Eight Key Principles for Effective Teamwork
6 September 2013
Read by 1684 persons
Whether at school or at work, teamwork is a reality you have to deal with. What is a work team? It is a group of people joining their efforts, in a structured way, to achieve a common goal. Since everyone's time is precious, you would benefit from applying the following eight principles to get the most out of your work teams, while making them as efficient as possible.
1. Define a clear and stimulating objective
Communicating a clear and stimulating objective guides individuals' actions in the desired direction, in addition to fostering motivation and group cohesion. Luc Jobin, Executive Vice-President and Chief Financial Officer at Canadian National (CN), explains: "It is important to present this objective, from the start, to all team members so that they have a global understanding of the project. This knowledge of the project and its main objective allows the team to produce work that takes into account each person's parts, so that they easily interlock with each other."
2. Identify a leader who will lead the team to success
The leader facilitates the progress of the work by voluntarily leading his teammates to the achievement of the pursued objectives. "Excellent musicians are not enough to create an orchestra," continues Mr. Jobin. "The conductor is essential to coordinate the talents." A good leader not only has the ability to motivate the group, but also marked skills in communication, problem-solving and conflict management. Mr. Jobin adds: "The leader must connect the different parts in order to produce quality work demonstrating a team effort."
3. Determine the team's operating rules
Establishing basic rules identifying appropriate and accepted behaviors within the team is an important step to ensure the good conduct of members. The rules may cover the following topics: the organization of meetings and their duration, the management of absences, and the method of conflict management. In addition, the use of a detailed agenda will simplify the conduct of meetings.
4. Determine and assign tasks to be accomplished
The complexity of this step, according to Mr. Jobin, is to judiciously assign tasks based on the experience and skills of the individuals in order to achieve the objectives previously set. Indeed, in-depth knowledge of everyone's strengths and weaknesses is not always easy or possible, especially when the team is newly formed. "It is then necessary to establish control points that allow us to evaluate, along the way, the quality of the members' contribution and their understanding of the work to be done," suggests Mr. Jobin. "Thus, the leader takes the pulse of his team and adjusts its trajectory accordingly."
5. Establish a schedule
An effective team develops a plan to achieve its objectives. The completion and submission of parts should follow a precise schedule, so as to respect the project deadline. "To this end, the work plan must be reasonable, it must include several control points and leave enough time for the integration of the different sections, in order to transform the project into a whole," specifies Mr. Jobin.
6. Stimulate member engagement
A dynamic team engaged in achieving objectives will encourage individuals to go the extra mile. This commitment is particularly important when one of the members is facing a challenge preventing them from contributing to the level of expectations. Indeed, their teammates may have to take on some of their work for a certain time. "A team with strong ties will overcome difficulties more easily, since members will be ready to endure setbacks for the good of the team," argues Mr. Jobin.
7. Foster a collaborative climate and provide adequate support
"So that the team is not just a simple collection of individuals, it is important to cultivate a climate of collaboration to ensure the convergence of efforts," advises Mr. Jobin. Members who develop interpersonal relationships and trust each other will seek to help each other, fostering the emergence of creative solutions. Then, offering each one support and listening allows the leader to identify issues that may prove problematic for the success of the project.
8. Communicate
"The driving energy uniting the first seven principles of teamwork is communication," explains Mr. Jobin. "Too often, lack of communication within the team affects its operation, particularly because of misunderstandings that persist." In order to maintain positive relationships, members must be able to express their feelings, disagreements and ideas. To this end, listening and respect are essential. "Communication must be effective, constructive and encourage concrete action," adds Mr. Jobin.
Finally, your team will be even more successful if you highlight and reward successes. This method will increase group cohesion and motivate individuals to provide sustained effort throughout the realization.
Mariane Jobin.
Careeroptionsmagazine.com
Posted on September 6, 2013.
1. Define a clear and stimulating objective
Communicating a clear and stimulating objective guides individuals' actions in the desired direction, in addition to fostering motivation and group cohesion. Luc Jobin, Executive Vice-President and Chief Financial Officer at Canadian National (CN), explains: "It is important to present this objective, from the start, to all team members so that they have a global understanding of the project. This knowledge of the project and its main objective allows the team to produce work that takes into account each person's parts, so that they easily interlock with each other."
2. Identify a leader who will lead the team to success
The leader facilitates the progress of the work by voluntarily leading his teammates to the achievement of the pursued objectives. "Excellent musicians are not enough to create an orchestra," continues Mr. Jobin. "The conductor is essential to coordinate the talents." A good leader not only has the ability to motivate the group, but also marked skills in communication, problem-solving and conflict management. Mr. Jobin adds: "The leader must connect the different parts in order to produce quality work demonstrating a team effort."
3. Determine the team's operating rules
Establishing basic rules identifying appropriate and accepted behaviors within the team is an important step to ensure the good conduct of members. The rules may cover the following topics: the organization of meetings and their duration, the management of absences, and the method of conflict management. In addition, the use of a detailed agenda will simplify the conduct of meetings.
4. Determine and assign tasks to be accomplished
The complexity of this step, according to Mr. Jobin, is to judiciously assign tasks based on the experience and skills of the individuals in order to achieve the objectives previously set. Indeed, in-depth knowledge of everyone's strengths and weaknesses is not always easy or possible, especially when the team is newly formed. "It is then necessary to establish control points that allow us to evaluate, along the way, the quality of the members' contribution and their understanding of the work to be done," suggests Mr. Jobin. "Thus, the leader takes the pulse of his team and adjusts its trajectory accordingly."
5. Establish a schedule
An effective team develops a plan to achieve its objectives. The completion and submission of parts should follow a precise schedule, so as to respect the project deadline. "To this end, the work plan must be reasonable, it must include several control points and leave enough time for the integration of the different sections, in order to transform the project into a whole," specifies Mr. Jobin.
6. Stimulate member engagement
A dynamic team engaged in achieving objectives will encourage individuals to go the extra mile. This commitment is particularly important when one of the members is facing a challenge preventing them from contributing to the level of expectations. Indeed, their teammates may have to take on some of their work for a certain time. "A team with strong ties will overcome difficulties more easily, since members will be ready to endure setbacks for the good of the team," argues Mr. Jobin.
7. Foster a collaborative climate and provide adequate support
"So that the team is not just a simple collection of individuals, it is important to cultivate a climate of collaboration to ensure the convergence of efforts," advises Mr. Jobin. Members who develop interpersonal relationships and trust each other will seek to help each other, fostering the emergence of creative solutions. Then, offering each one support and listening allows the leader to identify issues that may prove problematic for the success of the project.
8. Communicate
"The driving energy uniting the first seven principles of teamwork is communication," explains Mr. Jobin. "Too often, lack of communication within the team affects its operation, particularly because of misunderstandings that persist." In order to maintain positive relationships, members must be able to express their feelings, disagreements and ideas. To this end, listening and respect are essential. "Communication must be effective, constructive and encourage concrete action," adds Mr. Jobin.
Finally, your team will be even more successful if you highlight and reward successes. This method will increase group cohesion and motivate individuals to provide sustained effort throughout the realization.
Mariane Jobin.
Careeroptionsmagazine.com
Posted on September 6, 2013.
