Successful team building is an art. The process can be an extensive one that encompasses participating in new activities together and having strong leadership. A company can be likened to a well-oiled machine, which depends on every component to run smoothly. Let’s take a look at some simple steps to foster team building and create a healthy workforce.
1. Communication
First and foremost in successful team building is communication. It’s all too easy to create barriers and separation in an office setting due to different positions. As a team leader or manager, it’s likely your team members will be reluctant to voice their opinions. To combat this, you can start by encouraging communication between everyone.
Inspire your workforce to share their concerns with you and their coworkers. An excellent way to do this is to adopt an open-door policy. Ensure you’re easily accessible, and allow drop-in discussions rather than having your employees schedule an appointment.
An excellent way to take the open-door policy to the next level is to literally knock down doors and walls. Instead of sitting in an office overlooking the bullpen, eliminate the walls separating you from your team by creating an open space concept.
2. Delegation
To have a successful team-building experience, you need to foster aid and support. You can achieve this by delegating the right roles to the right people. Make sure you value what every member brings to the table. There is no better way to develop a strong bond with your team than to value their skills.
When employees feel appreciated, it motivates them to work harder and contribute more towards the collective goal. When you dictate unsuitable roles to an employee, it could lead to burnout, miscommunication, and frustration.
Instead of focusing on the end goal, which can be daunting for many, break down the process into smaller milestones. These smaller steps are much more attainable, and achieving these goals encourage employees to keep going.
3. Celebration
Speaking of reaching smaller goals, you should celebrate milestones, both big and small. Whenever your team has an outstanding achievement, make sure you commemorate that goal with a celebration. It can be as little as a gift card for each individual to something more significant such as an extra vacation day for everyone.
We also highly recommend taking part in activities together and celebrating outside the workplace. Managers and employees are on different playing fields in the office. But once outside, it’s much easier to create strong bonds and lasting friendships, which brings us to the next item on our list.
4. Participation
Experiencing new things and participating in challenges together can further strengthen the bond you and your team members share. An excellent option for an out-of-office activity is an employee engagement challenge with teroGO. You can set a target for all your members to work towards as a team, which in turn increases motivation in the workplace.
Since everyone’s efforts will bring the team closer to the finish line, it creates the opportunity for your staff members to give each other motivation to push harder. Everyone can provide encouragement on teroGO’s online platform through virtual high fives, comments, and sweaty selfies. The challenge is easy to monitor through our app, which also features a leaderboard.
5. Interaction
Lastly, the interaction you have with your team members will have a significant impact on team building. You don’t have to be best friends, but other than setting challenges and goals for your team both in and out of the workplace, you should also make time for some good old-fashioned fun. In other words, make time to schedule activities that don’t require your workforce to produce results.
For example, a simple work dinner where everyone is invited can relieve the pressure of performing. Instead of focusing on achieving a certain goal as a team, your employees can relax in a stress-free setting and get to know each other on a deeper level.
Not only will this strengthen existing bonds and create new ones, but it will also allow your team to recognize the people they work with, which could result in higher performance, engagement, and interaction amongst one another in the workplace.
Conclusion
Team building can be considered a sociological experiment. Every person is different, which means no team is the same. Take the time to know who you’re working with and figure out what works and what doesn’t. The right professional skills coupled with communication and teamwork will lead to successful team building.
Written by Jess Lin.
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