HR Basics: Teamwork

Описание: HR Basics is a series of short courses, designed to highlight what you need to know about a particular human resource management topic. In today’s HR Basics, we explore teamwork, outlining the five steps of developing a cohesive and productive team.

A team is a relatively small number of people (from three to twelve) that share common goals, rewards and responsibilities for achieving them. In theory, teamwork is simple. Most of us already know what it requires. But in practice, teamwork is difficult. Building a team is a process, one that requires remarkable levels of discipline, courage, and persistence.

Like it or not, all teams are potentially dysfunctional. This is inevitable because they are made up of fallible, imperfect human beings. Politics and confusion are more the rule than the exception. However, facing dysfunction and focusing on teamwork is particularly critical at the top of an organization because the executive team sets the tone for how all employees work with one another.

Let’s take a minute to define the term politics. Politics is when people choose their words and actions based on how they want others to react rather than based on what they really think.

The first step toward reducing politics and confusion within your team is to understand that there are five dysfunctions to contend with: Absence of Trust: The fear of being vulnerable with team members prevents the building of trust within the team. Fear of Conflict: The desire to preserve artificial harmony stifles the occurrence of productive, ideological conflict. Lack of Commitment: The lack of clarity or buy-in prevents team members from making decisions they will stick to. Avoidance of Accountability: The need to avoid interpersonal discomfort prevents team members from holding one another accountable for their behaviors and performance. Inattention to Results: The pursuit of individual goals and personal status erodes the focus on collective success.

Striving to create a functional, cohesive team is one of the few remaining competitive advantages available to any organization looking for a powerful point of differentiation. Functional teams avoid wasting time talking about the wrong issues and revisiting the same topics over and over again because of lack of buy-in. Functional teams also make higher quality decisions and accomplish more in less time and with less distraction and frustration. Successful teamwork is about embracing common sense with uncommon levels of discipline and persistence.