5 ways to build more effective teams

This article is published in collaboration with SAP Community Network.

It takes great leadership to build people. This is true when you are talking about individuals, and it is also relevant when you are talking about teams. When leaders try to increase the abilities of the people they are leading, there are several tried and true methods that work both on an individual and on a group level. Organizations like Clickbooth, utilize these types of marketing techniques and affiliation strategies in order to increase the sales and performance levels of teams along with their individual members so that the entire organization benefits from the improvements that are made.

Getting to Know Every Person Involved

No matter how many people one is dealing with, the first thing that must occur is that a leader must become familiar with every individual in every team and every team in the organization. When this is accomplished, a foundation is built so that strategies of improvement may be subsequently employed in a more realistic fashion.

Clearly Defined Responsibilities

Each individual needs to be clearly informed as to what their specific duties are. It is surprising to note that many people are unclear about what they are supposed to do. Oftentimes, they are asked to find what needs to be done. This is unacceptable. For a person to excel at their job, they must first know what their job is. Thus, every individual’s role must be precisely defined so that the individual knows exactly what they should do and can take decisive action to accomplish a set of clearly defined tasks.

When it comes to the responsibilities of teams, the same concept applies, only on a broader level. In addition, each individual of a team should also be informed about their roles as members of a team and as an individual within the larger organization.

Proactive Feedback

Good leaders know that they must not wait until mistakes arise before any sort of feedback is given. Prompt delivery of feedback needs to occur at all stages of any process. With this type of active leadership that is constantly monitoring the progress of an individual person or a group, it becomes far more likely that poor choices will be avoided and that maximum performance will be the norm and not the exception.

This type of consistent observation, analysis, and guidance is also crucial when an entire organization is receiving communication from its leaders on a daily basis. Hourly emails and continual reminders about everything that needs to be done will promote better lines of communication, and every single member of an organization will feel as though they matter.

Reward Success Using Honest Practicality

It is quite common for many employees to hear that they have done a good job; however, when they receive cash incentives for performing brilliantly, the probability that they will continue to perform at their highest level increases.Rewards should be true rewards and should be practical (like cash) in order for them to have maximum effect. In addition, when each individual is taken into consideration as a person, some people might desire being able to leave a few hours early in order to see their children on certain days of the week.

Another practical bonus might also be increased responsibility for certain people who perform well and are yearning for more important work in order to prove their worth and gain a promotion or a raise. It all depends upon each unique individual’s needs and wants.

It is also important to reward teams that perform well because when the team celebrates receiving the reward, they form closer personal bonds with each other. This type of group bonding strengthens the entire organization and everyone wins.

Publication does not imply endorsement of views by the World Economic Forum.

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Author: Hicks Crawford is a writer at SAP Community Network.

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