Your team is struggling to work together. How can you get everyone on the same page?

1. Establish Clear Goals and Expectations 2. Improve Communication and Collaboration 3. Provide Support and Resources 4. Create a positive Environment

Clear Communication: Establish open and transparent communication channels. Ensure all team members feel heard and understood. Regular meetings, whether they're stand-ups, check-ins, or retrospectives, can help keep communication clear and consistent. Define Goals and Roles: Clearly define and communicate the team's goals, individual roles, and responsibilities. This helps ensure everyone understands what is expected of them and how their work contributes to the broader objectives. Team-Building Activities: Engage the team in activities that are not work-related to build trust and camaraderie. This can range from team lunches to off-site team-building exercises to improve interpersonal relationships and understanding within the team.

1.Set Clear Goals and Expectations 2.Encourage Open Communication 3.Promote Collaboration: Encourage collaboration by creating opportunities for team members. 4.Provide Training and Development: Offer training to help team members improve their skills and knowledge. 5.Celebrate Success to boost morale and motivation. 6.Address Conflicts Promptly: Encourage open and honest discussions to resolve conflicts and improve relationships. 7.As a leader, demonstrate the behaviours and values you want to see in your team. Be a role model for effective teamwork and communication. 8.Feedback: Offer regular feedback to team members to help them improve and grow. This can also help reinforce positive behaviours and align everyone's efforts.

To align the IT services system administration team and foster collaboration, initiate regular team meetings to discuss goals, priorities, and expectations. Encourage open communication and active participation from all team members to share insights, challenges, and ideas. Implement clear processes and procedures for project management, task delegation, and decision-making to ensure accountability and transparency. Foster a culture of teamwork, mutual support, and continuous improvement, emphasizing the importance of shared goals and collective success. Regular team-building activities and opportunities for professional development can also strengthen cohesion and rapport among team members.

I would consider ‘Team Coaching,’ to move the team from operating in silos and as individuals which a lot of times creates disharmony in the team. Team coaching will help start seeing themselves as one team, moving them from operating in silos and as individuals to start seeing themselves as ‘US and We.’ This will create opportunities to hear everyone’s voice and contributions, appreciate the diversity of the team, find alignment even in the face of challenges and differences.

Sometime people can hide behind "open communication" or "I'm just being honest" and use the opportunity to be settle scores. Communication must move us towards connection. I'm not saying it must all be warm and fuzzy. It must be clear and have the clear purpose of cohesion and improved long-term engagement.

Ooooh diversity! In South Africa with an incredibly diverse population in terms of culture, race, languages and tribes we have seen the positive impact that can be made when we create inclusive spaces. We are also very fortunate to have the legal and constitutional backing that drives equity.

To quote Simon Sinek, "A team is not a group of people that works together, it's a group of people who trust each other." Trust is developed over a period of time, with data that shows the people are worthy of trust.

To get everyone on the same page and improve teamwork within your team, consider the following strategies from various sources: ? Clarify Vision and Purpose ? Enhance Communication ? Establish Team Processes ? Encourage Collaboration ? Embrace Conflict By implementing these strategies, you can enhance teamwork, communication, and collaboration within your team, ultimately leading to improved productivity and outcomes.

Being a team assumes you are working towards the same goal eg as a department your deliverables are clear and expects to have been discussed. Revisit why you exist as a team and state objective items that make you a team eg sales, product development etc. Why are you needed as a group of individuals who need to work together?Define what success would look like if you worked together. With the desired team outcomes clearly defined, compare to your current reality. Where are you falling short? What can you do differently? Consider getting a facilitator to help you unpack what’s happening. Listen to each other, commit to doing your part towards a thriving team and agree on how you can work together. Be honest, respectful and kind.

The team leader should create some non operational time - say at least 2 hours - to enable each team member to voice their purpose and the team's purpose. That alone should surface enough alignment and misalignment for the team to own the reality of their current situation. Genuine ownership of the truth is half the battle won.