode of communication. Therefore, understanding the fundamental elements of communication is necessary for effective team building.
At Fetchly Labs, communication is the core element that guarantees the success of any tech project. As a project development company with team members from different countries across the globe, we ensure that due process is followed when communicating details of a client's project to the appropriate departments.
Project managers and team leads play a vital role in ensuring that team members working on any project understand exactly what they’re meant to do at different stages of project development. Team members are also provided with regular updates when a client requests corrections or additions to their projects. On the other side of things, clients are actively involved in decision-making because senior project managers provide them with updates on the progress of their projects until they’re satisfied with the final outcome.
Tips for Building a Strong Team
To boost teamwork, there are some activities anyone can adopt to encourage self-development, positive communication, and a closer working relationship.
- Start out by working towards creating a connection with team members.
Building connections and creating bonds with co-workers can start with a simple question that is not work-related. These informal and casual conversations can lead to more openness, proximity, and compassion towards one another. Also, it leaves room for gathering information that can reveal how co-workers think, their character, strengths, and passions.
- Another thing that is equally important to highlight is that team members need to have a good understanding of their job functions and responsibilities.
Every team needs to work to contribute to the general success of the organization. To do so, co-workers have to understand what every department in the organization does and why they exist. This helps them to know the right person to reach out to when help is needed. Each member can acknowledge their role and the organization's objectives to collaborate and support each other in an exceedingly meaningful way.
- Communication is vital for team building.
Communication plays a critical role in whether teams are successful or not. Therefore, putting time and energy into developing adequate and effective modes of communication within the organization should be a priority, even more so if the organization is remote-based. Consequently, the extent of engagement and energy within the teams must be monitored and improved.
Here are some great ways to improve communication among team members:
- Socialize through video conference meetings.
- Encourage people to participate and talk in said meetings.
- Listen carefully to team members.
- Clarify important company information like long-term goals, roles, responsibilities, and values.
Other great ways to build and maintain a strong team include rewarding employees with high performance and practising emotional intelligence that shows the company values its staff.
Team building isn't just about putting the right people together. It's about having a mix of people with diverse knowledge, skills, and ways of thinking. Team members who have received proper orientation from management learn to respect and cooperate with their co-workers. With good team-building skills, employees can work towards a common goal and generate greater productivity.
*This is not the official Fetchly opinion but the opinion of the writer who is employed by Fetchly*