For many companies it’s now clear that teamwork is essential in most production areas and even in activities that require a lot of individual work, because in many cases it’s necessary to work with other people to achieve a good result.
If we think of a medical surgeon, we imagine him or her working alongside a nurse and anesthetist; the same logic applies to a designer with his or her group of seamstresses, a lawyer with his or her team of legal experts inside and outside the courts, and so on in many other work areas. In a nutshell, no individual is metaphorically an island, both in their private life and work one.
Steps to create an efficient working group
The American social psychologist Tuckman proposed 5 phases of group life evolution:
- Forming
- Storming (conflict)
- Norming (structuring)
- Performing (activities)
- Adjourning
The 5 phases are all NECESSARY to make the team:
- overcome challenges and problems
- search for solutions
- organize the work
- achieve results
Whether you are creating a brand new team for a project or an entire company, there is always room for improvement: check out our tips and tricks by reading this short but effective checklist.
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Define the project and its objectives
What kind of work group are you creating? What objectives should it achieve and over what period of time? What skills are required from employees and how can you measure the results? Before hiring or selecting people for your team, define your SMART goals: specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound. On the basis of these, you can evaluate CVs and start finding the right people.
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Create a team culture
Identify the core values of your group (they must respect the corporate values) and on the basis of these define rules and behaviours. They don’t need to be many or in-depth: they only need to be specific and respectable by everyone, regardless of individual abilities and other demographic aspects (such as gender, age, religious beliefs, etc.)
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Assign (responsibilities) and monitor (results)
One of the main problems of work groups is the lack of clarity about roles and assignment. Who does what? Is there an established hierarchy or are the activities “horizontal”? It’s the manager’s job to clarify and create an organisation chart and monitor employees and their activities over time.
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Establish leadership
If the manager is not efficient, his team is unlikely to be efficient: the manager must be the first to set a good example. How? By learning to communicate, by establishing a direct relationship with each employee and by delegating when necessary.
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Create connections between team members
Often group management related problems can stem from a lack of relationship between group members, either simply because of carelessness or because of increasing tensions over time. Team building days and mentorship programmes can help in this situation, creating a sense of belonging to the group and a relationship of trust between its members.
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Encourage confrontation
Plan regular meetings (including virtual meetings, provided they are efficiently managed) where you can evaluate ongoing activities, outline future projects and give everyone the right space to intervene. Are you looking for new ideas? Brainstorming increases creativity and inspiration!
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Invest in training
The group improves through connections, but we must never forget that it is still made up of people. Everyone must (or conceptually should) improve over time, to increase the team’s competitiveness against its competitors. Therefore, invest in training your employees, assessing market demands, work requirements and everyone’s skills.
