Team dynamics play a huge part in team success. Thus success of the larger organization. But how do you improve these dynamics? What items will help you to improve team dynamics? To build up and enable very successful teams. The following items are the best ways to work on and improve team dynamics.
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Embrace conflict, but do so respectfully
All too often, conflict is avoided on teams. It is a misconception that you should avoid conflict. That is because conflict is how you present new and challenging ideas. How you build and improve ideas as a team. The issue is when conflict is handled in ways that are not respectful. Or conflict becomes negative and unprofessional.
Promote the exchanging and free criticism of ideas. That is how you get to the best solutions as a team. Teams that can discuss and poke holes in ideas, to then try and address the gaps, will come up with the best possible solutions to problems and how to achieve goals.
So promote healthy conflict on the team, to openly discuss and collaborate on the work. This will lead to a team dynamic that uses conflict to it’s advantage, instead of team members using it to discourage and silence others.
Gain commitment by the team
Team members need to be part of a shared commitment to do the work. When everyone is bought in and believes in the work, they will work together to achieve results.
Team members that are committed make the work of the team a priority. Everything done has more meaning, more focus, and more to back it up, when it comes from committed team members.
The opposite here are team members that are not committed. They are not bought in to the work and do not believe in it. They will work on other things and maybe not make this a top priority. They may not put forth the best solution they can, as they don’t believe in the purpose of the work.
To help get the commitment of team members, communicating the goals of the work. Specifically how these goals help the company, is critical. This will help tie larger organizational objectives and strategy all the way to the work of the team. Showing that link can show the importance and help get commitment.
Team dynamics are not there without team commitment. Without commitment, it is just team members taking on their own preferred work, without shared purpose.
Build trust within the team for improved team dynamics
The absence of trust on the team is a killer. Team members will be slower to embrace other team member ideas with lower trust. They will also duplicate effort and slow down their ability to deliver, by not trusting in each others work.
I have more on building trust on the team in the below linked article. Just know that trust on the team is critical. Team success relies on trust within the team.
Promote team solutions
Great teams and the team relationships within them rely on team built solutions for best success. When team members all bring their combined skills, knowledge and experience, they can build better solutions.
Not to mention that the high performing teams I am discussing are democracies. They are not top down driven. Where maybe one person dictates how to go about doing the work. They work together, and figure out the best way forward together.
Be results driven for great team dynamics
I believe team dynamics will shape themselves for the better and improve, when the team is working towards results. Of course there are process and things the team will need to learn. But I also believe some things will naturally occur in team work activities, when the team is working towards results.
Not to mention when there is not an attention to results, a host of problems can occur. Team members can start to scramble and make mistakes, or they can fall behind schedule. They can also duplicate work. Effective team dynamics are improved by having focus on results.
Build accountability for good team dynamics
Avoidance of accountability can hurt team dynamics. So don’t avoid taking responsibility. When the team owns their work, without interference from outside the team, they can learn and drive the work forward.
They only get to that place of driving the work forward, of their own self direction, by having accountability for their own work.
Have clear goals that everyone understands
Set clear goals, so the team can work towards them. Also, spend the effort to make sure the team understands the goals. Discuss and align on them. It goes a long ways to helping tackle the work.
Also, when goals are not clear, besides possibly working towards them incorrectly, there is lost team in the confusion itself.
Share the workload
Good group dynamics for teams are best when team members share the workload and work together to complete said work. If teams can take larger work efforts, break it apart to distribute amongst the team, they can more effectively take on that work.
Not only is there the aspect of completing work faster when everyone takes pieces and completes it. There is good morale built by sharing the workload. Team members working together, continue to build up effective team dynamics by working together.
Communicate, communicate, communicate
Communication is such a huge part of good team dynamics. Practice all forms of communication. Bring it into your process improvement and make your communication more effective.
Just don’t neglect communication. Communicate to share information and help team members learn. Also communicate to stay in sync and work towards the right things at the right times. It’s such a huge factor and great teams communicate well.
Have fun for the best team dynamics
My last suggestion for more effective team dynamics is to just have fun with it. Keep the attitude light and fun, and the team will enjoy the work more. Which only leads to more productive and effective teams.
Additional content and reading to help improve team dynamics
Effective team dynamics are dependent on so many things. But the ideas above will help to build up those dynamics for more team success. Other items to consider reading up on are about building up more trust on the team and ways to improve communication. Check them out below.
