Team Development & Communication Ideas
Team building leverages the strengths of each individual member for the benefit of an organization. It also provides for synergy and the cross pollination of ideas among different departments. It improves the communication skills of individual members because they are required to communicate with others on the team.
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Virtual Teams
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As a result of globalization, the geographic expansion of corporations and technology advances, many teams are developed virtually. According to the website Management Help, a virtual team is a geographically separated group of individuals who work across time, space and often corporate boundaries.
Advantages of building a team virtually is that top-performing employees can be located anywhere. Productivity often increases because workers are not constrained by having to commute. In addition, work can be done based on the most productive work times regardless of time of day.
Virtual teams can be developed on a project basis for a defined period or they can be long term such as representing a product management function. A team can also be developed to provide services to customers.
To build a successful virtual team, there must be a reliable communications infrastructure with the ability for team members to set priorities for information sent. There also must be well designed processes for how team members will work best with one another.
To develop a successful virtual team, team members must be flexible and adaptable in a dynamic work environment.
Team Technology
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Although a team's geographic dispersion might appear to impact team effectiveness, often virtual teams are less likely to get fixed on one solution without considering other alternatives.
From a communications perspective many options are available. There are collaborative technologies such as Google Docs where all team members can work on a document at the same time. In addition, multi-person single-screen live video is an option. An application such as Skype is also an option. Skype provides audio and video conferencing.
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Collaborative Methods
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According to the website Get Clever together, a team can be motivated by rewarding individuals in the team and the group for innovative or creative ideas. Take advantage of the combined experience of all team members and actively solicit ideas and experiences from all team members.
Make team thoughts such as ideas and assumptions visible by writing them down. Tape sheets to the wall in a team meeting room. Visibility often spurs additional ideas and also provides a reference for all if clarification or expansion is needed on points made earlier.
To build a spirit of cooperation team members should be encouraged to share some of their backgrounds and experiences including some personal background.
Actively engage team members in the planning of collaborative work. By engaging all members you will get a more committed group.
Tips
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The website Group Jazz recommends making all team members aware of the common goals of the team. Brainstorm with the team how everyone can best function for the good of team objectives. Encourage diversity in team interactions including formal and informal communications, long- and short-term discussions, and project-related discussions.
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References
Resources
- Photo Credit business team image by Jorge Casais from Fotolia.com
