Building team spirit

The winning spirit for teams

Rihom is arrogant and standoffish, preferring to keep his contact with colleague minimal; thinks he is the undisputable authority in his field, he works in seclusion. Rihom’s condescending attitude is insufferable and those who are forced to interact with him. It’s a belittling experience. Working in a team is a different ballgame altogether for him!

This description may have conjured up the memory of someone of the likes of Rihom. On the other hand, you may catch yourself wincing as you nearly fit the description. Either way, effects of this on a company is damaging and the sooner one realises it, the better it is.

The importance of team building is invaluable to the organisational growth and its benefits are many. It speeds up a process, enables a friction-free set-up and offers chances for upward growth and development as experienced people help novices learn the ropes faster than they would have.

How to promote team spirit-

Way to go!

Building team spirit largely depends on how well employees coordinate with their colleagues. When work depends on inputs from many others, employees need to learn how to be mutually dependent and accountable.

As a team player, you should keep the others informed about your progress to avoid duplication of work and to enlist the help of those who might be experts in a given area. Also, try to find out what the others are doing and make an attempt to stay clued-in about team activities.

Credit where it’s due

The motivation that one receives is tremendous when they are recognised and praised publicly for their efforts. Team members should be encouraged to contribute ideas irrespective of their rank and experience, and credit should be given when these efforts result in success.

Meet to speed

Don’t make meetings a routine, but meet whenever there is a need to do so like when you have a new assignment on hand, or you want to communicate something important. Make sure everyone gets to know what was discussed in the meeting. Celebrate successes as a team to keep the monotony of work at bay.

HR helm

In order to retain employees, the HR department should be actively involved in conflict resolution strategies. They should also organise outings and sporting activities to improve inter/intra team bonding.

HR managers should make sure they hire people who are not unsociable. They should have previous experience as team players. Candidates should be able to respond positively to criticism. Appraisals and evaluation should also be based on contribution to team building efforts. Compensating team players adequately can motivate others to follow suit.

Persons lacking team spirit should be instructed to follow specific guidelines that ensure they are brought in line with the others. Encouraging esprit-de-corps is thus vital for organisational growth and efficiency, and an important requisite for staying successful.