Why is team bonding necessary for a company?

 

‘The strength of the team is each individual member. The strength of each member is the TEAM.’

-Phil Jackson

 

The team is the backbone of a company and it is the responsibility of the leader to make sure there is bonding and understanding between the employees.

The role of leaders

It starts at the top. If you don’t already have good teamwork at the ground level, then it’s time for the leadership to lead by example. They’re the ones that the rest of your company look up to for direction, so they should be establishing teamwork religiously. Their behavior will run down through the company to leaders at each level of the company, then to all members of the teams. Eventually, the whole organization will come to accept and expect this mode of working.

 

Communicate, every day, every way

Good communication is at the heart of great teamwork. Great teams communicate well and often, their members are happy to share ideas, brainstorm together, ask for feedback, and be contradicted.

How can you do that?

 

• Be clear: Set the tone for communication among the team. When is it acceptable to close your office door? Is it okay to contact someone after hours? How often should the whole team get together? This outline will help to keep everyone on the same page and communication flowing.

 

• Listen: Communication is as much about listening as it is about speaking. Make sure you’re listening to fellow team members and considering their thoughts before offering your solutions and input.

 

• Method: There are so many ways to reach each other in the modern age. Try to use the most suitable tool to communicate for your specific needs, whether that’s email, a chat tool, phone call, or face to face. We’ve got an article that’ll help you decide which communication tool is best for what.

 

• Touch base: Encourage informal meetings, information sharing, and huddles between team members. People shouldn’t have to wait for a weekly catch-up meeting to get together. Collaborative team members are comfortable communicating as and when they need to.

 

• Collaboration tools: These enable workers to connect across the world, or across the office, in a group or one-to-one conversation. They also make progress on group projects at the times that are most convenient for them.

 

Exercise together

Before deciding on a team-building exercise, it’s important to assess what specific challenges your team is facing. For example, does your team need to become more familiar with each other, or do they need to recover from a conflict? You may pick different exercises for each of these situations. The frequency of your team-building exercises should also be considered. Team building exercises are like physical exercise – if you do it often, the benefits are more long-lasting. You can’t summit Everest if you train twice a year. Teamwork is similar. If you want to achieve your teamwork goals, find a way to work the exercises into your weekly/monthly contact with your team.

Establish team rules

Rules are everywhere – on the workspaces, in daily interactions – and they exist to keep everyone safe and on the same page. How can we move forward together if we don’t know where we stand? Rules will safeguard the success and productivity of a team.

Establishing rules early is most useful, but be willing to consider changing them if they’re blocking rather than helping the team. You can write them down or just chat about them openly. Either way, you should be clear on why they exist and ask for contributions/feedback from everyone.

Clarify purpose

If a team doesn’t understand the purpose of their work, their attention and enthusiasm can dwindle. Be clear about why you’re doing what you’re doing – it’s the key to motivation. Simon Sinek, author and marketing consultant, unravels this game-changing concept in his TED talk. So, find the “why” – the purpose – for your current project or final goal, and why you’re taking each of the steps that lead you there. Not only will this keep everyone motivated and aligned, but it’s also a great way to review your process and ensure you’re taking the best steps to get to where you need to be.

Recognize and reward

Recognized employees are satisfied employees, and satisfied employees do better at work. If you want a happier, stronger team, recognition is key.

 

Here are some of the ways employees want to be recognized and rewarded:

• Company or team-wide emails recognizing individuals/teams
• In-person recognition and thanks
• Promotions
• Bonuses
• Extra vacation days

 

There are many more ways in which you as a leader can enhance the bonding in your team for the betterment of the company. Maturity, deep understanding, and a healthy relationship between one another are very essential.