Team Building 101

4/27/2011 at 10:13 am by The Sage ERP Team

Whether you’re a Celtics fan, a Lakers aficionado or a Heat fanatic, everyone’s got a favorite team. Maybe it’s your hometown’s team, maybe it isn’t. Maybe you like the Rangers in professional hockey, or maybe you watch every Broncos game on Sundays. Some of you might even be soccer fans – Manchester United, Arsenal or Real Madrid? It doesn’t matter – sports fans know that what makes a good team is good teamwork.

You wouldn’t want to watch a basketball game where only one player ever took a shot, or a football game where there was only one tackler on every play. First of all, those teams wouldn’t exactly have winning records. And, worse, the star player would really only be sabotaging his own team.

Just like in sports, teamwork is essential in business. A metaphorical business “ball hog” would be detrimental to the business as a whole, even if he or she were truly good at the job. Encouraging employees to work together to solve problems, complete projects and generate new ideas is the only way for businesses to realize their full potential and unlock the best in everyone who works for them.

As anyone who’s ever been in middle school can attest, group dynamics are complicated. And though we (generally) become more civil as we leave school, mature and enter the professional world, not everybody in a given group is going to get along perfectly. In competitive fields, there is bound to be some jealousy between team members – in some cases, there may even be outright sabotaging, especially if a raise or promotion is on the line.

As a business leader, it is essential that you do your best to curb this kind of behavior. While you want employees who are driven and ambitious, being cutthroat to the point of burning bridges is not a quality you want in a leader. True leaders are able to bring out the best in others. They don’t try to hog the spotlight for themselves, they shine the light on all of their teammates.

The basic tenant of team-building is to create a goal around which members of a team are united. It can be solving a problem, developing a new product, completing a report or virtually any other task, but you must ensure that team members share a common goal. Emphasize that they will be rewarded for achieving this goal as a team, rather than as individuals, in order to engender a sense of togetherness that will hopefully help prevent infighting. After all, the Lakers never could have won the championship is Kobe were dunking on his own teammates.

Building camaraderie amongst teammates is a difficult thing to do on command. The closeness that develops between friends is a result of shared experience and hardship, which can’t be manufactured in a few short hours. You can, however, improve group dynamics in your office by encouraging social activities outside of work, such as group lunches and happy hours on Fridays. Encouraging employees to see each other as individuals with identities that exist beyond their roles at the company is a great way to foster supportive, friendly attitudes amongst workers.

To keep the team running like a well-oiled machine, check in frequently, but don’t micromanage. Be sure to speak to employees individually so that they can air grievances, raise concerns and alert you to the people who might be a problem in the group dynamic.

When your business functions like a team, there’ll be no one standing in the way of the metaphorical championship ring.