Simple Ways to Improve Teamwork in the Workplace

Working effectively as a team requires trust, accountability, commitment, organization, communication, time management and conflict resolution skills.

As the popular saying goes, 'There is no 'I' in Team,' and therefore working as a team requires individuals to be able to effectively work together and in doing so learning to put personal feelings to one side. This is certainly no easy task as everyone comes together having experienced a whole range of issues and often carrying much baggage.

Dysfunctional Teamwork within the Workplace

In order to better understand the skills required for effective teamwork within the workplace it may be helpful to first identify which aspects are likely to result in a team being inefficient, unproductive and dysfunctional. In Patrick Lencioni's book entitled The Five Dysfunctions of a Team,' he highlights five key themes which he believes are factors within dysfunctional teams.

These five factors associated with ineffective teamwork include the following: absence of trust, fear of conflict, lack of commitment, avoidance of accountability and inattention to results.

Effective Teamwork Requires Trust

Regardless of whether in the workplace, home or leisure environment, trust is absolutely essential as without it there is likely to be much conflict and simply an inability to build relationships and be able to work effectively as a team. Particularly within the workplace environment trust is key to maintaining good working relationships between colleagues, employees and employers. Trust requires honesty and honesty is crucial to being able to work efficiently without worrying that one is going to be stabbed in the back or manipulated out of a job.

Effective Teamwork Requires Accountability

Without accountability it is completely impossible to work efficiently within the workplace environment or indeed any other environment as a team. Feedback is a key part of accountability as this is necessary to help individuals to understand how they are progressing. Regardless of a person's expertise or position it is important to have another person who will hold him or hr accountable.

Accountability reduces the likelihood of a person getting sidetracked at work and is a valuable means of keeping track of employees. This issue also helps reduce conflict as it creates opportunity for individuals to recognize their role within the wider team and how they may improve on key skills.

A really crucial aspect of effective teamwork is being able to communicate well with one another. Thus requires the following skills: active listening, negotiation skills, non-verbal communication awareness and patience. It is also important to be aware of tone, gestures and facial expressions as these will have an impact on how one is perceived by other members of the team.

As highlighted above, effective teamwork requires communication skills, the ability to negotiate well, accountability trust and commitment. All of these skills will help to make the workplace a more positive environment and hopefully result in less office politics, petty conflicts and lead to increased staff morale.

By,

RK GOPAL NANDURI.

Ban the blame game in an organisation

Finger Pointing Causes Teamwork Disharmony

The blame game is common in office politics and can cause job demotivation. Remove finger pointing from the workplace for a more productive and happier culture.

When workload, clients and bosses become overwhelming, it is easy for employees in a corporation to resort to the “blame game” when something goes wrong. Placing the blame on other people when mistakes occur is detrimental to corporate culture and creates a sense of discord within an organization. Removing the finger pointing will actually enhance productivity, interpersonal relations and job satisfaction overall.

Effects of the Blame Game

In an organization that is used to finger pointing, employees tend to feel a sense of superiority over others, claiming that they cannot make mistakes. By finger pointing at others, one would eventually become removed from the team and known as a person who is used to “passing the buck.”

Finger pointing is also condescending and humiliating for the person who has to bear the brunt of the blame. Even when a team is at fault, severe finger pointing can lead to the singling out of an employee and can be detrimental to his or her job motivation.

Passing the blame also leads to the attitude that “as long as it was not me [who committed the mistake] why should I care?” The blame game therefore affects productivity. When an error occurs, employees are more concerned with framing a perpetuator rather than solving the problem. This will result in a delay of fixing the problem itself.

When the blame game is common in the office and is not removed from the corporate norm, office politics tend to take higher precedence than recognition of work and improvements when it comes to annual appraisals. Those who have been singled out during the year will be more likely remembered for his or her mistakes rather than their positive contribution to the team or department.

Banish the Blame Game

Management must establish a culture that is positive-oriented, keeping employees happy rather than causing distress when mistakes happen. Having said that, the first step managers should take is to start acknowledging their own mistakes as and when they happen. This way, employees will feel that it is acceptable to err, as long as a lesson has been learned from it. Employees will also be encouraged to admit to their mistakes rather than beat around the bush or pass the buck.

If management witnesses finger pointing within their departments, he or she should be quick to query both sides of the story. Less assertive individuals are more susceptible victims of finger pointing, so it is important to let them have a say in the issue at hand.

Positive reinforcement should also be magnified. When an accomplishment has materialised in the office, it is important to acknowledge it and reward the responsible person or team with adequate praise. If an error occurs within a department, team leaders should be equally responsible for the mistake and work with their team to overcome the error.

Productivity should therefore be of priority. Instead of “who made the mistake?,” employees should ask themselves “what should we do now to mitigate the mistake?” It is therefore important to continuously move forward even if problems arise. This way, employees are not side-tracked by office politics distractions and ignore the important part of their jobs, such as clients and reporting lines.

A Healthier Working Environment

Banishing the blame game from office politics will increase productivity and enhance teamwork within the office. Employees will also be more motivated at their jobs knowing that they will be rewarded for their efforts and that though mistakes happen there are ways to work around them.

By.

RK GOPAL NANDURI.