Creating and Building The Best Team Ever

Is it important for you to remain ahead of your competitors?

Well, we have great news for you. There’s a very simple way of achieving that:

Continual improvement of your teams and yourself.

Doing so will result in amazing improvements to your business. Sounds simple, doesn’t it? It can be if it is a big focus of yours.
Evidence strongly suggests that teams typically outperform individuals when the project, work or campaign requires multiple skills, judgment, AND experience.

A team can also be more flexible and responsive to change. This facilitates employee participation in decision making, which is great for the overall business goals and achievements.

SO WE’VE ESTABLISHED: TEAMS ARE GREAT FOR BUSINESS, BUT EXACTLY HOW DO WE CREATE OUR A-TEAM?

When trying to build a team we usually look at the individual skills, experience, abilities, and knowledge that make up said team, however, you need to have a greater understanding of the different personality types and associated strengths of those within your business. If you do you can really leverage on this to enhance your business capability.

What does this mean? Well, in simple terms: If you can succeed in putting the right mix into your team they will come up with innovative and exciting ways to grow your business. They may even solve persistent problems and identify simple processes.

So what exactly do you need to consider when building an effective team?

Well there are four key components we will look at:

Context, composition, work design and goals.

1. CONTEXT
   The first and most essential step is to look at the leadership and structure within the teams. Members must agree on ‘who is’ to do what they set out to do and where possible you need to ensure that members contribute equally.
   
   Before even taking a crack at that ‘assignment’ that’s waiting for your team, they will also need to determine when they will meet, what skills are necessary or what needs to be developed, how the conflict will be resolved and how this will influence decisions that might have to be modified.
   
   Trust is super important within the team. People should trust each other and their leader because this makes sure the cooperation you need is there. This will also reduce the need for you to monitor every team individually. Encourage people to accept and commit to the team’s goals and decisions.
   
   It’s also a great idea to have a reward system in place for individuals within the team as well as the team as a whole. Did someone walk the extra mile to solve the problem? Get them some movie vouchers. Did the team solve all their problems, finish their assignments and hit every goal? Why not have a team building day for them? Rewarding hard work will solidify the team.
   
2. COMPOSITION
   There are three different types of skills you require for your team to perform at the top of their game: Technical expertise, Problem-solving & decision-making ability & Interpersonal skills.
   
   When selecting your team you need to look at the types of skills the individuals that make up the team possess and make sure that all the various types of skills are catered for.
   
   A good thing to remember is that individuals often play multiple roles within a team and managers need to understand the individual strengths that each person can bring to the team.
   
   Diversity is your friend! When a team is a diverse mix of personality, gender, age, education, functional specialisation and experience then you’re onto a winner there. The team will probably perform more effectively and that will contribute to the business as a whole.
   
   Other studies have shown that the most effective teams have less than 10 members. Why is that? Well, this prevents ‘group think’ (agreeing with the consensus rather than putting their true thoughts forward) and mutual accountability. It also makes it easier to coordinate efforts when time pressure is present.
   
   The most effective teams have members that can complete each other’s work if necessary, making it less reliant on one single member. High performing teams are usually made up of people who perform better in a team environment. Another factor to consider when assembling the dream team.
   
3. WORK DESIGN
   Another really important element to creating your A-Team is what type of work are you assigning them? Effective teams need to work together and take collective responsibility to complete significant tasks.
   
   Different types of assignments and work will need different types of skills and talents. If the team has an overall task or project and have the ability to work on it from end-to-end they will most likely fare better. This will help them understand the vision and the ultimate goal of the.
   
   This is how we get to the final component:
   
4. GOALS
   If you want your team to be as effective as possible they need to have a common and meaningful purpose that provides direction, momentum, and commitment.
   
   The whole team needs to be clear on what is expected of each project, task or campaign that they are working on and what the goal is when that project is completed. Communicating this is of uber importance as it will have a great effect on what the team delivers.
   
   Giving teams a goal will give them confidence and help them understand the why of what they do. This will guarantee future success, which in turn will make your team feel great about themselves.
   
   When it comes to conflict within the team, it can actually improve their effectiveness. This doesn’t mean personal agreements over who made the coffee too strong, but more conflict about the individual components of the project. Debate is a great way to help the team problem solve.
   
   This will also help individuals not ‘hide’ within the team and will help everyone contribute in every way that they can.

HONING IN ON THESE FOUR KEY AREAS WILL HELP YOU BUILD THE BEST TEAM EVER.

Just remember: Teams differ in form and structure and especially the purpose you had in mind when you created the team. Creating a team doesn’t solve the issues or get the work done, rather it gives you the POTENTIAL to generate greater outputs within your business.

There is, unfortunately, no magic secret or formula when it comes to creating a dream team, and that’s why the keyword here is potential. Creating a great team comes down to many factors, including these four key components, the individuals within the team, how they are managed, what tasks they are given as well as giving them support. This will ensure the foundation for a great team that will build a path with effectiveness.

To really get the best from a team situation, take the time to consider what you want as an end result and the specific expectations that you have for the team that you are engaging to achieve your goal.

Are you looking to add a member to your team but not sure where to start? Get in touch with our team today and we can help guide you on the right path.