57098-0107
Twelve Ways to Build an Effective
Team
Teams that are cohesive, productive, and efficient -- and whose members
enjoy doing their work and working together -- don’t happen by accident.
Successful teams are cohesive because team members work cooperatively,
sharing common goals as well as the resources to achieve them. They are
productive, not because team members never disagree, but because they
have worked out ways to resolve conflicts when they occur. They are
efficient because tasks are assigned in a way that takes into account each
member’s skills and interests, rather than letting the team be dominated
by the most verbal, most aggressive, or most popular personalities.
Managers play an essential role in developing and leading teams that work
in these ways.
Here are 12 ways to build an effective and cohesive team:
1. Clarify the common goals and purposes. Make the team’s purposes clear. Take
the time to articulate the team’s performance goals and how the team
contributes to the company’s success. Even a work group that has existed for
some time may never have done this. In any case, the purposes and
conditions change over time. If you are a new boss, you will be putting your
own stamp on the group’s common goal.
2. Clarify each person’s role in achieving the common purpose. Define each person’s
job in terms of its contribution to the group’s and the company’s overall
goals. This must be done in specific terms, not in vague generalities. For
example, “We’re working under very tight timelines. Joe, you’ll be in charge
of overall project coordination, so you will set the timetable for each project
phase. Betty, can I ask you to take responsibility for writing the brochures
and getting them printed? Maribeth and Scott, I’d like you to work together
on the transportation requirements, OK? Let’s meet again tomorrow
afternoon at 3:00 for an update and a progress check. Does that work for
everybody?”
3. Put team members in touch with the people who use what they do. Confirm the
needs of the team’s external or internal customers or clients on an ongoing
basis. For example, “Tom, be sure to talk with both Materials Management
and the folks in Production to make sure they’re aware of the changes we’ve
planned. Our changes could affect their work if we’re all not in sync.”
Overview
Twelve ways to build a
team that works together
productively and with
synergy.
2