Teams: team spirit

Ian Kelly

1. Convey a Positive Attitude

Your attitude toward the project conveys your confidence and commitment to the team.  Express enthusiasm for the job.  Encourage members to approach the job as a challenge rather than a problem.  Help team members understand they have your support.  Remind the team of the larger issues they are addressing and reaffirm your confidence that you will all feel proud of the results. 

2. Put the Goal in Context

Demonstrate how the team’s work relates to the organization as a whole.  Show links between and among the organization’s business areas.  Before going forward, take time to discuss opportunities for the members of the team to develop and shine.   If the team members are in the early stages of their careers, confirm that each feels the project is worthwhile and sees a chance to contribute.

3. Set High Standards

People are happier and more energetic when they have a clear picture of expectations.  Be explicit about the quality of work you expect, and about how you will measure that quality.  Provide formats for work.  Create detailed meeting agendas that will require a high degree of preparation.  Establish a work ethic early on that will require a strong commitment to the project.  Team members will feel you are treating everyone fairly if you expect everyone to maintain the same standard. Challenge team members to produce their best work.  Building confidence in their work, and trusting the work of others are essential to creating a strong sense of team spirit. 

4. Encourage Interaction

Provide opportunities for team members to work together.  Combine jobs to create cross-functional synergies. Allow the unique skills, talents and knowledge of each individual to complement those of the other members.  Give team members a chance to build working relationships.  These relationships are essential elements in a cohesive, spirited, motivated group. When possible, give team members latitude in their approach to problem solving.  Provide an opportunity for creative investigation and analysis.  Encourage people to share perspectives and ways ahead. This will help to create a sense of unified purpose and potential success.

5. Encourage Decisions by Consensus

Clearly define issues that require a team decision. Solicit alternative approaches from each group member.  Make a list of all ideas before discussing each individually.  Review the list and discuss how each contributes to the completion of the task.  Consolidate the list to incorporate elements accepted by all team members.  Continually evaluate decisions and request input on effectiveness.  Although this takes time in a group, it produces trust and decrease the potential for alienation.  Trust and the sense of contribution are crucial to building team spirit.  

6. Value All Contributions

Draw on team members’ unique experiences and specialties.  This will take some time yet will be worth the effort. Encourage everyone to offer views and opinions on all issues.  Allow enough time for all team members to offer input.  Make an effort to foster discussion each individual contribution.  Team members will value their own work and see how it relates to the team’s progress.  By creating an open forum for discussion, you strengthen relationships. You also raise awareness about the value of working in teams and highlight the benefits of sharing thoughts, ideas and work processes.

7. Keep Everyone Involved

Create an atmosphere in which team members see constructive criticism as an opportunity to improve results.  To keep people feeling encouraged make it right to explore ideas, modify positions, learn, welcome feedback and ask for help.  It takes time and lots to attention on your part.

Run brainstorming in two sessions.  First, distribute the list of ideas and ask team members to refine and clarify their ideas for a later session.  When you hold the review, encourage people to accept constructive criticism as professional rather than personal. Encourage people to listen, assess and evaluate before accepting or rejecting input.  View disagreements among team members as an opportunity to explore different perspectives.  Work to understand the core of disagreements and the issue or issues involved.  Follow up if an area of disagreement needs further thought. 

8. Mange the Group at the Right Level

When people work with the right level of freedom, they perform at their best, team spirit thrives and the team is likely to maintain focus and enthusiasm.  Assess the strengths of each individual and the team as a whole and be flexible.  Do they need a personal touch, or is the goal enough? Are they experienced?  Are they busy?  Are they working on many projects or few?  You can determine how prepared they are to get the job done largely under their own steam when you talk initially about standards of work, goals, deadlines and nature of the work product.   

9. Keep a Diary

There is a strong correlation between cohesiveness and the level of team spirit in a group.  As the project proceeds maintain a personal record of your observations about cohesiveness, internal conflict, communication, and quality of work.  Jot down notes on general impressions of the team’s work and on matters to watch and actions to take.  Address problems with fresh approaches and continually assess their effectiveness.

10. Celebrate Group Success

Let the team know when they have met or exceeded your expectations.  Reward the team members for their hard work.  Arrange events outside of the work environment.  For example, have lunch together or attend a sporting event.  If you choose the celebration, keep the individuals in mind when deciding what to do.  If the team is a group of experienced people, give the team a budget and let them arrange to celebrate.

Going further

• Confidence  - a study of how to develop and sustain winning streaks.
• Mind Games  - parables and lessons from sporting success
• Winning - leading your team to success
• Winning - Jack Welch's quest is to make everyone a “winner”.
• The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People  - Stephen Covey's book about values - self-improvement, philosophy, practical ethics or management text?