Six Ways to Help Your Team Work Better Together May 23, 2018Featured, My BusinessOff

Any business owner knows that when your team works together effectively, the results are likely to improve. Teamwork is a very important part of any business and having a happy team can drive results. There are many ways that teams can improve how they work together but sometimes it can be overwhelming to narrow it down. For this reason, we have put together our favourite six ways that you can help your team work better together. If you’d like to improve the efficiency and happiness of your team then keep reading!

Open Communication Channels
One of the most important things when it comes to teamwork is communication. Having open communication channels between teams can save time, save mistakes from happening and save you money in the long run. If you are the business owner and you consider yourself as part of the team then you need to think about how your other team members can contact you. Are you there in the office with the rest of the team or are you only contactable through an email that you take days to respond to? Improving communication channels can make a massive difference in how your team operates and how successful a project can be. Make sure to encourage communication between other team members to help them work better together.

Improve Workflow Organization
Another way that you can help your team work better together is by using organisation tools such as a Kanban board. A Kanban board is a way of organizing different tasks that need to be completed to ensure that the project runs smoothly. Tasks are organised depending whether they are requested, in progress or completed. Having this sort of tool can really improve teamwork in your company as members of the team are able to see a visual representation of the work that is being done. They can then help with things that other team members are struggling with to ensure that the project gets completed in time. This will make your team work more efficiently together and will show what needs to be improved upon in the future. Make sure to find out how to use a Kanban board first to ensure that it is right for you.

Do Some Team Building Activities
Companies often try to improve team relations with team building activities, but it is important to identify the problem with your team before going ahead with this. If your team are new and don’t know each other then you’ll want to do a different sort of activity than one which involves a team that has been working together for 10 years. Often teams that know each other well are struggling because of some sort of conflict. First, you should assess what the particular conflict is and then find an appropriate activity to try to bring the team back together. If your team get on but just aren’t working as effectively as they can, there is no harm in having them bond by doing some activities together to improve trust and communication.

Recognize Achievement
It is not uncommon for business owners to let achievements go unnoticed. Often team members will receive criticism for jobs that have not be done on time but when they achieve something great there is no communication from management. Recognizing and rewarding team members for their valuable contribution is a great way to improve how a team works. When a team works well together, they’ll want to be appreciated for what they have done. You don’t need to buy them dinner or have a party, sometimes a simple email or meeting to celebrate success can go a long way. Encouragement is key to making a team work and you should also encourage members of your team to encourage each other. Consider introducing some bonuses if you don’t already have them or some sort of reward scheme that encourages your staff to work together and get some amazing results.

Working Space
If your team works in an office, it is important that the working conditions suit the needs of the team. This includes anything from the amount of space that they have to the type of equipment that is available for them to use. Having good working conditions is very important in ensuring that a team works well together as they will be able to focus on their work if their computer is loading quickly or they are located close to another team member that can help them out. There are a lot of things that you can do to make your team’s workspace more effective. Designating a room that allows your team to work together and brainstorm using whiteboards or other collaborative tools can do a lot for improving how your team works. You should also make sure that there are quiet spaces for individual team members so that they can focus on their work.

Have a chat with your team and see what sort of improvements they would like to have made. Each workspace and team are different and so it is important that you adapt the working conditions to suit the type of work that is being done!

Create Some Rules
Rules are not always welcomed but they can do a lot for the productivity of a team and how they get on with each other. A lack of rules can mean that people do things that other team members are not happy with. Creating some basic rules for your team can ensure that they are happy with what is going on and you should definitely involve them in the process. Creating a set of rules by yourself when the team is already in place can make you seem like someone that is detached so it is important that you let the team contribute to the new rules. When you have a chat with your team you might even find out some of the reasons why they are not getting on very well. This could involve annoyance at emails being sent out of work hours which is something that can be avoided by setting appropriate rules. Help your team to work effectively and better together by setting simple, important rules.

Final Verdict
Overall, having a team that works well together is very important if you want your business or project to run smoothly. If you are ever unsure about how to run your team, the first step that you should take is to consult the team and see how they are getting on. A happy team means a successful project and they are more likely to work better together if they can talk to each other. If you are the business owner, don’t detach yourself from the team. Make sure that your team members have a place to work that lets them come together as well as spend quiet time working on their own tasks. Consider getting a task management system like a Kanban board to ensure that all of the work is done on time. Your team will benefit a lot if you follow our steps discussed in this article. Helping your team work better together can really help your business to succeed.

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