Login
Tags
Administration
Benefits
Communication
Communication Programs
Compensation
Conflict & Dispute Resolution
Developing & Coaching Others
Employee Satisfaction/Engagement
Executive Coaching
HR Metrics & Measurement
HR Outsourcing
HRIS/ERP
Human Resources Management
Internal Corporate Communications
Labor Relations
Labor Trends
Leadership
Leadership Training & Development
Leading Others
Legal
Management
Motivating
Motivation
Organizational Development
Pay Strategies
Performance Management
Present Trends
Recognition
Retention
Staffing
Staffing and Recruitment
Structure & Organization
Talent
The HR Practitioner
Training
Training and Development
Trends
U.S. Based Legal Issues
Vision, Values & Mission
Work-Life Programs & Employee Assistance Programs - EAP
Workforce Acquisition
Workforce Management
Workforce Planning
Workplace Regulations
corporate learning
employee engagement
interpersonal communications
leadership competencies
leadership development
legislation
News
Onboarding Best Practices
Good Guy = Bad Manager :: Bad Guy = Good Manager. Is it a Myth?
Five Interview Tips for Winning Your First $100K+ Job
Base Pay Increases Remain Steady in 2007, Mercer Survey Finds
Online Overload: The Perfect Candidates Are Out There - If You Can Find Them
Cartus Global Survey Shows Trend to Shorter-Term International Relocation Assignments
New Survey Indicates Majority Plan to Postpone Retirement
What do You Mean My Company’s A Stepping Stone?
Rewards, Vacation and Perks Are Passé; Canadians Care Most About Cash
Do’s and Don’ts of Offshoring
Error: No such template "/hrDesign/network_profileHeader"!
Blogs / Send feedback
Help us to understand what's happening?
Reason
It's a fake news story
It's misleading, offensive or inappropriate
It should not be published here
It is spam
Your comment
More information
Security Code
"United We Stand . . .Divided We Fall"
Created by
Gregory Smith
Content
<p>This morning you arrived at work early to check on a special project. As you enter the building you hear excited voices coming down the hall. As you walk through the office door, Mary, your Sales Manager, notices the surprised expression on your face. She says, "Hi boss! I took care of that project you gave me yesterday and it is running great. We will exceed our sales goals again this year!" You see your staff huddled around a table working on the new proposal to improve customer service. They came in ahead of time to work on the project. Ceiling lights illuminate the charts and graphs showing progress made.<br>
<br>
There are no walls or barriers separating your team from each other. The room is full of energy, a charged, innovative environment of motivated team members. They are proud of themselves and their accomplishments. Is this a dream? Or is this for real?<br>
<br>
The advantages of having people work together as teams still remain a critical element in building a positive work environment and high job satisfaction. In a rapidly changing world that values technology, speed, and flexibility, teamwork unites individual efforts and is key for success, innovation, and creativity.<br>
<br>
Teamwork has improved morale, reduced costs, and dramatically enhanced productivity in businesses. William J. O'Brian, the former CEO of Hanover Insurance Company said many years ago, "The fundamental movement in business in the next 25 years will be in dispersing of power, to give meaning and fulfillment to employees in a way that avoids chaos and disorder." Teamwork is still a major ingredient in high performing organizations.<br>
<br>
Teams can decrease the need for excessive layers of middle managers and supervisors. Aetna Life & Casualty reduced the ratio between workers and middle management from one supervisor to seven workers up to one supervisor to thirty workers, while improving customer service. At a General Mills' plant in Lodi, California, productivity escalated to 40 percent above comparable plants because of teams.<br>
<br>
However, many businesses do a poor job building teamwork. I have visited organizations where open conflict existed between individuals and departments. Imagine working for a company where individuals do their best<br>
to sabotage each other's efforts. According to the website Mediate.com, managers spend 30% of their time dealing with conflict. How long can a business stay viable when people refuse to work together?<br>
<br>
Jon Katzenbach and Douglas Smith, in their book, The Wisdom of Teams, provide an excellent definition of a team. They say, "A team is a small number of people with complementary skills who are committed to a common<br>
purpose, performance goals, and approach for which they hold themselves mutually accountable."<br>
<br>
In their book, the authors talk about the following successful criteria in high performing teams.<br>
<br>
Complementary Skills. Each person on a team possesses a particular skill or talent. When blended, these talents and skills improve the capability of the team. In a high performing team, members can perform each other's job.<br>
<br>
Committed People. Teams reach maximum performance when they are committed to each other and trust management. Personalities and human dynamics are critical to team success. Until team members trust one other, and understand each other's personalities and individual work styles, commitment to the project is difficult.<br>
<br>
Common Purpose. Most teams work on a particular project, task, or specific type of work. Committees are not teams. The most effective teams are ones that have a written charter outlining a clear goal, purpose, and mission.<br>
<br>
Common Approach. You can't throw some people into a room and expect them to become an effective and productive team. Not having a structured way of doing work is one major reason teams fail. For example, project teams should follow a standardized methodology for solving problems, designing a new service, and/or improving a process. Initially, teams require training, mentoring, and coaching.<br>
<br>
Free by E-mail: If you would like a free subscription to our newsletter, please fax us your letterhead to 770-760-0581 or E-mail us the word "Navigator" to navigator@chartcourse.com.<br>
<br>
Greg Smith is a nationally recognized speaker, author, and business performance consultant. He has written numerous books and featured on television programs such as Bloomberg News, PBS television, and in publications including Business Week, Kiplingers, President and CEO, and the Christian Science Monitor. He is the President and "Captain of the Ship" of a management-consulting firm, Chart Your Course International, located in Atlanta, Georgia. Phone him at 770-860-9464. More articles available: <a href="http://www.chartcourse.com" target="_blank">http://www.chartcourse.com</a><br>
<br>
</p>
Copyright © 1999-2025 by
HR.com - Maximizing Human Potential
. All rights reserved.