We have all been to some sort of teambuilding activity at some point. It doesn’t matter if you left feeling reinspired, or like a character on The Office. The goal is to build trust and relationships to support team success.
How long has it been since you took part in a team-building event? It is becoming more difficult to get everyone in one place and to justify the time.
Participants in cross-organisational programmes report that networking with colleagues in other parts of an organisation is one of the most important benefits.
Teamwork redefined
Teamwork and collaboration are essential for success. To solve problems and accelerate progress, teams must be assembled quickly and often with members from diverse functions. A team that is effective should consist of the best people who are empowered to get things done.
Pecan’s Culture Fit for the Future Research identified Teamwork Redefined as one of the three themes.
Two key issues were identified by the research:
- The challenges of hybrid working distract from a collaboration that is effective and efficient.
- A teamwork approach that is still hindered by hierarchy, controls and role boundaries perpetuates an overwhelming meeting culture
360 collaboration
The word collaboration was chosen as the most popular by respondents to the survey, which led to the concept of 360-degree collaboration.
- Within a team, or within a function, there are always ups and downs
- Within organisations, there are many different teams and functions.
- External stakeholders include, for example: partners, investors, customers, regulators, government
Teamwork and collaboration is not always easy. Sometimes it’s easier to do things yourself or to work with the people you know.
It is often a crisis that brings people together and gets them to put aside their egos, judgments or positions to work together. Covid’s vaccine response is a great example. A vaccine was developed in a tenth the time that it normally would take.
How can we redefine teamwork? Without a major crisis
The meaning of “being connected” is multi-faceted: it can mean being connected as an individual, within your team or to the company’s vision and values.
This respondent says that connectivity is essential to the formation, operation and delivery of teams.
As our employee and customer demographics continue to change, the importance of diversity in helping us “see around corners” will grow.
The culture fit for the future report includes seven practical and proven tips to redefine teamwork and create an effective collaboration. All of them will change the game.
- Teach people to build strong relationships based on mutual respect and trust in a hybrid setting
- Clarify the purpose and goals of all relationships
- Strengthen emotional intelligence. A tool like EQi is a useful framework that can help individuals and teams improve their working methods and wellbeing.
- Access to strengths, skills, and experience within the organisation can be made easy.
- Include people who would not normally be included in the decision-making process
- Shared understanding of good empowerment and how it is done well
- Showcase the teams that are achieving the best results.
Three questions that will help you to focus on the right areas
Here are some questions that can help you identify what your organisation’s priorities are:
- Do people within an organisation tend to focus more on activities or outcomes?
- What are some of the best examples multi-skilled teams?
- Which teams would benefit most from more diversity?
