TEAM COLLABORATION – HOW TO GET THE RIGHT MIX

Building a team is much like building a marriage, well a marriage of a few people, that is. Team collaboration is key!  While we are not condoning polygamy marriages or dissuading them, it makes one think that to make that work, there has to be great teamwork. Everyone has a part to play, and everyone has to see the other person’s part as just as important as theirs.

How can you ensure your team works as one unit?

There has to be a certain element of chemistry between all the parties, otherwise the collaboration will be a flat and lifeless entity. Sure, there is a game plan in place, each has a job to do, each knows the ideal outcome, but we are all human, and working together isn’t always easy. We are so different. But, if there is a something that connects us, drives us and a chemistry that links us, then you have a great team. Ensure you put a team together that has chemistry. You need to sit back and analyse whether they do. It takes time and experience, but its possible to see.

It should always come back to what your company values are. If there is a team member that doesn’t fit well into your mix of values and culture, then they shouldn’t be there. This should be made clear from the onset.

Putting people into situations that are generally outside of their comfort zone can help you to assess what their real and true self is. Organise an outside activity that involves a team aspect. Get them interacting with each other and solving problems. Observe. Don’t get involved, just observe. Then ask them questions as to how they found the experience. Dependent on their answers and what you see, you should be able to ascertain whether this collaboration fit together or not.

There may not be a 100% perfect team out there, and sometimes it can take a little time, with a little effort, for a few people to get on and work together. You have to be able to see the potential in each and as a whole. Keep checking in. Keep testing them, asking questions, and taking a vested interest in what their concerns may be. If its a creative collaboration team, you will find a lot of passion, which is typical of creatives. So, when they are all together, it can become quite a heightened and electric situation, but in saying that, this can be what makes them a great team too. See that. Nurture that and help them work towards the greater good.