Why do we care about trust in the workplace? Trust is a key currency of collaboration and employee engagement. It is the grease that makes the gears turn. When operating in a trusting environment, we feel comfortable sharing and being vulnerable with others and empowered to do our best work. We speak up, take chances, ask questions, and admit mistakes.
Trust serves as the lifeblood of collaboration and teamwork. When fostered appropriately, it paves the way for open dialogue, uninhibited innovation, and a company culture of high team performance and retention.
A team is not a group of people who work together. A team is a group of people who trust each other. – Simon Sinek
I spend most of my days as a founder and CEO working to build trust. Every conversation with employees, customers, investors, and partners is about building trust. In all those conversations, people are asking themselves, “Will this guy deliver on what he says, or is he full of crap?”
From my personal experience, I’ve come to understand that trust is not merely an aspirational goal but the very foundation on which prosperous organizations are built. Every conversation, whether it’s with employees, partners, or investors, becomes a testament to building and sustaining this trust.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- Trust as Organizational Currency: Trust fuels collaboration and innovation, determining an organization’s momentum.
- Unveiling Transparency’s Depth: Beyond openness, transparency is about vulnerability, authenticity, and facing hard truths.
- Historical Lens on Trust: The emphasis on trust is an evolution shaped by centuries of business dynamics, not just a current trend.
- Emotional Intelligence and Communication: Two cornerstones that, when nurtured, lead to an environment of trust, understanding, and cohesive collaboration.
- Redefining Communication in the Trust Era: It’s about sharing information and ensuring alignment, understanding, and empowerment.
Building Trust In The Workplace: Unpacking Surface vs. Deep-rooted Trust
Of all the ways that I work to build trust during a normal workday, nowhere is the importance of trust more acute than in my experience in business partnerships. Cloverleaf has built a ton of partnerships. We have partnerships with assessment providers (see our full list of behavioral assessments), technology platforms, and coaching and consulting organizations. That is dozens of partnerships with some of the largest companies in the learning and development, coaching, and technology markets.
What is universal about starting and building those partnerships is that it takes a long time to find mutual alignment and earn trust. Often, these partners want to know that we are worth investing their personal time and the time of the people in their organization. Trust is the underlying metric that determines how much of that investment they make, and this only occurs over time.
Initial Impressions and Surface Trust:
At the onset of any professional relationship, we often rely on surface trust. Questions arise like, “Do I believe I know this individual?”, “Do we share common experiences or challenges?” or “Do their objectives align with mine?”. This preliminary layer of trust sets the stage for deeper connections.
Establishing genuine workplace trust demands more than just initial impressions. Collectively, it’s about consistently proving oneself over time, validating the trust others place in us. Trusting work relationships requires making larger trust deposits by consistently delivering on promises and upholding integrity. As the adage goes, “Trust takes years to build and seconds to break.” It’s a precious asset, demanding regular nurturing and commitment.
HUMAN SKILL PROGRAMS ARE HITTING LIMITATIONS...
5 THINGS THIS FREE RESOURCE WILL TEACH YOU
- Close the widening gap between learning and on-the-job application
- Overcome the tension of pausing productivity for development opportunities
- Integrate learning so it is actually in the flow of work
- The evolution of human skill development
- What Automated Coaching™ is and how it works.
How To Build Trust In The Workplace
Trust is the backbone of a thriving workplace culture, laying the foundation for collaboration, mutual respect, and employee well-being. Building trusting work relationships often boils down to two key pillars: transparency and effective communication.
The Simple Equation For Building Trust In Your Organization:
Transparency + Effective Communication = Trustworthiness
Transparency: The First Component Of Cultivating Trust
Trust is precious, and regular investments in nurturing it are essential. The cornerstone of such investments is transparency. It serves as the bedrock upon which trust is built, fostering an environment of trust that encourages team members to collaborate without reservations.
The Diverse Forms Of Transparency:
Transparency manifests in various forms. Whether it’s detailing the reasoning behind specific decisions or being candid about one’s aspirations and concerns, transparency ensures mutual understanding.
People are keen, and it’s often obvious when decision-makers attempt to craft messages to present themselves in a certain light or obscure certain details. Team members can read right through this, and nothing will erode employee trust faster.
Without trust, conflict becomes politics, commitment becomes compliance, accountability becomes blame, and results just don’t matter. – Patrick Lencioni
True transparency entails an open, honest reflection on one’s decisions, ensuring collaborators know they’re not just part of a business transaction but a partnership built on trust.
The Rise of Organizational Transparency:
In recent years, transparency has shifted from being a recommended practice to an organizational imperative. The push for pay transparency, driven by glaring discrepancies in remuneration among genders and other underrepresented groups, serves as a prime example.
Lack of workplace transparency can have a negative impact on employee morale, experience, and engagement at work. Moreover, 50% of employees say that a lack of transparency holds their company back. This is why corporate communication functions should strive toward embedding workplace transparency into the corporate culture. – haiilo.com
This drive for transparency has cascaded into other domains, too, including board-level decisions, environmental practices, and supply chain operations. Such transparency trends, driven by legislation and market demands, signal a collective move towards a more transparent work environment.
Leaders across various industries can’t afford to ignore this growing emphasis on transparency. This momentum isn’t just about compliance with laws and professional practices; it reflects a broader societal shift valuing transparency. Leaders need to harness this drive, ensuring transparency becomes an integral part of their team and organizational engagement strategies.
Effective Communication: The Second Component Of Trusting Relationships
Building trust doesn’t stop at transparency. Effective communication is equally crucial, ensuring that transparency is practiced. It can be easy to overlook, but when organizations share information quickly lends to less stress and deeper levels of emotional trust felt among employees.
Bridging the Information Gap: The dangers of keeping teams in the dark:
Silence can sometimes be deafening, especially when critical decisions are at play. Leaders must avoid leaving an information vacuum, as it breeds assumptions and potential mistrust. Regular communication, tailored to your team’s context, can prevent such pitfalls.
Tailored Communication: Delivering the right message to the right audience:
Effective communication isn’t just about frequency but relevance. When significant changes arise, such as personnel adjustments, they must be communicated aptly. Direct, personalized messages for those most affected lay the foundation for trust. As you branch out to a broader audience, refining the message to suit their context is crucial.
Holistic Communication: Presenting complete information and addressing potential questions:
Trust isn’t built on half-truths. Leaders must ensure their communication provides a complete picture, addressing potential questions and concerns. Crafting FAQs, providing context, and explaining the ‘why’ behind decisions can fill any informational gaps, ensuring the team feels valued and informed.
Over-communicating strategy, especially the rationale behind key decisions, builds trust and fosters organizational buy-in, strengthening the bonds of mutual trust.
The Need For Creating A Culture Of Trust Is Nothing New
It’s essential to recognize that trust isn’t a modern-day phenomenon. Its importance in the workplace has roots stretching back over centuries. Understanding how trust has evolved historically, especially concerning transparency and communication, can provide invaluable insights into its ever-growing significance today. Consider how trust in the workplace has transformed and adapted to the changing landscape of business and society.
The Evolution of Transparency and Communication in the Workplace
The Industrial Era (Late 1800s – Early 1900s):
During this period, trust was hierarchical. Managers were expected to lead, and workers were expected to follow. There was little emphasis on transparency, as information was centralized. Communication was top-down, and workers rarely had a say in organizational decisions.
The Post-War Era (1950s – 1960s):
Post World War II, companies started to value teamwork as they grew in size. The hierarchical structure persisted, but there was an increased emphasis on collaboration. However, transparency was still limited to higher echelons of management.
The Technological Revolution (1980s – 1990s):
With the advent of computers and the internet, information became more accessible. This era marked the beginning of a shift towards a more open work environment. Communication tools started to evolve, and employees began to expect more transparency in organizational decision-making.
The Information Age (2000s – 2010s):
The rise of the internet, particularly social media, fundamentally altered the landscape of workplace communication. Employees could now communicate in real time, irrespective of geographical boundaries. The need for transparency grew as information could no longer be contained. Organizations faced scrutiny from both internal and external stakeholders.
The Modern Era (2020s):
In today’s world, transparency and open communication are not just desired but expected. With tools that facilitate instant communication and the rise of remote collaboration, organizations are prioritizing building trust with their employees. They recognize trust as the bedrock of collaboration, innovation, and organizational effectiveness.
The emphasis on psychological safety, a term popularized by teams at Google after their research during Project Aristotle, further emphasizes the need for trust. Employees today not only want to know organizational decisions but also want to have a voice in them. They seek authentic leaders who communicate transparently and foster an environment of mutual trust.
7 Ways To Practice Transparency & Communication To Create High Levels Of Trust
As organizations grow, the challenges of maintaining trust and cohesion across diverse teams intensify. Below are seven actionable strategies for supporting transparency and communication that leaders can use to ensure high levels of trust regardless of the organization’s size.
1. Regular Updates and Check-Ins:
In sprawling organizations, information can easily get siloed. By instituting regular communication channels, leaders ensure that every corner of the organization receives consistent and clear updates. This aligns teams and fosters a sense of unity and purpose.
2. Explain Decision-Making Processes:
Sharing the rationale behind significant decisions demystifies leadership actions, fosters understanding, and reduces the scope for rumors or misinformation.
3. Authentic Goal Sharing:
Clear communication about the organization’s direction ensures that all units, departments, or teams align their objectives harmoniously. It’s about sharing the goals, vision, and mission, creating a cohesive organization with clear expectations.
4. Address Discrepancies:
Discrepancies in large organizations can become systemic if not addressed. By regularly auditing and transparently addressing discrepancies, leaders ensure fairness and cultivate a culture of accountability and integrity.
5. Utilize Technology:
Leveraging platforms can streamline communication and project tracking across vast, dispersed teams. It ensures everyone, regardless of their position, has access to real-time, consistent information, enhancing transparency and efficiency.
6. Value Feedback:
Despite size and complexity, it is imperative to foster an environment where employees at all levels feel their voices can be heard by leadership. Feedback can bridge the gap between the C-suite leaders and team members.
7. Learning and Development:
Investing in training and development emphasizes a commitment to growth and transparency. In large entities, where the ripple effect of a lack of trust is significant. Organizations that proactively support improving employee experience by implementing trust-building tools can positively influence the entire organizational culture.
Cloverleaf’s Role in Fostering Trusting Workplace Relationships
At its core, Cloverleaf is designed to help teams quickly build trust. When team members understand each other and recognize their strengths, they can more easily work together.
By supporting self-awareness, you can reduce people-related issues. Trust is not abstract; it is a tangible feeling that teams can strengthen every day. When individuals can clearly see and know one another’s behaviors, communication styles, and strengths, it decreases the pull toward micromanaging and frustration among teammates.
Have you ever found yourself in a role where your responsibilities were as clear as mud? Or perhaps a team member feels stuck in a job description that hardly taps into their natural strengths, leaving them feeling underutilized and disengaged? If so, you’re not alone. Navigating the complexities of team roles and responsibilities can be challenging.
Understanding the essence of a team—its purpose, accountability, who it serves, and what it ultimately aims to achieve— is the first step towards clear-cut roles and responsibilities. By answering these pivotal questions, teams and their members can share vision and focused action.
When roles align with an individual’s strengths and the team’s purpose, the result is a motivated, engaged, and highly productive team. This synergy can elevate an individual’s job satisfaction and boost overall team performance. Leaders can move away from confusion toward organizational effectiveness through mutual understanding and clear roles. After all, isn’t that the ultimate goal of any team?
Key Takeaways:
- Role clarification goes beyond job descriptions; understanding and leveraging individual strengths can dramatically increase team effectiveness.
- Data-driven insights offer a strategic tool to better align responsibilities with team member’s unique skills and potential.
- Shifting roles and responsibilities based on data insights fosters better collaboration and optimizes overall team performance.
- Facilitating the understanding and application of team strengths can transform how roles and responsibilities are assigned.
- Harnessing data-informed decisions elevates individual performance and fosters a culture of continuous learning and improvement, which is crucial for strategic leadership.
What Are Team Roles And Responsibilities In The Workplace
Team roles and responsibilities in the workplace refer to the specific tasks and duties assigned to each team member and the expectations for their behavior and interaction within the team.
To further define, it’s helpful to untangle Role from Responsibility.
To empower individuals to perform at their maximum potential, their specific function within the team should be clear-cut and well-defined. Therefore, a ‘role’ pertains to an individual’s unique position within a team – this could be as a leader, facilitator, innovator, or implementer, among others. These roles are often closely tied to the person’s strengths and abilities, allowing them to contribute most effectively.
‘Responsibilities,’ on the other hand, refer to the specific tasks or duties the person is accountable for in their role.
For example, a team leader might be responsible for setting the team’s direction and making strategic decisions. At the same time, an implementer would be accountable for executing the plans and bringing ideas into reality. Clear responsibilities help ensure everyone knows exactly what they need to do, which allows the team to function more smoothly.
HUMAN SKILL PROGRAMS ARE HITTING LIMITATIONS...
5 THINGS THIS FREE RESOURCE WILL TEACH YOU
- Close the widening gap between learning and on-the-job application
- Overcome the tension of pausing productivity for development opportunities
- Integrate learning so it is actually in the flow of work
- The evolution of human skill development
- What Automated Coaching™ is and how it works.
The Power of Clarity: Why Defining Team Roles is a Game-Changer
Taking time to clarify roles and responsibilities is crucial not only for the individual but also for the team dynamics. A clear understanding of who does what prevents role overlap and redundancies, streamlining the workflow and averting potential chaos. The benefits extend beyond mere efficiency—it fosters an environment of mutual respect and understanding and cultivates a sense of purpose among team members.
But clarifying roles is not just about outlining duties in a job description. It’s about recognizing and harnessing each individual’s unique strengths to the team. Job descriptions on paper are two-dimensional, unable to capture the full spectrum of talents and aptitudes a person can contribute within their role. By highlighting these strengths, stakeholders can enable each individual to operate more effectively and derive greater satisfaction from their work.
Kickstarting meaningful conversations about roles and responsibilities begins with one key element: harnessing the power of insight! By understanding each team member’s unique strengths and capabilities, leaders can better articulate individual roles and responsibilities for high performance.
How To Empower Individual Contributors to Level Up In Their Role
Picture this: You have a team member with a defined role and a list of responsibilities. This individual possesses ideas, strengths, and competencies that can further their role’s effectiveness to support team responsibilities. They might even see opportunities to reshuffle their responsibilities, shedding some tasks while embracing new ones that better align with their talents.
They’re eager to stretch their wings, elevate their career, and take on more challenging responsibilities. Your team has been grappling with project management and meeting deadlines, and this individual is confident they can make a significant difference. Although project management isn’t currently within their purview, they believe in their potential for it to become an essential aspect of their role.
Enter Cloverleaf. The beauty of this tool lies in the power of its assessments to generate coaching insights that illuminate your team member’s strengths and areas for growth. Equipped with these insights, everyone on your team can engage in meaningful conversations with their manager about evolving their role.
And the best part? All it takes is a simple screen share to showcase your potential.
Imagine This Scenario:
Let’s say an individual becomes aware of their knack for coordinating tasks and ensuring timely deliverables—skills essential in efficient project management.
This person is ready to initiate a roles & responsibilities conversation with their team leader. Prepared with detailed insight into their unique abilities and strengths, they’re ready to show how they can make a crucial difference in a specific role.
Simultaneously, their manager can access insights about this person because they are both active within the Cloverleaf Dashboard. This data helps them visualize how they can help support diversifying this person’s role and identify their potential for a future leadership position.
Suddenly, the discussion about adjusting a role evolves into a long-term career development conversation. As a result, both people are enthusiastic and engaged, eager to unleash their potential.
Supercharging Team Role Clarification from a Manager’s Perspective
Busy managers need deeper insights into individuals to develop their roles and responsibilities within their entire team. Juggling various tasks with limited time can make organizing extensive team meetings focusing solely on defining these roles and responsibilities difficult. Therefore, they need a practical, at-a-glance solution to create clear roles and responsibilities.
Managers are often aware of areas within the team that need improvement. Take team structure as an example— if off, it can hinder overall success and require a reshuffling of responsibilities to leverage the team’s strengths better.
A comprehensive understanding of each individual’s strengths can improve problem-solving and increase the team’s success. If a manager wants to understand where the teamwork is breaking down, they should evaluate how strengths are dispersed within the team.
Diving deeper than job titles and descriptions by examining team member roles holistically can offer valuable insights into how leaders might leverage their team’s skill sets and proactively plan to address the gaps.
For instance, consider a team with numerous resourceful, driven individuals who struggles to bring projects to a successful conclusion. Here, a more detailed exploration of roles and responsibilities could illuminate critical areas for improvement.
In this scenario, the manager might initiate a team discussion about current roles and accountabilities. Through this dialogue, it comes to light that a team member tasked initially with driving projects strategically excels at coordinating the minutiae to ensure project completion.
Easily accessible insights with an at-a-glance view of team strengths help the manager make informed adjustments to roles and responsibilities. These shifts not only capitalize on the strengths of individual team members but also foster better collaboration and enhance overall team effectiveness.
Five Steps To Defining Team Roles and Responsibilities
1. Define Team Goals and Objectives: Start by clearly outlining what the team is accountable for. Identify the team’s goals, the tasks necessary to achieve them, and the skills and strengths needed to execute them effectively.
2. Identify Individual Strengths and Potential: Conduct an in-depth analysis of each member’s strengths, potential, and unique skills.
3. Clarify Roles and Responsibilities: Based on the team’s objectives and the individual analysis, define clear roles and responsibilities for each teammate. Ensure these definitions leverage the individual’s strengths and align with the team’s responsibilities.
4. Facilitate Open Conversations: Foster a culture of open dialogue within the team about roles and responsibilities. Members should feel empowered to discuss their roles, propose improvements, and suggest how tasks might be better assigned.
5. Monitor and Adjust: Regularly review and adjust roles and responsibilities based on ongoing team dynamics, changing project needs, and individual growth. This continuous review allows for optimal team utilization of skills and talents, leading to more effective collaboration and enhanced performance.
This process is not just about task distribution; it’s about harnessing each member’s unique strengths and aligning them with the team’s objectives. Remember, the journey to high performance begins with clarity around roles and responsibilities, followed by a commitment to adaptation when necessary.
Final Thoughts: How Data Transforms Team Dynamics
Small, data-driven insights often produce profound results concerning team dynamics and collaboration. Defining roles and responsibilities based on each team member’s unique strengths and talents, not generic templates, is a more intentional version of leadership.
Leverage the power of insightful data to empower your leaders and teams to reach their full potential. Uncover the hidden talents within your organization to ensure you’re drawing the best from everyone.
Data-informed decision-making can transform how teams work together to achieve their shared goals. It illuminates individual strengths, mitigates weaknesses, and promotes effective collaboration. With precise, data-driven role definitions and responsibilities, each team member is positioned to thrive.
Don’t just imagine the transformative power of such insights—experience it firsthand. Schedule a Cloverleaf demo today to see an all-in-one tool to help clarify roles and develop your people to be their best every day.
When I talk about the importance of teamwork or collaboration I often refer to it as a math equation where 1+1 should equal more than 2. It’s not uncommon for 1+1 to equal 3, but for the best teams that equation could be 1+1 equals 8 or 10 or possibly even 20 and beyond.
Organizations that figure out how to promote, equip, and support this type of collaboration and teamwork could multiply this impact across hundreds or thousands of teams and the impact can be game-changing innovations and breakthroughs.
That is the growth side of the argument for investing in teamwork and collaboration. However, there is also another argument to be made for investing in team cohesion in order to minimize lows.
Yes, we all have bad days or from time to time are drowning in the work that is in front of us. Teams are a critical mechanism for helping us get back on our feet and building relational and emotional equity for when we return to full strength and can produce at a high level as individuals.
Y Combinator, the wildly successful startup accelerator, has always required startup cofounders – not solo startup founders for this very reason. It is lonely building something big and different and there are so many days of self-doubt and negative thoughts that can sabotage success unless you have an awesome co-founder that you can lean on, get different perspectives, and move past roadblocks.
My experience building Cloverleaf with Kirsten Moorefield is a testament to this critical aspect of teamwork. We have had so many lows and setbacks and times that we should have quit moving forward but we have always been there with encouragement and new thoughts just when it was needed.
When we hire new team members we talk about those moments and the important role that trust in your teammates plays in having personal and team success.
Work teams can often produce as individuals working asynchronously on cross-functional teams. There is a constant rhythm of coming together to connect, communicate, and align. Then each individual goes off and completes tasks independently according to individual strengths and skill sets.
And in short to intermediate bursts there can be high levels of productivity even when the key ingredients of high-performing teams are absent.
That’s right, in the short term people and teams can still be productive when a team has a dysfunctional culture, mistrust, and even sabotaging behaviors. But over time it is this intangible element of teamwork where people genuinely care and sacrifice for each other in a way that picks individual team members up when they are down that allows teams to thrive over the long term.
It’s the accelerant in my formula that allows 1+1 to equal 20, 50, or even 100.
Bad days and difficult challenges will happen (and if you are doing something great it will happen frequently), and teaming up with people who understand this often overlooked element of teamwork can be the rocket fuel for sustained, long-term and outsized team performance.
The success of any company or business rarely rests on just one team member. Through the collective efforts of the entire team, success is built using communication, emotional intelligence, motivation, and teamwork.
What defines good teamwork?
Good teamwork is the collaboration of diverse talents and perspectives, where team members respect each other’s unique work styles and boundaries. It’s about effective communication and contributing skillsets towards a shared goal. Effective leadership is crucial in guiding the team and providing necessary support in this environment. Good teamwork avoids micromanagement, allowing each individual’s strengths to contribute to the team’s success. This balance between individuality and collective effort ensures that everyone is motivated and productive, leading to innovative solutions and a shared sense of accomplishment.
WHY TEAMWORK IS ESSENTIAL FOR A GOOD WORKPLACE CULTURE
More and more, younger generations are inclined to take a “lone wolf” attitude in the workplace. For tasks that team members must complete alone, this mindset is perfectly practical. However, most modern workplaces require collaboration and soft skills such as communication, teamwork, and critical thinking in order to achieve a common goal. These systems are self-sustaining. Motivation and success are natural byproducts when all team members collaborate, work responsibly, and contribute equally.
Many Hands Make Light Work
Teamwork also increases overall productivity within a workplace. Successful collaboration among multiple team members with unique skill sets accomplishes basic tasks more rapidly and efficiently, meaning the team can move on to the next goal or project.
Planning and adaptability are important during projects involving multiple team members. As teams grow larger, collaboration becomes more of an impressive feat of logistics.
HUMAN SKILL PROGRAMS ARE HITTING LIMITATIONS...
5 THINGS THIS FREE RESOURCE WILL TEACH YOU
- Close the widening gap between learning and on-the-job application
- Overcome the tension of pausing productivity for development opportunities
- Integrate learning so it is actually in the flow of work
- The evolution of human skill development
- What Automated Coaching™ is and how it works.
9 TIPS FOR IMPROVING TEAMWORK
Successful team collaboration isn’t always easy to establish. If your workplace suffers from productivity issues or other problems, there may be breakdowns in teamwork to blame. Taking steps to improve teamwork can improve productivity, increase job satisfaction, and more.
Below, we cover some of the best ways your company and leadership can help boost teamwork in the workplace.
1. Schedule Team Meetings to Discuss Goals
Sometimes, maintaining team cohesion in a busy work environment is challenging. Remote teammates may not receive as much opportunity to practice open communication or work collaboratively as in-office team members. For this reason, it may be challenging to work toward a common goal effectively and make remote employees feel like they are part of a team.
One way to encourage employees to share ideas and practice effective communication is to schedule regular team meetings. Since most companies have people working remotely, make these meetings digital as much as possible. In this group setting, teams can discuss both team goals and business goals to establish detailed plans to work productively and reach targets.
If you’re looking to spice up regular team meetings, consider utilizing meeting games or team-building activities to encourage discussion during these meetings. Always go into each session with a list of fresh ideas relevant to your organization or team’s current state of affairs.
2. Incorporate Active Listening Training
Active listening is a skill developed by people who engage in emotional intelligence practices. Active listening is a method of turning off internal reactions and truly hearing what another team member is saying. Successful teamwork relies on active listening to establish strong communication, trust, and mutual support.
Leaders and team members should encourage participation in active listening training or utilize team-building activities that promote active listening.
3. Set Up Office Layouts with Clear Goals in Mind
Office layouts should increase natural teamwork by promoting organization, efficiency, and clear guidelines for work. Teams know where and when each task needs to be performed and can work and communicate more effectively.
If your team members suggest changes to an existing office or workplace layout, it may benefit your company to listen to those suggestions. Otherwise, try to think about the goals below when designing your office spaces.
4. Privacy
An essential part of teamwork involves respecting the boundaries of other team members. It’s important to remember that many people work better in quiet, private spaces such as offices or cubicles. This preference may be because these environments generally promote focus and increase productivity. An underrated benefit of teamwork is letting individuals tend to their needs and then coming back to the team refreshed.
5. Collaboration
Even if team members complete a primary portion of their work alone, there will be instances where teamwork is essential for productivity. Create spaces where your team can work together comfortably and effectively. Open spaces or even larger offices transformed into conference spaces make great places for collaboration among teams.
6. Share Insights About Personality Types
Our personalities have a lot of influence over our professional lives. When members of the team appreciate unique personality types, working styles, and communication needs, employee morale increases, productivity improves, and teamwork occurs naturally.
Cloverleaf delivers personalized insights for each of your team members. Learn how to work better together with coaching tips delivered to your messaging apps, email and calendar.
7. Use Team Feedback to Choose a Low-Commitment Team Extra-Curricular
A critical part of building effective teams involves encouraging change and fun. Don’t sign your team up for something they won’t enjoy; instead, ask them for feedback about low-impact activities they might like to participate in as part of the work culture.
Some companies choose professional lunches or dinners while others go on trips, attend seminars, play games, or participate in team-building activities. Whatever activity you and your team choose, make sure it promotes good workspace values, pulls on your team’s individual talents, and fosters partnership among team members.
There are many different ways to get team feedback regarding any team activity. Take polls, send chain emails, hold in-person votes during select meetings, and more. As always, allow your team to provide feedback on whichever choice they’ve made. They may choose one activity initially but feel more comfortable selecting another going forward.
8. Discourage Micromanaging
Nothing kills teamwork faster than micromanaging. Micromanaging is when a lead or team member attempts to control every aspect, no matter how small, of a project, task, or activity. In these cases, the lead or team member is trying to achieve results without allowing the talents and skills of other employees to shine. Micromanaging represses talent, stifles collaboration, and discourages teamwork and learning opportunities. After all, if your work is never good enough for a team leader or fellow team member, why participate in teamwork at all?
9. Hire with a Focus on High Performance Team Players
If your business needs a great team that works together and gets the job done, hiring with those goals in mind is a good practice. Make sure each new hire has a talent for working in a team, is willing to engage in team-building activities, and can adapt to the needs of other team members.
PEOPLE ALSO ASK
What Is Good Teamwork in the Workplace?
Good teamwork in the workplace is a collection of collaborative efforts from team members of every level that increases productivity and helps achieve goals.
What Are the 3 Most Important Things Needed for Effective Teamwork in the Workplace?
Effective teamwork requires mutual trust, clear communication, and freedom to be creative and share innovative ideas. In this team environment, people feel capable and ready to engage, helping companies achieve short- and long-term goals.
Teamwork is a skill that manifests over time as teams get to know each other and begin to understand how to work with one another effectively. With emotional intelligence and professional empathy, even struggling teams can find pathways to improved productivity and morale. Utilizing a combination of team-building exercises, discussion groups, and goal-oriented coaching, a group of people can learn to work together more effectively.
At Cloverleaf, our technology helps to build teams that love working together. We specialize in promoting professional development by improving team collaboration, problem-solving, and communication skills.
If you’re ready to boost teamwork in the workplace, Cloverleaf is here to help. We specialize in helping teams of all types work better together. To get started and see how Cloverleaf services might benefit your team, sign your team up for free for 14 days.
