by Karrah Roehm, Director of Training and Operations
Karrah Roehm, Director of Training and Operations
I started thinking last night about team participation, what makes it effective? Obviously, sometimes it fails, so in those instances…what goes wrong? Webster’s defines participation as: having a part or share in something. When we combine that with an effective “team” in the workplace we reap many benefits, including increased productivity, accountability and employee morale. Typically we even see an improvement in the company’s services and/or products. When working with a team it’s important to remember that each member that is a part of the whole brings a very unique set of ideas and experiences that we can tap into. You’ll see that many of these principles transcend the work environment and go into other parts of our lives: marriage, friendship, social organizations. But for now, we’ll just focus on work.
When we teach a Team Participation class one of the first things we talk about are the Four Stages of Team Building. In order, these are Forming, Storming, Norming and Conforming.
Let’s start at the beginning, forming. Before any team begins its work, several decisions must be made. Obviously a goal or issue needs to be addressed. A key to setting an effective goal is to make it S.M.A.R.T. (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-based).
Next, determine how decisions will be made. Will it be by consensus? Majority rule? Or will there be a team leader that will ultimately make the final decision? NOTE: when choosing the team leader option, it is important to make sure that the leader is knowledgeable about the company’s goals and vision and well respected by other team members. You may want to have the leader elected or appointed by management.
Lastly, how will you ensure that meetings run effectively? We’ve all had them, the dreaded meeting that accomplishes nothing and lasts twice as long as it was scheduled. So how do we avoid this? We plan…EVERYTHING. Have a list of points to discuss during a meeting, appoint a moderator and if you set a meeting up to last 45 minutes, it should only last 45 minutes, otherwise you have attendees not giving their full attention because they have other things on their schedules.
When we first put a team together, team members are faced with a range of emotions: excitement, fear, optimism, anxiety, etc. Keep in mind that these feelings are normal, as are the four stages. By understanding and expecting these reactions we prepare ourselves and prevent overreactions and setting unrealistic expectations.
So, today was the first part in a 4 part (once a week) series. Next week I’ll discuss “Storming” and go over some of the things that can sabotage a team. If you have suggestions or comments, please feel free to contact me or comment below.
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