Ahoy Cap'n, all aboard!
WHEN you start out to build a team, what is the first thing that comes to your mind? People - people with the right qualifications, and relevant experience in that particular field.
This might help you put together a team, alright. You then go on to train this team in the work involved, and the process is set in motion. Along the way however, you discover that there are a hundred other things to which you need to pay attention. As the team members get to know each other, and bonding takes place, teamwork happens. This is when minute but important issues begin to surface. If you are lucky, you'd have hit on the right kind of team - people who gel with each other and are cooperative. And you'll have a good team running, and working together. All this happens if you get lucky and find the right people.
But you can ensure that you get lucky and start the process yourself. The process begins before you form the team.
A winning team is typically defined as one that is cohesive, moving ahead, and a propelling force for the company's bottom line. Imagine for a minute that your most functional team has just flown the coop, and you are left high and dry. There's a new project on the anvil and you badly need to put together another team. You're running helter-skelter, trying to deal with the situation as best as you can. Before you press the panic button, these suggestions might just help you:
Get your objectives right:
What kind of a team are you looking for...
What is the kind of work they will be involved in...
What sort of people will fit in the team...
The reality of building a team involves careful thinking. When you build a team, it's a good idea to ensure that it is flexible enough to stretch during emergencies and any contingent situations. Hiring under stress can lead to unwise decision-making, and you might just hire a bad penny, severely wounding team spirit and team dynamics. With the result that the team might slowly disintegrate. Or eventually force you to evict the misfit.
Truly good teams are built, strength-by-strength. And the efforts don't just end at hiring extremely talented or qualified people.
Arrive at a central ideology:
Why do you need the team? What's the purpose? You can gauge this by finding out from your target audience, what they want, need and expect. For instance, your company is just branching out into sales and marketing of its product, and wishes to build an excellent sales team. Or if its a project team, identify for whom the project meant. If it's a particular sort of audience, make it a point to spare the time to get a feel of the ground realities and take a short informal survey to find out the real, human, requirements. Now before proceeding any further, gather preliminary information about how the target audience views the product. And how they would like it to be made available. The information collated will help you define your team goals and identity.
Decide what kind of people you would like in the team. Draw up a list of aptitudes and skills that will help build the team well. You can probably categorise these groupings like a typical personality compendium such as a catalyst, an organiser, operator, etc. Describe the various blends of personality types that will form a harmonious team.
Have a well-toned team. Go in for people who are likely to complement each other in the team. If you are to build a project team, it should ideally comprise people who are high on analytical and research skills, and who also possess an adequate amount of team spirit and make good collaborators.
How big should the team be? Every manager can ideally manage a certain number of people well. List how many people are essentially required in the team to achieve the team objectives.
Finally, to get your team to gel well, you must work and be willing to achieve -
Team cohesiveness through a harmonious blend of individual differences
The Minimising the chances of conflict
The boosting of enthusiasm for work
A steady and consistent team development
A leadership style that is accepted by your team members
SAMYUKTA KODA
samyukta.hyd@cnkonline.com
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