How to Build Better and More Efficient Work Teams

Working with a team can both be a daunting task and an exciting opportunity where you can utilize and maximize the most out of your management skills.

Aside from the obvious benefits of getting things done faster when you work in groups, working in teams also makes the accomplishment of challenging tasks easier to handle.

More heads are better than one, as they say. In business, having more heads to carry out the work will always be more advantageous. But in order for teams, both big and small, to succeed in their endeavours, whatever they may be, it is important to introduce certain ideas into the team to ensure its success.

Good team culture can hint at the success of the members; without a team identity or set principles by which the team operates, teams can suffer a loss of unity and lack of direction.

Foster an Interest in Innovation

A deep interest in innovation will always mean success for any team. Innovation means never settling for the status quo, never conforming, and most importantly, continuously seeking solutions to all sorts of issues. Innovation is one important culture that should exist in any team regardless of size. Teams who are interested in continuously innovating systems will always be teams are likely to lead in the future.

Without a deep interest in innovation, there will be no interest in success. Innovation and success are like dancing partners, and one cannot exist without the other. If you want to create truly united and truly successful teams, start by introducing a love for innovation as a company culture. Most importantly, make your team or company synonymous with is.

“Health is Wealth”

One of the many principles that teams rarely keep or abide by is sincere care for their personal wellbeing. When individual members of a team are unhealthy, the overall performance of the team could be affected by their poor performance, poor concentration, and absences. That being said, make good health something of value to your team and your company.

As a team leader, observe the work environment of your team and see if they are comfortable as they go about their work. Do you have good lighting? Natural light from a window is best, but otherwise full spectrum bulbs (NOT fluorescent lighting) will help, especially if timed to natural day rhythms. Do you have good air quality?  Regular testing is a must, and if necessary, add plants and an air filter (some succulents naturally filter the air). Do you have ergonomic equipment for your team? Sitting is the new smoking, and ergonomic sit-to-stand desks can help them increase mobility, focus, and reduce aches and pains from sitting in the same position all day.

Welcome Failure, and Learn from It

Finally, uplift your team’s morale by letting them know this important fact: sometimes, failures can occur no matter how well you believe you planned your campaigns or marketing action. No system is fail-proof, and failures can happen even to the best of us. While we can't turn back time and change the sequence of events, what we can do is to accept whatever consequences and lessons may come from failure.

Keeping a positive attitude amidst the face of failure will always be an important lesson-- and principle-- that can spell your team's success in the future. If your team has been struggling with meeting certain goals, encourage them to welcome failure fearlessly and to learn from every lesson that comes with failure. It may leave a bitter aftertaste at first, but encourage your team to hold on and work even harder.

Why Have Company Cultures in the First Place?

So, you may be wondering, why go through the stressful process of introducing company values in the first place? The values by which you build your team or company are naturally the values by which your team will operate. When you fail to express the values you expect your team to perform with, the chances are high your team will lose sight of its goals way somewhere down the line.