What does it take to be a favorable Team Member?

We have seen it all before; a stereotypical day at the office, the pressure is on! Deadlines need to be adhered to, there is so much pandemonium that if we take a step back and take a look at what is going on around us for just one second;  one might find it rather comical gazing at a multitude of stricken, wide-eyed & wrinkled fore headed expressions all around the room! Sometimes the answer is right in front of us, it just take a little practice & patience…..

For teams to function in an optimal manner, the members must adhere to the atmosphere and the group processes that have been pre-discussed and put into place. Another critical factor amongst these are strong communication skills!

The team member needs to be able to explain themselves & communicate on intellectual & emotional levels. Team members should be able to communicate/strive towards communicating as follows within their group:

• Explaining their own ideas.
• To be able to express their feelings in an open but non-threatening manner.
• Listening to others first.
• Asking questions is a good way to get clarification on others’ ideas & emotions.
• We should try to sense how the other team members are feeling based on their non-verbal communication.
• We should feel comfortable enough to discuss any group conflicts.
• We should strive towards reflecting how we worked as a team on a particular project once the project is completed; this will encourage learning from past mistakes and implementing those methods that worked well throughout the project.

For any successful group, open communication about ideas, feelings & thoughts is key.  Ignored issues can cause major group destruction if left to escalate.  A healthy and open climate will come into view in groups where issues are addressed as soon as they arise and dealt with accordingly.

Tips for a healthy Team climate:

Be open – Getting to know your colleagues for who they are, particularly those with different interests & backgrounds.   This gives way to fresh ideas & diverse viewpoints.  It’s all about balancing cohesion within the group & the need for individual expression.  Industrial Psychologists will teach us that to diversify groups (actual seating arrangements) within the workplace builds stronger teams.

Trust – The team need to be able to trust one another to share ideas & feelings.  An atmosphere of mutual trust develops when the team members are willing to self-disclose and be honest yet respectful.  Personal accountability for tasks assigned also builds trust within the team.  This practice teaches us how to feel comfortable when asking questions and encourages listening skills.

Support - Simply cheering along your colleagues can accomplish this! It is always important for team members to demonstrate support for each other whilst they are trying achieve their goals.  This also helps to establish an air of loyalty within the team.  Another way to show your support if for management to express the pressures on a specific resource at that time and for other team members to offer their help where possible.

Respect - A nice way of putting this:  Let’s rather focus on ‘how we can learn better as a team’ as opposed to ‘who is to blame’.  Communicating opinions in a respectful way is a great start! Trying to practice constructive feedback is a great way of learning how to express opinions in a respectful manner.

Office Etiquette – Let’s not forget to get back to basics in our day to day work environment. Respect also entails, respect for each others beliefs, religions, feelings as well as the elimination of office gossip – something to think about……

Tips for Effective Group processes:

The famous process! We all know that not following The Process can land us into some trouble, so here are some tips to try and make sure that you apply yourself within company processes.  Don’t forget that company processes help us to be productive and to accomplish our tasks effectively.

Individual responsibility and accountability – each team member must discuss before-hand of who is responsible for what.

Constructive feedback – Try to be as positive as possible when offering feedback post-projects, this encourages future learning and development on task, ideas and behaviours.

Problem Solving – Practicing group decision making helps to deal with conflict in a productive manner.

Management & organization – Keeping the focus is key! We can accomplish this by pre-planning the task & time management consideration.

Knowledge of each other’s roles – Team members need to understand who fulfils which roles within the team & are aware of the functions that each of us are meant to be carrying out.  Understanding each other’s roles gives us greater consideration for the demands on our fellow team members.

Further interesting articles which I came across – worth the read or discussion. (Blogs below.)

http://articles.techrepublic.com.com/5100-10878_11-1061868.html

http://articles.techrepublic.com.com5100-10878_11-1028068.html?tag=rbxccnbtr1

By Tracy DeRazon

You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.