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How to Make Teams Successful

How to Make Teams Successful

Ask almost anyone if they have teams in their organisation, and you’ll nary hear a “no”. Teams have been popular in organisations for decades. Prior to the 20th century, teams were referred to only in the context of cattle and horses. Then the term was applied to athletics. “Team spirit” was first named as such in 1928. It wasn’t until the 1950s, however, that the idea of teams emerged in the workplace.

It could have been the novelty of them. Managers are as susceptible to new-fangled ideas just as much as the next person. It could have been the love of sport, too. Baseball was the national game in the States, and Americans would have been as excited to support their favourite team then as you do now.

What made this particular “fad” so interesting was not that anyone and everyone wanted teams, but that the enthusiasm for them is still as high now as it has ever been. It’s no longer something that is talked about as worth considering. Instead it’s a foregone conclusion that you have them. Perhaps that’s why they yield mixed results.

So let’s go back to the beginning and think about what a team is and does, and what needs to happen in order for yours to be successful.

 

What is a team?

The collective noun for a band of folks is a group. A team is a group; but a group is not a team. This is a crucial distinction because if you don’t know the difference, then you’ll expect team results from a group. This is a practical impossibility.

What makes a team different from a group? Fundamentally, it’s about how they’re perceived. That may sound like utter nonsense. It isn’t.

You see, in order for a group of people to be a team, they all have to be working closely together, toward a specific and common end. It’s unimaginable to work closely with more than six or eight people, and so references to “my team” which can be upwards of 100 or 200 or more people are nonsense. It sounds great in those pump-you-up motivational or acceptance speeches, but anyone who thinks about it will know that you have nothing more than a group, and a large one at that.

Virtual teams have clouded the issue. Not only do its members work in different offices; they could be in different time zones or different hemispheres. They all work toward a common end, but it’s impossible to do so closely because, well, they’re not close.

 

Why teams become groups

Teams become groups when they’re designed to be that way. They don’t happen automatically or even naturally. There has to be something else that makes them want to work together. A common enemy or problem is often the catalyst. The desire for an outcome that they all recognise isn’t possible unless they cooperate with each other.

Creating a team, however, is not nearly as difficult as maintaining one. Any number of things can cause them to resort back to their default – a group made up of individuals.

 

How to make your team successful

There are a number of things that you can do to make your teams successful. The kicker, however, is that there is a list of equal length that instructs you what not to do.

You see, one of the problems is that managers want the benefits of having teams, but without relinquishing the control they would have if they weren’t. This approach is fatal to their success.

If teams are something that you want to keep in your organisation, then from this day forward, for better or for worse, you must think of them, see them, communicate with and reward them as teams. Anything less than that is to treat them like a group; and when you do that, then you’ll get exactly that : a group.

Can you see the difference? You can’t treat a team like a group and expect to get team results.

It’s that simple.

 

If you want to improve team performance – contact us here

For more information please send a message via the Contact Us Page. Or you can register for an upcoming webinar.

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