Team Building. 5 Keys to Teamwork

5 Keys to Teamwork

When you get your employees to set aside their personal interests and prioritise the shared goal, you achieve the full expression of the concept of synergy, meaning the result is greater than the sum of each element or part acting alone. This is summed up very simply by the saying "one and one make three", something we emphasise in our Team Building activities.

This is quite difficult in our society, where the number 1 pastime is glorifying the ego, and where we've been raised since childhood to stand out from everyone else. It's essential to try to encourage employees to connect with something bigger than themselves, as the great Phil Jackson once said.

If achieved, this can generate a major competitive advantage for the company. Good teamwork is the key to achieving extraordinary results. At Kaizen Coaching and Team Building we have a wide range of great options to boost it, from team building days, team coaching, corporate activities, incentive activities, etc. Here are 5 keys to achieving it;

• Synergy. It's essential to promote responsibility and commitment, and this is usually achieved by allowing decisions to be made based on every team member's input. A permissive leadership style is needed, allowing people to behave naturally, and even encouraging them to risk making wrong decisions, which generate learning for future occasions. Several people working on a task doesn't always make a work team. We talk about true teams when synergy generates extraordinary results — that is, when group performance is greater than the sum of individual performances.
• A coordinator's role is essential. Very few groups function without some form of leadership. Depending on the team format, coordination can fall to the official boss, be decided by vote, or be a rotating role. The coordinator should help the group set goals, organise the work, and strengthen relationships. Their role should focus not only on the task itself, but on how well the group functions.
• Value diversity. Much of a team's performance value comes from a diversity of perspectives and the negotiation between them needed to reach the goals set. In multidisciplinary groups, different perspectives and knowledge contribute to solving complex problems.
• A great team creates personal growth experiences. The foundation of successful teams is mutual trust and outstanding performance through integration with colleagues. So being part of a well-run team is always an enriching experience that not only helps achieve business goals, but leaves a mark both professionally and personally.
• Team building activities foster team formation. Regularly dedicate some time to integration and team-strengthening activities, such as team building days and corporate or incentive activities. Through collective activities like games, sports or challenges, it becomes easier to build the relationships needed for a team to function and achieve great results. Some can be run at the workplace itself with no special preparation, while others require outings led by a professional company like Kaizen Coaching and Team Building.