Teamwork Tips

Teamworking in large organisation bring a great deal of variety to an already-challenging aspect of leadership. Change management gurus such as Stephen Warrilow – (Change Management Strategy Expert) can give independent guidance to organisations on such issues. But as an individual, how can you afford to hire such a consultant to help you with teamworking?

Therefore this article aims to inform readers on the benefits, drawbacks with teamworking in large organisations, including international teaming – which is becoming more and more common, not least in the organisation that provides the software for this blog.

The Characteristics of Teams in Large Organisations

The team members are a new ensemble and don’t have existing working relationships

The team members have a shared company values system

The team may come from extremely different cultures and backgrounds

The team may be working in different time zones

The Benefits of Teamworking in Large Organisations

Teams can bring together a range of specialist knowledge. A project team with members drawn from finance, sales, creative and production will be able to provide very valuable insights to the team and ensure that the deliverable is acceptable to all divisions of the company.

Large or new teams often act in a very professional manner, and this will involve a very hard-working attitude and a desire not to let down other members of the team. Due to the new formation, members will still largely be in the introduction phase, and will be very keen to be received positively. This means that bad habits are less likely to emerge, and team members should remain very civil with one another. If the team is a client-facing team, such as a consultancy project group, this enhanced professionalism will reflect well on the company, and such ensure the client receives the profession service they expect.

Drawbacks of Teamworking in Large Organisations

Team members will be unfamiliar with each others strengths and weakenesses. This may lead to efficient distributions of work, and wasted work hours. In a very professional environment, this more likely to lead to the team working unpaid overtime, rather than project delays, but either result has a detrimental effect on the organisation.

Team members may struggle to communicate effectively. Whether communication problems are due to distance (IT problems, or restricted hours through which calls can be made due to time zone differences), or multicultural team differences, these will slow down the teams progress and potentially reduce work quality.

Therefore it is important when working in large teams (with potential leadership styles conflicts) that one takes into account the benefits and drawbacks listed above. With these in mind, many of the common pitfalls can be avoided, hereby improving the enjoyment and effectiveness of all team members.

Strong, positive teamwork is defined by a leader who has a vision and the ability to inspire his or her team to work toward the realization of that vision.

The leader is not threatened in the least by the expertise and diversity of his or her team. Rather, a good team leader engages his or her teammates in a discussion about what quality looks like, what is needed to perform and complete the job, and empowers the team members to always strive for quality improvement.

Let’s break all that down into its component parts. The first is a clearly defined leader. I believe every team must have a leader. There must be someone who is in charge and makes the ultimate decisions.

Team members may take turns being the leader as long as everyone is clear who the leader is on any given day. Another variation of that theme is to have certain people be the leader for projects that are in their area of expertise. However, in every event, there can be no question among teammates who is the leader for that day or project.

The leader needs to have a vision. This is similar to Covey’s second habit, “Begin with the end in mind.” A true leader creates the end product twice—once mentality and then in its actual form. It is impossible to lead toward a fuzzy vision. People are simply not inspired to follow uncertainty.

Having the vision is not enough to inspire teammates to strive toward the same goal. A good team leader knows how to help each teammate see how the end product or service will be useful and what, exactly, their individual contribution is toward that end.

How does the janitor contribute to fans’ enjoyment at a professional baseball game? By providing a clean, neat bathroom experience—that’s how. If the janitor sees himself as a critical cog in the big picture goal and he receives positive recognition for it, then he is more likely to perform his job with enthusiasm.

Another component of being able to inspire one’s teammates is having a clearly defined mission that everyone, preferably, has had a part in developing, but if not, then at least team members can agree to the previously established team mission.

This becomes important in times of conflict between team members. When there is a dispute to be solved, it is helpful to have an already established way to measure the solution. Solutions are always held up against the mission and whether or not it will move the team closer or further from the ultimate goal.

The other advantage of having a mission that has been agreed upon by all team members is that it can enhance cooperation. One of the most difficult things to manage on a team is an individual ego. There can be petty jealousies and a competitive spirit that can kill the cooperation of the best team. The mission statement is a way to minimize this potential for disaster.

The mission remains the focus that everything else is compared to. An individual’s action is either helpful or hurtful to the mission and dealt with accordingly. The group’s goal must always be placed above any individual’s desires or ego. Jealousy and backstabbing have no useful place on a team.

A good leader is in no way threatened by the expertise and diversity of his or her team. The best leaders are always seeking information from the front line people who are doing the actual work. Without information from team members, the leader’s hands are tied behind his or her back.

It is also critical to use team members in their areas of expertise. Leaders can’t know everything about everything. There will be team members who have skills and abilities that surpass those of the leader in certain areas. A good leader will ask for help when it is prudent.

This is also a time to value diversity. Having a team made up of people who all do the same jobs in pretty much the same way really has no value. One person could more easily do the job than assembling a homogenous team.

The value of a team comes from its heterogeneity. Getting feedback and suggestions from people who do things differently is what will spark the creativity and the genius of the team. This is what masterminding is all about. Tap into the wealth that is already there.

Finally, a good leader holds the bar high. He or she does not ask his team to be average or mediocre. Average and mediocre can be easily replaced. The leader asks his or her team to collectively do their very best and when they are done, the leader asks them to always strive for continuous improvement. The work is never done. The team should always be evaluating what has been implemented and be comfortable making suggestions for ways to do it even better.

Previously, I mentioned that a good leader empowers his or her teammates. Creating a need-satisfying environment does this. Team members must get along and know that the leader and the company have their best interests at heart. They must feel important, listened to and respected. They must have the freedom to make choices within the context of their assignments and they must have some fun in their work.

It is also critical for team members to feel safe. This means that they are not fearful in any way. The team leader is critical in fostering this environment for the empowerment of the entire team.