Team building I deas is essential Team Building I deas and skills are an essential characteristic of a good manager or entrepreneur. All companies realize the importance of good teamwork and a team player is prized among both managers as well as employees. Understanding how to create a harmonious and effective team can give you an extra edge in your career. Establishing common, shared goals towards which all team members are committed is the first step towards team building. It is only by establishing and building on such goals that team building can be productive. The most important thing you have to find before you start any team building is to check that there is an ownership of common goals, only after this you should move to the next step or the exercise could just end up as a waste of time and money. An important factor in team effectiveness is skill diversity and complementing personalities. Having a diverse set of skills in a team ensures that all can use their strengths to the fullest and at the same time compensate for one another’s weaknesses. It is critical that the different personalities balance each other in order to build a good team. Good communication and understanding is also essential to successfully build a team. Smooth communication ensures that all efforts of the team are targeted towards the common goals which are clearly identified in advance. Focused team building efforts are indispensible to team work success. There is a tremendous scope for problems if a team of clashing personalities and backgrounds are left by themselves. Conflict can easily arise between team members if they are not given constant direction and motivation. There can also be a clash of ideas, principles and interests if concentrated efforts for team building are not undertaken. For instance two members with similar experience and expertise may end up fighting for authority or dominance. Once the team goals are clear and accepted by everyone, it is important to build member commitment towards those goals as well as consensus on the means of achieving them. It is important that individual team members place the team goals higher than their personal goals. Lack of trust and openness often blocks critical communication and can lead to a complete loss of coordination in individual efforts. There are some important points to keep in mind for effective team building. Keeping these ideas, techniques and tips in mind will be helpful when trying to establish a great team. Ensure that team goals are clear, understood and accepted by each individual team member. Make sure to delegate and demarcate responsibilities. Authority should not overlap as far as possible. Doing this will reduce the blame game, insecurities and conflict within the team. Encourage trust among team members through informal get-togethers in an atmosphere of honesty and openness. Facilitate team members to build trust and friendship through team building activities and events. Spending some social time together also greatly helps in team building and team bonding. Try and involve the entire team while taking important decisions that affect the whole team. Team members must feel that their opinions are both heard and respected. This encourages ownership, responsibility and initiative.
If any conflict should still arise, then make sure that it is not dragged on and should be dealt with and resolved right at the bud. Keeping these simple guidelines will definitely make you a better manager and ensure the effectiveness of your team building ideas. Finally, though team work and Team Building can offer many challenges, the pay off from a high performance team is well worth it.