Forging a Successful Team

Teams are everywhere, in all aspects of life. To be a successful group, every member must be focused on achieving the charge. According to Lisa Snyder, there are five key steps in doing this:


1.) Focus attention on the purpose of the project- Group time is meant for exactly that, time to focus on the charge and what needs to be done. The initial meeting is set for brainstorming and dividing the responsibilities.


2.) Encourage participation and positive collaboration- Make sure that every member has a chance to give their input and opinions on the material. Encourage conflict to enable discussion because playing "devil's advocate" can bring out new ideas hiding underneath the surface. Discussion leads to feedback, but be careful not to personally attack one anothers' opinions and beliefs.


3.) Establish a timeline- Have a time by which you want to accomplish each thing the group is working on. Dragging duties out can drop the team morale. Having a structured timeline increases productivity and keeps everyone aware of the task at hand.


4.) Keep the project on track- Once you've established a timeline, you know when deadlines are and how there isn't any time for delay. While each team member may have a different task, it is important to meet and put each task together to see how it fits into the larger goal. Communication is key!


5.) Negotiate conflicts-Every team will have its share of conflicts but it is important to quickly and efficiently resolve them. Outside of personal conflicts, it is important for team members to experience how they would handle conflict on the job. Role playing is a great way to practice this.



Citation:
Snyder, Lisa Gueldenzoph. "TEACHING TEAMS ABOUT TEAMWORK: PREPARATION, PRACTICE, AND PERFORMANCE REVIEW." Business Communication Quarterly 72.1 (2009): 74-79. Communication & Mass Media Complete. EBSCO. Web. 12 Feb. 2010.