There is a popular saying among sports coaches - “A champion team will always beat a team of champions”. 

Simply put, effective team members working together in a perfect harmony is what makes a team highly functioning and successful than a talented individual. Whether it’s completing the projects or creating innovative products/solutions or winning a game, effective team is responsible for maximising contribution. Either way, effective team players working towards common vision allows anyone to achieve uncommon results.

Sports teams are a perfect example of how a group of people working together as one effective team can outperform than an individual's performance. The same lessons from sports about an effective team can be applied in the workplace and in the business world. So, what does it take to build an effective team in the workplace? 

According to Team Emotional and Social Intelligence (TESI Model) created by Marcia Hughes and James Bradford, there are major five skills for effective team performance. 

Team Identity

Team members with a great team identity exhibits a strong desire to work together and a strong sense of belonging. They trust each other and have clarity on their individual role in a team. On the flip side, team conflict occurs when there is a lack of understanding of individual roles and responsibilities among the team members. Team members develop a sense of alienation from each other, which often leads to failure in creating a shared vision of success. If you want to create a strong sense of team identity in your workplace, ask yourself these questions: 

Does every team member have an exciting role according to their unique strengths?

• Is there a strong sense of clarity among team members about their individual roles and responsibilities?

Motivation

Motivated team members develop a positive mental attitude about their roles and responsibilities. In other words, they are satisfied with their jobs and perform well to achieve the results. Even during tough times, when the competition is against the team, they correspond with the energy of the team to make a valuable contribution. That’s why motivation is vital among team members to build an effective team.

In the workplace, knowing how to build a motivated team will ensure that team members are maximizing their contribution each day. Motivated team are naturally inclined to perform well and achieve the organisational goals. Here are various ways that you can apply to build motivated team members in your workplace.

Emotional Awareness

Emotional awareness is the ability to recognise and understand your own emotions and among team members. Team fails to come together when there is no time for understanding team members’ emotions and feelings.

Every team member wants to get recognised and valued in the workplace. A great leader should be empathetic among team members, s/he should encourage emotional awareness among team. This allows you to create a bond and trust among team members; and even in unfavourable situations and conflicts, they will come together to achieve the organisation’s main objectives. 

 Communication

Communication is essential to know each other well and create a positive work relationship among the team members. They are more familiar with each other's strengths and weaknesses, which makes it easier to work together to achieve their goals. Effective communication also allows team members to provide and receive feedback and guidance, manage conflict and make progress. 

On the flip side, lacking proper communication among team members causes misunderstanding resulting in diminished work performance. Eventually, team members will be less efficient when there is no one supporting and giving feedback to each other. Read here to know more about the secret of team communications to build an effective team.

Conflict Resolution

When many people come together from different backgrounds there might be disagreement or misunderstanding that often results in conflict. In reality, conflict is inevitable as it occurs due to differences in viewpoints, experiences and opinions among people. On the other side, those differences in people are crucial to come up with new ideas, solve problems and make decisions in an organisation. In fact, healthy conflict results in enhanced team performance if it is resolved correctly. 

However, if you ignore it, it might be a detriment to the team's productivity and creativity. This doesn’t mean conflict is bad, and how you handle conflict is more important than conflict itself. Team members must be open minded about disagreements and it must be dealt constructively with proper planning. Here are strategies to resolve conflict to build an effective team at the workplace.

If you apply the above skills to build an effective team, you will be able to unleash the untapped potential of team members and lead your organisation to succeed. At SAIM College, we take it upon ourselves to teach our students the soft skills, beyond the classroom activities. We are dedicated to sharing valuable information and preparing our students to thrive in the real world after graduation. Our BBA and MBA(Global Business) programs provide students with a sound conceptual foundation and practical skills in various areas of management and prepare them for the global market.

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