Effective teamwork

There are many strategies that leaders implement to drive effective team coordination. These include things like allocating responsibilities and accountability for the tasks, creating an environment that fosters collaboration, using effective communication techniques and providing direction and support to the team to achieve the goals effectively and efficiently. Here are some of the techniques commonly used by leaders for team coordination:

• Teamwork: This one may seem straightforward, but working in a team is essential for coordinating that team. Leaders skilled in teamwork can adequately delegate work to their team members, ensuring that no one has too much or too little to do. Also, a leader who focuses on teamwork is a leader who can easily motivate their team to provide their best work. Instead of being a boss who gives orders, they demonstrate that they are just as much a part of the team and genuinely care about their team members' progress. Teamwork allows a leader to feel more connected to their team and encourages the growth of a ‘work together environment,’ leading to increased productivity and happier work life.
• Fostering great communication: A strong leader can clearly and concisely communicate goals, tasks and other organisational needs to their team. Leaders should be masters in written and verbal communication to ensure expectations are presented to their employees in a way they can understand. Being an effective communicator also involves listening intently, speaking clearly, understanding body language and being conscious of your tone.
• Creating well–defined roles and empowering the team members: Being a good leader means knowing which of your team members are best suited to take on a project or task and empowering them to do so. Delegating tasks to other team members is an opportunity to showcase their skills while learning new ones, and makes them feel more committed to their work.
• Sound planning and goal setting: The success of any team is often dependent on the team leader. Goal setting allows the team to work towards something and inspires team-work and innovation. Once the goals are set it is time to plan the execution of the goals along with plan for any contingency and problems that may arise along the way.

As leader of your team, it is your job to ensure that team members are accountable for their roles and responsibilities.

Below are five concepts that encourage accountability and can be drawn upon when communicating goals and objectives.

1. Common Purpose—This is the reason for the goal or objective. Why does this work matter?
2. Clear Expectations—What exactly needs to get done, and by whom? Ensure that all team members have a clear understanding as to what is expected of them. You may need to repeat this information and clarify finer points until everyone has understood.
3. Communicate and Alignment—Make sure over time that everyone is moving in the same direction and the team remains focused and aligned. Reminders of why their work is important can be helpful and check-in to see if any resources are required.
4. Collaborate and Coach—Rather than telling your team members what to do, coach them by monitoring progress and removing roadblocks. Listen more than you talk and become a resource to help them achieve their goals.
5. Consequences—All results and consequences need to be visible, including positive outcomes and results. Give feedback when work does not go to plan or is not on track and celebrate when things go right.

There can be no grey areas or misunderstandings by providing team members with a clear definition of what they are accountable for.

Watch video for a short insight into why accountability is important in your professional and personal life:

As leader of your team, you will be required to allocate tasks to team members. This is not as simple as dividing the tasks equally between individuals, as it is important to encourage people to take on work they are good at and also feel excited by. Allocating tasks fairly as opposed to equally will help everyone feel they are contributing and enjoying their work.

Following are five (5) main considerations when allocating work among your team:

1. Priority—This should be your first consideration when you distribute work and your priority list should be reviewed often. If a project is the first priority and someone is available and able to do it, then they can be given the task.
2. Skill Sets—Understanding your team's individual skill sets and capabilities will help allocate tasks to those who are best suited to the work.
3. Availability—Who is available to do the work? Once the priority and skill sets are determined, your next question is, who actually has the time to complete the task? This is particularly important if you consider shifting someone from a project onto new work when there are other team members available and capable of doing the work. There may be frustration among other people working on the original project.
4. Development—As a leader, ensuring team members have development opportunities is a great way to grow their capabilities. With the right guidance, feedback and coaching, you can help lift your team member into the next level of performance.
5. Interest—The final consideration when allocating tasks is who has a particular interest in the work needed. Allocating work that your team are passionate about can help achieve great results, so it can be helpful to create a balance between development opportunities and working on tasks of interest.

Understanding the four communication styles will help you to communicate objectives and goals to your team. Providing accountability and allocating tasks appropriately will assist in getting the most out of your team members, as long as team communication and collaboration is encouraged and consistently promoted in your organisation. A team that communicates well and collaborates may find more effective solutions while achieving their goals and objectives. In order to do that, it may be helpful for team members to understand each other’s communication styles.

Team Collaboration

Collaboration is not simply co-operation; rather, it is working together for a shared goal or vision. It is not individual efforts working alongside each other; rather, the team works to create something new together. Think of an orchestra where each musician plays different sounds, with the result being the symphony they create together. This differs to cooperation where individuals exchange information, resources and work to support each other’s individual goals.

A team that collaborates well together is valuable, so it is essential to promote open and respectful communication in all circumstances. You may also need your team to collaborate with other teams in the organisation, and practising having a consistent culture of collaboration will enable your team to do this well.

To create an environment that fosters collaboration in different situations, it is necessary to be a trustworthy and reliable leader. You need to deal with conflict within the team, create open dialogue and welcome two-way feedback. This will make it easier to ensure excellent communication among your team, resulting in engaged team members who maximise their strengths and can proactively debate ideas and solutions.

Facilitation Techniques

When managing a new team, it is essential to the project's success to have synergy and effectiveness within the team. Here are a few facilitation techniques you can use at various stages of the project:

Summary:

• Effective teamwork is a crucial aspect of any organisations success
• As a leader, the most vital aspect of building a team is clear, concise communication and fostering collaboration.
• At the outset, goals and objectives should be clearly defined for the best outcomes.
• Ensure the team agrees to the tasks allocated to them
• Improve teams’ productivity by delegating responsibility and accountability
• Celebrate and acknowledge the success of the team and achievements made by the team members.

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