People strive to be engaged in meaningful work
and it is your role as an HR leader, to promote team building and processes that
support teamwork. Many leaders have the
wrong idea as to what constitutes teamwork.
It is not attained through self-promotion but through developing a sense
of support and trust. Once company
leaders have identified and clearly articulated what they stand for, it’s up to
the leadership team supported by Human Resources to build a team environment.
When the values and mission resonate with your employees, they will be a better
partner and become more engaged in the company’s success. You will have also created an environment
where teamwork is supported and practiced.
Outline below are four tips to improve teamwork at your organization:
Recognize your High Performing Staff
Start recognizing your high performers through
public recognition or awards. Consider
creating a process to have fellow employees call-out their teammates who excel
and those who take on the challenging projects.
Recognition on the job is one of the key areas that support employee
engagement and general job satisfaction.
Improve your Time Management
Conduct an audit of how you spend your time to
see where you spend the most time. If
you are a manager, are you interacting with your team by coaching them, and
supporting their success? If you are an individual
contributor have you identified the most satisfying aspects of your job so that
you can be more productive and excel at those areas where you have a passion to
succeed. Being more productive by
conducting an inventory of where you spend your time will help you allocate
your time more efficiently and be more effective on the job.
Communicate Daily
Consistently over-communicate and share your
ideas and manage by walking around.
Listen to your employees and learn from them as to what is working and
where changes can be made. Be as open as
you can with your team to better understand their challenges to improve
teamwork and communication.
Communication also includes establishing a time each day to silence your
phone, turn off your computer, and get out and connect with your team.
Define your Value to the Organization
The misperception is that small departments
have little influence in the overall teamwork at the company. In the HR department; whether you are a
department of one or twenty, the staff often have the ability to influence the
bigger company mission by being focused and taking on those projects that may
not necessarily be aligned with HR’s
traditional role. The HR department can
be an advocate for teamwork by being a model for other departments to follow
and emulate.
Ultimately building a teamwork strategy takes
time and is a serious commitment. By
taking the time to evaluate what type of team environment you want to create,
HR can influence the culture where teamwork is practiced and supported through
the company.