Leadership Skills - Foster Teamwork

The synergy that comes from putting employees together to form teams to solve problems, make decisions, and take actions is power that organizations can harness for greater success. I n these increasingly complex, changing times for business and industry, teams can supply more creative solutions and more powerful support for the organization. With an effective team, "the whole is greater than the sum of the parts".

Whether the team is a permanent work group or a temporary task force, however, creating such teams and leading them to success requires skill and finesse on the part of the team leader.

This section I have divided in three parts, providing suggestions to help managers foster successful teamwork.

Part 1: Creating an Environment Conductive to Teamwork

• Recognizing Management's Impact on Teamwork:  how successful an organization is at effectively utilizing teamwork largely depends on the attitudes, directives, and policies that come from the management team. Your actions and the policies you develop affect teamwork both within your work unit as well as throughout your organization.
• Building a Team Environment:Just as plants need a certain environment for maximum growth ( an appropriate amount of sun and water, proper pruning, enough soil), teams need certain "ingredients" in their environment to function in the best way possible. Building an environment conductive to maximum team functioning is not a one-time event; rather it involves an ongoing effort and process on your and your team's part.

Part 2: Building Your Team Leader Skills

• Building a Team: it's important that the employees in your unit, division, and functional area work together with team spirit to maximize the ultimate success of your team. Building a team attitude means managing your employees in a way that fosters teamwork instead of individual gain. Teamwork takes time to build and requires practice and effort on the part of both the manager and the employees. However, once you start the process, it gains momentum, like a ball rolling down the hill. For your team members to work well together, your team needs a clear idea of why it is a team and must agree about how to work together.
• Valuing the Contributions of All Team Members: All members of the team - those who have more complex and highly compensated jobs as well as those whose  responsibilities are more straightforward- are important to the success of the organization. For all members of the team to feel valued and worthwhile, there must be a pervasive attitude that everyone's work is important.
• Encouraging Interaction among Group Members:Interactions in group meetings typically take one of three forms:
• The group is largely silent, with the leader doing most of the talking.
• Group members interact with the leader
• Group members interact with one another.

The third form represents the most effective type of interaction. When group members interact, the resources of all members are used most fully, and problem solving is promoted.

• Increasing Interdependence Within Your Team: Interdependence involves the concept that you and your team can accomplish more by working together than you could by working individually (in other words, the concept of "one plus one equals three")
• Discouraging "We versus They" Thinking: Promoting teamwork among groups across an organization is essential to create an environment where people pursue common goals.
• Involving Others in Shaping Plans and Decisions:People who assist in the planning and decision making are likely to be ore invested in the successful execution of those plans and decisions. Engage all your team members in the development of your team's mission, strategy and goals. When working on projects involving other functions, involve representatives from all affected areas.
• Acknowledging and Celebrating Team Aaccomplishments: Acknowledging and celebrating team accomplishments is a powerful way to recognize your team efforts and to keep motivation and momentum going.
• Evaluating Your Effectiveness as a Team Member: Part of being an effective team leader involves being an effective team member. How effective are you in team situations? Do you contribute too much? Too little? Does  the impact you have on a team depend on the circumstances? In developing a plan for improving your team skills, sharpen your awareness of how you currently function as a team member.

Part 3: Developing Team Problem-Solving and decision-Making Skills

• Deciding When to use a Team Approach: Team leaders need to decide when and what degree to use a team approach for decision making and problem solving. In general, the higher the level of commitment and buy-in your team members show, and the more creative, varied, and informative the input and opinions they offer, the more important a team approach for solving problems becomes. When  team members are involved the problem solving and decision making, they are more likely to accept the final decision and to feel ownership and shared responsibility for the success of the overall goal. Furthermore, the quality of decisions and problem solutions is greater because the group process generates a variety of perspectives and opinions that lead to more creative, effective results.
• Improving Your Team Decision-Making Process: When a group has problems making decisions, it is usually because its members are confused or in disagreement about one or more of the following:
• What decision they are trying to make\
• Who should be involved in making the decision
• How individuals should be involved (as information sources or decision makers, for instance)
• When the decision must be made.
• Seeking Appropriate Input before Making Decisions:Rarely can important decisions be made without input from others. Managers need to solicit input before making decisions for a variety of reasons: to obtain critical input, to build commitment in others, to develop others, to show respect for others' opinions, and to foster open communication and problem sharing.
• Improving Your Group Facilitation Skills: To develop skills that will enable you to move more effectively facilitate group problem-solving sessions, follow these suggestions when you lead such sessions during the next few months. Watch the groups you lead for signs of increased participation and the generation of more and better solution alternatives.
• As the group leader, facilitate, rather than direct, the group discussion.
• Use active listening skills to draw out ideas and creativity of others
• Protect minority opinion. The most obvious or popular suggestions are not always the best.
• Encourage sessions that are problem-oriented rather than solution-oriented
• Use brainstorming techniques to generate alternate solutions.
• Look for a second solution after a first solution is arrived at to encourage additional creative approaches.