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A chain is only as strong as its weakest link.This is also true in the professional world in terms of teamwork. Individual employees contribute to the group to achieve company goals. Effectively forming a team is an important task for the HR department. Today, many projects can only be realised by multiple employees working hand in hand. With effective team building, you ensure that processes are optimal and quick.
Preparation
Team development has a lot to do with preparation. Define clear objectives in advance: What roles are there in the team? What should the team achieve together? How are tasks distributed and linked together? First, decide what the team should do and then plan who is best suited to completing tasks. Be open about the objectives and tasks: the more transparent the structure is for group members, the better everyone knows what he needs to do.
Team building
Effective team building requires a lot of intuition on the part of the manager. Determine who fits well together. Should your team have its own leader or does every member have the same rights? Distribute tasks amongst team members in as balanced a way a possible. Fairness, respect, and trust are the core elements of effectively building a team. The group dynamics should also constantly be assessed. Plan weekly conferences in which you discuss current and past tasks as well as possible problems with your employees.
Four phases of team development
In 1965 American psychologist Bruce Tuckman developed a phase model for team development. Amongst other things, the model shows that even effective team building involves conflicts, as feelings are inevitably present and important anywhere that people work. First, the new group gets to know all the members in the "forming" phase. The relationships between the group members are still open and the first rules are developed. In the second phase, the "storming" phase, one often sees conflict and discussion. The conflicts in this phase lead to the initial organisational agreements. This method of defining roles ends in the "norming" phase in which discussed rules contribute to cooperation and the team finally finds its legs. Performance is then observed in the "performing" stage, and tasks are successfully executed thanks to the previous phases.
Strengthening the team
A team that routinely executes day-to-day tasks may function well, but its productivity can always be improved. Here, the keyword is motivation. You can best motivate your team by giving them challenges to strengthen the team as a whole. The challenges may be new tasks that must be overcome or special games that form the basis of effective team building. Group excursions and experiences also help strengthen the team.
Thank the team
Praise is necessary after successful team development. Thank your team in regular intervals to show that you value them. It can be as simple as a "thank you" at meetings or something bigger, such as a party or excursion. Or you can invite your employees to go to dinner. Saying thank you in this way is sure to be well received by your employees and simultaneously further strengthens the bonds in the team. This doubles the fun of effective team building.
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04/07/2017
