By Kiki Georges

Some teams work and some don’t.  Most of us have had good and bad experiences with teams.  In order for teams to be successful there are certain things that need to happen, according to an article in the Human Capital Review.

Managers need to be able to set up their employees to be successful.  Some areas to focus on include:

• Making sure the organization’s mission is clearly stated and understood.
• Team members must be able to communicate in a clear and honest way with each other.  No backstabbing allowed!
• Team needs to understand they can work without interference.
• Team needs to hold each other accountable.
• Having an excellent team leader who is a facilitator and not a micro-manager, who promotes creativity and engages employees to be proactive in their decision making.
• Ground rules need to be set, understood and followed by all.
• Team size doesn’t really matter, as long as quality of work is produced. However, with a diversified team, come more diversified thoughts and actions.
• Egos should be checked at the door!  It’s not about you, it’s about the team.
• Team should have all the resources available that it needs to get the job done.

A team is only as good as its members. A lot can be accomplished through great teamwork, as long as everyone understands what the end result is—what is your goal?  The more that employees feel that their contributions matter, the more they are going to be engaged and also more willing to put forth that extra effort. As a manager or team leader, what are you doing to promote teamwork with all of your employees?  Do you treat everyone the same and are they all given the same opportunities?  Do all of your employees really know what’s expected of them, or do you just give orders without much substance and expect everyone to know what you want?

Do you work better alone or in a group?  What teamwork tactics does your organization use to promote effective communication and productivity?