The problem is often that organisations, without being aware of it, are themselves responsible for preventing teams from performing well.  So, make sure that teams are unencumbered by organisational processes and procedures that hinder them from achieving top results.

8 Steps for Building an Effective Team:

Be certain that the team is aware of its purpose.
Teamwork can be both emotionally and intellectually draining.  So, make sure that every team has a clear understanding of its purpose and how it fits into the organisation’s overall strategy.  Make it crystal clear why teamwork is vital.

Ensure that all processes and procedures are in line with teamwork.
The next step is to ensure that all HR processes, also incentives and evaluation forms, are structured to reflect the importance of teamwork.  Give teams praise.  Ensure that teams share both good and bad experiences with the rest of the organisation, providing all teams with a chance to “shine”.

Recruit the right people to the team.
The right people are not just those with specific skills, but also those who complement and challenge other members of the team.  One must consider more than just the need to build a good team, and remember that recruitment is not just a privilege for HR personnel.  Team members should also be involved in interviewing potential candidates for the team.  Never look for clones when you recruit.  Make it a policy to recruit people who will bring something to the organisation and the team.

Get the right leaders.
A team leader has a vital role to play in creating a team that achieves good results.  So, a leader should be aware of the power the position entails, both to create and to destroy.  Also remember that a team leader cannot create a team; he or she can only create good conditions for team members.  Unfortunately, a team leader can also prevent a team from performing well.  Power-hungry employees with big egos should be kept away from team leader positions.

Ensure that the team leader has a replacement in line.
There should be at least one person in the team who is in a position to take over as the team leader.  If not, the team is incomplete.  Team leaders are often the ones who make reports at management meetings, also for field specialists.  Get the specialists give their own reports at management meetings instead.

Let the team have fun!
Make sure that the team uses some of their working hours to maintain social relationships within the team.  Teams are not formed overnight and work pressure can often get in the way of teamwork.  It shouldn't just be okay, but also expected that teams go away for a few days.  Sometimes even with just a social agenda.

Involve team members in setting goals.
To get a team to achieve the best possible results, team members must be involved in the process of setting goals.  Of course, it is necessary to set overall organisational goals and an economic framework, but by getting the whole team involved in how to best achieve these goals you will experience the “sell-in” phenomenon.

Review the team's achievements regularly.
Get the team to evaluate what they have achieved and how they achieved it.  Teams that achieve good results always find time for evaluations – no matter how little time there is.  They review both poor and positive results; the positive results to ensure that they can be repeated, the poor results to see what went wrong (not who did something wrong).  All evaluations should lead to action.  The best teams constantly update or change the way they work to stay at the forefront.

It also looks like new tools for project management can have a positive effect on the development of internal team trust, as well as identifying and correcting mistakes.  The Harvard Business Review presented an article on a method called “premortem”, which was introduced in 1989.  This method entails having participants consider an incident as already having happened and working backward to look at where changes could be made early on to prevent the project from collapsing.  This type of training increases the participants’ ability to identify the causes of future results by over 30%.  Many people perform similar exercises already, but place too little emphasis on creating a neutral arena for sharing information.  Since the objective of this method is to address issues that have not yet arisen, the team will have less of a chance of heading in a wrong direction, which “everyone knows about” but doesn't discuss due to personal relationships on the team, or because people try to smooth over or minimise mistakes and deficiencies in their own areas of responsibility.

Article previously published on www.hrnorge.no