Team Building for Success

No matter who we are and what we do for a living, we all have had the opportunity to work closely with a group to get a large task accomplished. Whether we have had the opportunity to work closely with friends or people we don't know, we have all been assigned a task at one point or another that must be completed. Although there are many advantages to working in teams to accomplish a task, we all have our share of negative group experiences in which we were not able to work collaboratively with our group to get the job done. As a result of these negative experiences, I ultimately avoided participation in groups, because I thought I would either not have the chance to voice my opinion, or I would end up doing all the work for the group all by myself. Because of my recollection of these experiences, the content of today's post will talk about the basic team building skills needed to develop a more successful group interaction. 

1) Set goals
Having a vision of the goals needed for a project is essential for good teamwork. What do you want to get out of your group's task? What are the consequences for not accomplishing the goal you want to achieve?

2) Know your resources
Acknowledge the help you can receive inside or outside of the group. Does your group have the skills necessary to complete the task? Do you have the equipment necessary to complete the task?

3) Divide and Conquer
Be able to delegate the workload to various members of the group based on their strengths. However, do not overlap the roles that must be played. Each member of the team should feel they have a critical role in the function of the group.

4) Be able to communicate
Be able to express how the accomplishment of specific goals will benefit each member of the group. Encourage team discussions between members and team leaders about any concerns that may affect the performance of the group in the future.



Despite past experiences of group work, implementing the right team-building strategies into the group's functioning will allow each member of the group to be able to contribute their talents, as well as increase productivity from the variety of interactions. With the right collaboration and effort, larger tasks can get accomplished faster and easier.


Team Building 101. N.d. Retrieved from: http://www.workforcecentralflorida.com/employer/employer-research-resource-center/hr-tips-strategies/training/team-building101.stml