“The best teamwork comes from men who are working independently toward one goal in unison.”
– James Cash Penney
Team building is a synthetic process designed to improve working relationships and team functioning such as problem-solving, decision making and conflict resolution that enables the group to overcome any goal blocking barrier. It is the way to blend talent, skills and the creativity of a group. With collaboration at its heart, team building improves cooperation, time and resource management for their benefit of an organization or team.
Team building activities go a long way to achieving better workplace relationships than have a positive impact on the organization’s processes and goals.
Increase Productivity
The nature of a team-building teaches people how to work together more effectively. It allows seeing that everyone has different skills.
Improve Communication
Team building exercises can help to foster better communication skills. Clear and open communication is the key to the success of projects and relationships within the organization.
Keep Employees Motivated
Team building activities can help them feel motivated about their work in terms of the people they interact with. As a result, they’ve developed better, trusting relationships with colleagues, they are more likely to look forward to coming into the office.
Develop Problem Solving Skills
Team building exercise develops the problem-solving skills to reach a goal despite hurdles, and feel more confident about their ability.
A team-building can give you a chance to get to know your team better. Team building formalizes the power of collaboration among individuals. It is a way to blend talents, skills and the creativity of the group. And here are some reasons why team building is important.
- Most organizations are so complex and with delayering, there has to be team building for them to succeed.
- Everyone needs to be working towards common goals that need to be attainable and clearly communicated.
- Team building environments will outperform non-team based environments.
“Teamwork is the ability to work together toward a common vision. The ability to direct individual accomplishments toward organizational objectives. It is the fuel that allows common people to attain uncommon results.”
–Andrew Carnegie
Team bondings bring people together by encouraging collaboration and teamwork. The first rule of team building is an obvious one: to lead a team effectively, establishing leadership with each team member.
Teams move through a series of stages, Bruce Tuckman identified five distinct phases of team development: Forming, Storming, Norming, Performing and Adjourning. Every team goes through the five stages of team development. The progression is:
Forming
Little agreement on team aims other than received from the leader. A leader must be prepared to answer lots of questions about the team’s purpose, objectives and external relationships. Processes are often ignored.
Storming
Team members vie for position as they attempt to establish themselves in relation to other team members and the leader. The team needs to be focused on its goals to avoid becoming distracted by relationships and emotional issues. Compromises may be required to enable progress.
Norming
Big decisions are made by group agreement. Smaller decisions may be delegated to individuals or small teams within the group. The team may engage in fun and social activities. The team discusses and develops its processes and working style. There is general respect for the leader and some of the leadership is more shared by the team.
Performing
The team has a shared vision and is able to stand on its own feet with no interference or participation from the leader. The team is able to work towards achieving the goal, and also to attend to relationship, style and process issues along the way. Team members might ask for assistance from the leader with personal and interpersonal development.
Adjourning (also referred to as Deforming and Mourning)
Tuckman refined his theory around 1975 and added a fifth stage. Adjourning is the break-up of the group, hopefully, when the task is completed successfully, its purpose fulfilled; everyone can move on to new things, feeling good about what’s been achieved. The team has completed its mission or purpose and it is time for team members to pursue other goals or projects.
Tuckman’s model explains that as the team develops maturity and ability, relationships established, and the leader changes leadership style. The aim of the leader or manager is, therefore, to develop the team through the five stages, and then to move on to another role.
It takes great leadership to build great teams. Team building is both an art and a science and a leader who can consistently build high-performance teams. Here are six ways successful teams are built:
Be Aware of How You Work
As the leader of the team, you must be extremely aware of your leadership style and techniques. Though you may be in charge, how you work may not be appreciated by those who work for you.
“A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way.”
Get to Know the Rest of the Team
As a leader, you must take the time to get to know your team and encourage mutual trust. Fully knowing your team means that you have invested the time to understand how they are wired to think and what is required to motivate them to excel beyond what is expected from them.
“Great teams do not hold back with one another. They are unafraid to air their dirty laundry. They admit their mistakes, their weaknesses, and their concerns without fear of reprisal.”
Clearly Define Roles & Responsibilities
Each of your team member’s responsibilities must be interconnected and dependent upon one another. This is not unlike team sports, that’s why you must have a keen eye for talent that can evaluate people not only on their ability to play a particular role but even more so on whether they fit the workplace culture and will be a team player.
Be Proactive with Feedback
Feedback is the key to assuring any team is staying on track, but more importantly that it is improving each day. Feedback should be proactive and constant.
“We all need people who will give us feedback. That’s how we improve.”
Acknowledge and Reward
People love recognition but are most appreciative of respect. Take the time to give your teammates the proper accolades they have earned and deserve.
“Acknowledgement and celebration are essential to fueling passion, making people feel valid and valuable, and giving the team a real sense of progress that makes it worthwhile.”
Always Celebrate Success
Leaders must take the time to celebrate success. This goes beyond acknowledgment this is about taking a step back and reflecting on what you have accomplished and what you have learned throughout the journey.
“It’s fine to celebrate success but it is more important to heed the lessons of failure.”
One of the most powerful reasons for team building is to get results. Team building events are essential for better team relations because it is all about the most important asset of the organization – the employees. Through a series of planned team bonding events that are fun and motivational, teams build skills like communication, planning, problem-solving and conflict resolution.
