Training the Next Generation: Why it is Important to Build Effective Teams

 

Effective teams are an integral part to every company’s success. Without effective teams, a company cannot fully address the needs of customers or clients because the internal workings of the company are not functioning properly. Specifically with a support team, it is important to consider how different personality types interact with each other and to integrate group communication methods and strategies within the training in order to further support the development of effective teams.

In order to build an effective team, it is necessary for the team leaders to have appropriate training and for each team member to feel as though they are a part of the shared company vision. One method that can be used to develop a shared vision is to create a forum that provides all team members with the opportunity to voice their opinion. After the team members have the opportunity to share their visions and goals, one method for promoting the shared vision is to have the team members present and create a tangible product together. The creation of a product will help the team to realize they can successfully come together and collectively create an end product.

In addition to forums, other methods of effective team building include understanding the purpose, the audience and the participation of the team. It is important that all team members fully understand and are on board with the intended purpose and audience of the team, otherwise miscommunication can affect the end product. In addition, different personalities respond to different types of training, so the training technique must be chosen carefully to meet the personalities of the team.

For example, if certain team members tend to take the back seat or take the lead without listening to others, it is important to create training that allows all people to participate, but that does not unnecessarily force participation on members who are not ready to participate. How can we do this? There are a variety of assessment tools that can be implemented as part of the training to help identify personality traits and then more importantly offer suggestions on how this affects teams. Of particular importance in creating teams is motivation. It is imperative that team leaders and managers know and understand what motivates team members and what team members care about. When managers know these two things about everyone involved, they can create team training that caters to the team’s overall personality, while at the same time focuses on individual differences in order to promote understanding.

Simply providing the team with an adequate work space and appointing a team leader will not necessarily mean that conflict within the team will not arise. For that reason, it is important to first create a shared vision within the team, make expectations clear and create a plan with the team to discourage conflict and to dispel any conflict that does arise with an established process. One way to discourage conflict and promote movement toward the common vision is to create an incentive or rewards program for the team. With the creation of an incentive program, the team not only has the desire to work toward achieving the common goal, but they have a tangible, personal reward from the success of the team.

Building an effective training system for your team can help your shop both continue its success and see new successes, as team members know and understand the vision, understand how they are working and are valued as a part of that vision.