[ Volume Eleven ]

Article Overview: While 'teaming' as a concept has been strongly promoted since the mid 1990s, many organisations still struggle to create teams that can consistently deliver outstanding results while under intense pressure. This article contains ten tips that can be used as a checklist to help assemble an effective project team.

Introduction:

"Teamwork makes the team work"

"There's no 'I' in team"

"Together Everyone Achieves More"

"A champion team will always beat a team of champions"

If you've been in a project management role for any length of time, or you've seen David Brent from the UK TV series 'The Office' in action, you have probably heard all the above clichés. In a business environment where product-to-market timelines continue to contract and project deadlines get ever shorter, the need for staff to be working efficiently and effectively together has never been greater.

But moving from rhetoric to reality often requires a cultural shift - teaming must move from an occasional activity to the core of how projects are tackled. To do that, it is important to get clarity around what a team is, and to consider what practical steps can be taken to make being part of a team a positive experience for all those involved.

Which Team?

In its simplest form, a team is a group organised to work together. Before it became a hot topic in business, the word had its origins in two areas: farming animals and sports.[2] Unfortunately, many staff have been treated like they're hitched to a harness (with a whip for encouragement) so that when teamwork is raised they're naturally suspicious. Sporting analogies are useful to a point - but can emphasise winning at the expense of others. Therefore, to turn teaming into a positive experience a different approach is required. Consider the following ten areas:

Tip 1: Begin At The End

To give teaming the greatest chance of success before starting you need to develop two pictures:

A) A picture of how teaming would best function in your organisation; and
B) What the end result of effective teaming will look like - both at a corporate and individual project level.

This will enable expectations to be set that can be clearly understood, and place teaming in its proper context so that staff understand the importance of teams, to both themselves and the business.

Tip 2: Assembling The Team

When starting a new project, cover the following with the team (both one-on-one before the team assembles and as a group):

A) Why the team is being created;
B) Why each team member has been recruited (i.e. what is their contribution);
C) What the anticipated performance and outcomes are;
D) What the benefits will be both personally and in a corporate sense from their contribution

This sets a baseline for the team to begin.

Tip 3: Let Them Plan

Effective teams are given ownership of the planning process - designing their own vision, mission and strategies to accomplish the project goals. The role of the company is to be clear about the boundaries and limitations, and support the team with the resources required wherever possible. If there's no ownership, there's no accountability.

Tip 4: Know Who Does What

With the 'umbrella plan' in place, next comes assigning responsibility for different aspects of the project to individual team members (often called 'role definition'). This takes accountability and ownership to the personal level.

Tip 5: Delegate To Liberate

All planning eventually leads to action. Once a project begins, team members will inevitably need to make countless decisions on their own or with little opportunity to consult the team. The team leader's role is to lead them to make the best decision they can, involving the team wherever appropriate. The more trust the team leader shows in their abilities, the more they'll take responsibility for finding the best answers.

Tip 6: Recognise Growth

With personal benefits spelt out at the start, team members should be encouraged throughout the project as the team leader identifies their improving knowledge and skills base. Consistent, measurable positive feedback and recognition will motivate them further to apply themselves, increasing the likelihood of receiving their best efforts for the duration of the project.

Tip 7: Keep Them Connected

Poor communication is one of the major reasons for project failure. Highly skilled technical staff can be prone to isolation. Planning regular sessions for formal reviews, discussing problems, and team decision making is a must. Use shared space for a project wherever possible.

Don't neglect the social aspect either - people have lives outside of work. Team social outings when a milestone is reached can boost morale. Including support staff not on the project team in social settings is also important.

Tip 8: Nurture Your "Non-Team"

Top line management, strategic partners, peer review panels, technical resources, admin support, etc, all can be stakeholders in the success of a project, but not have any direct project responsibility. Team members must be sensitive to this. Timely and relevant communication with these groups can make or break a project's success. Make sure it's clear who is responsible for which external team relationships and review their communications regularly.

Tip 9: Plan For Set-Backs

When an airplane flies to its destination, it's marginally off course over 90% of the time. The same is true of any project. Programs take longer to code. Production lines break down. People get sick unexpectedly. Equipment gets delayed. Openly acknowledging that problems or set backs could occur allows the team to better identify risks and document contingency plans. This will make expectation management with stakeholders easier. And if the whole project somehow becomes a disaster, an exit plan is in place.

Tip 10: Reward Results

If people are going to contribute blood, sweat and tears to a team, it's only fair they are rewarded for their achievements. However the team is rewarded, make sure criteria are clearly defined, agreed to by all, tied to milestones and both team and individual contributions. Each team experience should set a new benchmark that encourages others in the organisation to aspire to work together - not to be stars in their own right.

Conclusion

Companies that lead the pack long-term do so because they have developed a culture that values and rewards the collaborative efforts of their staff. Teams provide employees with opportunities to continually develop their skills while enhancing the bottom line. The tips above should provide a useful starting place to ensure teaming moves from rhetoric to reality.

References:

[1] http://humanresources.about.com/cs/involvementteams/l/aa122001a.htm

[2] http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=team

Top Team Building Books Link: http://humanresources.about.com/cs/involvementteams/tp/teams.htm

About Regent Recruitment Regent Recruitment is a recruitment consultancy that assists leading Australian employers to attract and retain talented staff on a contract, temporary or permanent basis. Whether we are filling one permanent role or recruiting contract staff for a 400-seat call centre, we deliver an exceptional recruitment service. Unlike other recruitment consultancies, Regent Recruitment is unique in that it combines the capabilities of a large-scale multinational recruitment operation with exceptional service levels typically only associated with small boutique agencies. How can we assist you? We would welcome the opportunity to have a confidential meeting to discuss your staffing needs in more detail. If you are interested, in the first instance please call Howard Mereine, General Manager, on (03) 9909 7150 or e-mail Howard at hmereine@regentrecruitment.com.au. We look forward to speaking with you.

This article was licenced by Regent Recruitment for the Regent Recruitment client newsletter.
Written by Victoria Small and edited by Paul Quinn, Quinntessential Marketing Consulting Pty Ltd.


Subscriptions

Please feel free to forward this listing on to other people in your company or in the wider industry who you believe may benefit.

You may subscribe or unsubscribe at any time - click here to manage your subscription.

Disclaimer

The views and opinions expressed in this document are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the view of Regent Personnel Pty Ltd.