A Good Team Encourages Risks
When working with a strong team, people are more likely to take risks when advocating positions, taking action, communicating and voicing opinions. This is because team members build trust among themselves. Team members never punish each other for disagreements. On the contrary, disagreement is encouraged and appreciated.
Respectful Communication
Team communication is all about being honest but always respectful. This allows team members to feel good about sharing their opinions, thoughts and perspectives on the matter at hand. Team members feel that their voice is valued when team members hear them out and try to connect through understanding. See more about how you can use a work scheduling tool to encourage communication. A good team is one that builds off ideas with questions that clarify and nurture new ideas rather than thinking of ways to squash opposing ideas while their coworker is speaking.
Through a practice of formulating questions that lead to a deeper understanding of the teammates ideas, full advantage of collective points of view can be taken.
Strong Sense of Group Commitment
Team members are characterized by a sense of belonging to their group. They will feel a deep commitment to their group and share a dedication to the decisions and plans of their group. This tendency is enhanced as the team develops guidelines and team dynamics together.
Team Members Are Valued As Unique People
Team members enjoy the feeling of individuality within their group as they see the team values knowledge, points of view, opinions and experience.
Creativity and Innovation Are the Norms
A strong team cultivates diverse points of view, innovative ideas and creativity. You will never hear a strong team use remarks like “What a bad idea” or “that has already been tried, twice” as these would undermine the strength of the group. Remember, it is the diversity of the group that makes it easier to address problems, reach goals and find solutions.
Engages in Continuous Improvement
All of these qualities of a team are geared toward a culture of improvement. As the team works together it is constantly improving processes, examining practices and enhancing the interactions of its team members. The team will always be open to discussing norms that may impact the function of the team in an effort to improve strategies and make progress.
This is typically done by holding review meetings that will assess the progress of the team in relation to its goals and mission. The team that has a clear picture of the various stages of team development will know what is required of them and be better able to move through the stages successfully.
Solves Teamwork Problems and Conflicts
There is no team that is immune from the friction involved in teamwork. There must be procedures in place to ensure that teamwork problems are diagnosed and analyzed. Personality clashes and factions that polarize around opposing ideas are not conducive to a smooth functioning group. Instead, teams should recognize the potential for conflict and work toward an amicable resolution.
Practices Participative Leadership
Participative leadership is an integral part of the team’s efforts and interactions. This means that all members are equally responsible for contributing in leading the team to successful solutions.