Teamwork makes the dream work… said John Maxwell. Namely, a team brings together individuals to work towards a common goal. It can be creating an application, working on a project, brainstorming new ideas, etc. Everyone in the team contributes to the goal in their own way, given that they have different knowledge, skills, and abilities. Instead of a person spending hours and hours on a task that does not suit him, with the help of a team, he can solve it very quickly, and learn something new at the same time.
When we take into account the fact that on average, people spend over 13 years of their lifetime at work, we cannot help but ask ourselves what qualities of a team are necessary for success? How can we build a good team?
1. Communication
How many times have you heard the term miscommunication? How many times has it happened to you that something wasn’t communicated properly and that’s why the whole team or project can’t move forward until those problems are fixed? Problems that would not have existed if communication had been mutual from the beginning.
We believe many times! That is exactly why communication is at the top of our list. Effective communication within teams is essential for coordinating activities, ensuring the availability of necessary resources and equipment, completing preceding or interconnected tasks, and enabling people to deliver quality work within specified timelines.
One important form of communication is constructive feedback. Constructive feedback is the type of feedback aimed at achieving a positive outcome by providing someone with comments, advice, or suggestions that are useful for their work or their future. Providing transparent feedback, whether for onboarding, quality maintenance, process adaptation, or efficiency enhancement, fosters employee improvement. Remember that the focus should be on team enhancement, critiquing actions rather than individuals!
One important form of communication is constructive feedback
2. Leadership
Whether the company has 10 people or 10,000 people – it needs a good leader. Leaders direct us toward the goal, motivate and inspire with their behavior, and build a successful team by promoting communication and cooperation among the team.
According to Siena Heights University, there are several reasons why leadership is important in the workplace. Some of them are that it improves communication and productivity, decreases mistakes, helps keep employees on track, inspires hard work, and so on.
We can certainly agree that we would rather work in a company that appreciates our work and has good leadership, as opposed to one that does not fulfill us and in which the management is bad! This is also supported by the fact that 50% of people have left a job because of bad management. So if you plan to build your company, be prepared to invest in your leadership skills!
3. Respect
Although the team should have a hierarchy to make the distribution of work easier and the team more productive – this does not mean that team members should not respect each other. Even though someone is more experienced and someone is just starting a new job – the feeling of respect is still very important.
Effective teamwork hinges on mutual respect and trust, enhancing communication and collaboration, minimizing stress, reducing conflicts, and boosting job satisfaction. Over time, respect grows through shared experiences and demonstrated abilities.
One of the ways we can show respect for others in the workplace is to give and receive productive feedback to acknowledge employee strengths and help coworkers improve weaknesses. This shows that you care about the professional development of your colleagues. In addition, it is necessary to give them recognition for their achievements more often, empathize with them, and actively listen to them.
4. Encourage employee development
Incorporating team-building activities and personal development options allows members to tackle challenges, refine skills, and contribute more effectively to the team. More than 90% of workers say that training and development opportunities make them feel more engaged.
And when we consider that Zoomers will soon flood the job market, this information becomes even more important to us. According to the Oliver Wyman Forum, Zoomers already make up 25% of the total population. In 3-4 years, this figure will grow to 27% of the total workforce in the world.
This is supported by data from Forbes that 80% of respondents prefer a job that allows them to explore and grow various skill sets, rather than a job that is focused on a particular set of skills. Furthermore, Chimera says “Generation Z-ers are constantly striving for personal growth. A steady paycheck will not suffice as a reward for them. Instead, they yearn for personal growth, and the organization should provide it.”
Today it is more important than ever to invest in personal development
5. Commitment
Once you have all these factors, you get a committed team. However, commitment is built – it is not just given. Allen & Meyer’s model outlines three facets of organizational commitment:
- Affective Commitment – the extent to which an employee desires to stay with an organization
- Normative Commitment – the degree to which an employee believes they ought to remain with an organization
- Continuance Commitment – the extent to which an employee perceives a necessity to remain affiliated with the organization
As you can tell, the first category of commitment is the most desirable. It means that employees are satisfied with their role, feel valued, and share the organization’s goals. You can achieve it by supporting employees, practicing good management, and ensuring fair rewards and procedural justice.
So, now that you have a recipe for a perfect team, all you have to do is get going! In addition to learning about innovation and entrepreneurship at our programs in Toronto and Silicon Valley, you have the opportunity to work in a team. Be it through group tasks and projects or extracurricular activities where we encourage cooperation. Knowing how you function in a team will come in handy once you start establishing your own. See you this summer?
