September, 28

September, 28

 

Building Teamwork

Successful teams find ways to promote individuals’ goals as well as the team’s overall goals. If members of a team can contribute and gain recognition for their contributions, they will be motivated to work to advance the entire team. The following strategies can be useful in creating effective teams:

Have people introduce themselves and describe their personal background at the first team meeting.

Name a group facilitator. Among other tasks the facilitator should:

Ensure that people of all ranks are contributing and cooperating;

In team meetings, ask questions of people who do not speak out;

Not let any one person or group dominates team discussion;

Make sure the group stays on topic and doesn’t get side-tracked;

Create agendas for group meetings.

 

Establish team goals. At the first team meeting, the group should reach an agreement on all expectations about the team’s purposes and goals, and the timeline for achieving them.

 

Define team roles. Just as important se setting team goals is defining the role that each individual will play on the team. This will ensure that each team member feels individual responsibility for specific tasks and has personal incentive to perform.

 

Have a set agenda for team meetings. By setting an agenda, you will ensure that members arrive prepared, that you group stays focused on the topics to be discussed, and that time is not wasted. If team meetings are effective, the team will be more efficient and members will probably enjoy participating in the team more.

 

Engage in teambuilding activities.  These activities are primarily intended to help people get to know each other.

 

Running Joint Projects

Plans and schedules. When engaging in a joint project with people in the U.S., it is important to speak up immediately to give input on a project plan or schedule. Once the plan is set, U.S. Americans may become frustrated by frequent changes, which they may view as “delays”.

 

Information sharing。The U.S. Americans generally have a current and short-term future time orientation and information exchange is generally done on a “need-to-know” basis. When asking them for more information, it is important to explain the reason for the request.

 

Key points

Clearly defined roles and goals are important for the team to be effective.

Teambuilding activities create an opportunity to get to know other team members.

Deadlines are usually taken very seriously; U.S. Americans may become frustrated by frequent changes, which they may view as “delays”.