How to build an effective team?
Effective teams share certain qualities or dynamics that enable them to be effective. Their performance is also driven by motivation. To build an effective team, following are the main elements.
A team having the correct number of people with relevant skills, people with shared engineering mindsets, and people with diverse backgrounds and experiences, who can work together effectively to accomplish their shared goal. Size of the team plays an effective role in an effective team. Research shows that 5 to 8 member team or a "2 Pizza team" will be more effective than a bigger team. The bigger the team the more the communication channels are and it becomes harder.
When building a new team or adding members to an existing one, it’s important to assess candidates not just for their technical skills but also for the key mindsets and qualities that contribute to team effectiveness. During interviews, ask questions that probe for evidence of the engineering mindsets such as caring about users, being a good problem solver, and being open to learning and growth. Present candidates with scenarios that test their approach to challenges like prioritization and balancing trade-offs.
Following are the characteristics of the members who would be part of an effective team. A good problem solver, cares about the user, can keep things simple but cares about quality, understand team strategy, build trust over time, can prioritize and execute independently, can think long term, can communicate effectively and comfortable on taking new challenges.
2. Enable a sense of team spirit
Once a team has been assembled, the next step to building an effective team is enabling a sense of team spirit. Team spirit is when a group of people feel invested in reaching their shared goal and are there to support each other. It is more than just getting along or being helpful. With team spirit, members work together in harmony but are also willing to help each other accomplish tasks. A group that works in harmony can get more results in less time than one that does not.
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The team spirit can be cultivated by creating an environment for collaboration and communication. The foundation of this involves defining roles and responsibilities, establishing a shared purpose, and fostering trust among members.
3. Lead effectively
To build an effective team, there should be an effective leader. Although strong teams can function without a leader, effective leaders impact employee performance and satisfaction, decision-making skills, and collaboration, and promote a positive work environment.
An effective leader's core responsibilities are to inspire, influence, and guide your team toward a shared goal. Effective leaders build successful teams by incorporating effectiveness practices into these core responsibilities. Apart from this is the leader should have a strategic visibility of what's happening in the organization and should leverage opportunities for his/her team.
4. Sustain effectiveness
The final step to building an effective team is sustaining the culture that you have built via continuous growth. Establishing a shared purpose and open communication can foster a strong team culture, leading to an engaged and motivated team. Additionally, for team members to believe that their impact and contribution matters to the organizations, leaders must create opportunities for team members to develop their skills and grow within their roles. Sustaining effectiveness over time requires supporting the factors of agility, purpose, and impact.
Building an effective team takes time and to have an effective team there must be sustained growth culture. This keeps the team agile, always improving, and better equipped to handle anything that comes their way.