How to Manage Business Teams

Effective business teams share respect and common goals.

Business teams bring new clients to a company and interface with existing clients. Unlike sales representatives whose responsibility ends with signing a contract of sale, business teams continue to work with clients through project or product development, delivery and support. The business team represents the face of an organization to clients, customers and, in coordination with senior managers, to the public. Business team managers need skills in planning, organizing, directing, coordinating and measuring performance.

Things You'll Need

• Mission statement
• Department or project charter
• Job descriptions
• Performance data
• Review forms

Instructions

1. Review the organization's mission statement for information on purpose, values and vision. Through your behavior and staff training, communicate the mission to your business team.

2. Create a department or team charter that clearly defines team goals and measurable performance evaluation criteria. Keep performance metrics and share results with team members. Make team performance part of the evaluation of each individual.

3. Create job descriptions for each team member based on expected behaviors. Clearly state the criteria for successfully performing job duties -- individually and as a team member -- and use those criteria when completing employee performance reviews.

4. Build a sense of team within the group by communicating frequently through face-to-face meetings, email and organizational media. Take advantage of social media sites and department web pages to share team successes. Set aside time in each staff meeting for team-building exercises and socialization.

5. Create tasks requiring individuals to work together as a team. Evaluate team performance. Reward individuals who work successfully on the team. Facilitate training for team members, including building knowledge of company products and processes as well as general training in effective communication and building sustainable client relationships.

6. Deal directly with internal team conflict. Assess the causes of conflict by listening to all sides. As a manager, collect data, make a decision and move beyond the conflict.

7. Highlight team performance rather than individual stars when presenting your business team to senior management or clients.

References

• Washington State University Cooperative Extension: Standards of Performance and Business Success
• Business Exchange: Dealing with Team Conflict
• Balanced Scorecard Institute: Performance Measurement