Creating a better and healthier work atmosphere along with accomplishing the organization’s mission is one of the main goals and at the same time major challenges managers in any organization may face in today’s working environment. To build a successful and strong team and to create a better working environment, managers have to start by enhancing and re-building working relationships between employees to be able to guide them to become team-oriented individuals.
Building teamwork into the DNA of any organization is not easy, but at the same time not an impossible task to complete. It requires initiative, creativity, and most of all perseverance. According to Businessdictionary.com, team building refers to the ability to identify and motivate individual employees to form a team that stays together, works together and achieves together.
Promoting these work ethics among employees will help managers to improve the relationships employees have with each other by creating a healthier working environment, which in one way or another will have a positive impact in the mission as well as the moral of the organization. We all know that motivated, well-trained, and team-focused employees have better chances of achieving their personal and career goals as well as the organization’s goals faster than unmotivated or individualist employees.
Some excellent ways for managers to achieve this goal is by including a “teamwork attitude†into their management approach and by putting in practice some team building techniques.
Below are seven excellent tips that can help managers or team leaders to promote teamwork within their organization and to improve employees’ working relationships:
1) Establish clear goals within the organization that will require employees to work as a team.
2) Assign well-defined responsibilities and roles within the team.
3) Provide equal training opportunities to employees.
4) Promote team building activities as tools to “smooth†the progress of employees’ interactions.
5) Set up clear conflict management strategies for those crisis moments.
6) Value team members’ own performance styles and approaches, but at the same time guide them to use their individual differences for the advantage of the team.
7) Appreciate team performance and achievements by providing honest feedback and constructive criticism and at the same time celebrate the team successes by delivering recognition in an open publicized way.
Building a teamwork attitude within an organization not only will help employees to understand that decisions, plans and actions work better when they are completed as a team but at the same time will provide the manager with the opportunity to create a healthier and enjoyable working environment.
One last thought; “when a team outgrows individual performance and learns team confidence, excellence becomes a reality.†~Joe Paterno~
About the Author:
Marielys Camacho-Reyes is a graduate Psychology student at the University of Phoenix, a career coaching student at the Coach Training Alliance, and a member of the International Coaching Federation (ICF). If you would like to receive a one-time free coaching session, visit her website at www.mcrcareerdevelopmentcoaching.com
