As we walked out of the district manager’s office, we all felt that the company was being unreasonable and overly tough. They were demanding more profits at a time when sales had declined by 10% nationwide, a direct result of the worst recession to have hit Australia since WW2. The next day, I called a meeting of my ten managers and for seven hours straight, we worked out a strategy that saw our area achieve the best profit figures and best customer service record within the whole company.

How did I do it? The answer is: teamwork.

Organisations that tap the power of team work achieve remarkable results. To get a full return on investment, however, everybody must fully commit to work together. The teamwork concept requires changing your organisation’s culture. Here are 10 steps that will help you achieve this in your company:

<B>Teach the new: </B>Because you will change the usual way of doing things, you must explain it thoroughly to all those involved. Ensure that every team member knows everything about how the business operates - sales, accounting, product development, market research and advertising.

<B>Throw away the old:</B> Wipe the slate clean of any management techniques that rely only on orders, threats, quotas and reprimands. They may get the job done now but all activity is bound to cease the minute the threats and orders are taken away. You need coaches for teamwork, not bosses.

<B>Cooperation, not competition:</B> Teamwork will fail if players do not cooperate. Break down the barriers caused by bureaucracy and competition between departments. Production will be boosted once individuals from different departments integrate into one team.

<B>Manage people: </B>The best way to manage people is to show team members that you trust them. When people feel they count, they’re more contented and become more productive. If they believe management has their interests at heart, they will fully commit to the job.

<B>Be patient: </B>The trouble with our society is that we expect instant results. Any team needs a few pre-season games before it’s ready to face serious competition.

<B>Be strong:</B> The pitfall of team playing is to become too liberal and hear out everybody’s ideas and opposition. At times a good coach must know when to direct the team strongly and not lose sight of the big picture.

<B>Recognition and reward: </B>Recognition … Babies will cry for it and adults will die for it!!! Use both team and individual rewards to show that you appreciate members’ efforts. Find out what motivates them best and design your reward system accordingly. Ensure the reward system is fair, though tough to achieve.

<B>Keep your sense of humour:</B> Humour is paramount to relieve tension and boost creativity. Humour should be encouraged at all times, even in your accounting department.

<B>Have clear goals and expectations: </B>Every team must know where it’s going. A team that doesn’t know which goal to head for can never win the game and may even end up scoring for the competition.

Have a game plan. Fail to prepare and prepare to fail! Your whole team must be clear on what is expected of them, as a team and as each individual team member. Look beyond credentials and skills. Assess personality and behaviour to find enthusiastic, self-disciplined types willing to work hard and commit to self-development.

Tell them what you expect, but mutually agree on the criteria you will use to assess their performance. Provide feedback frequently and evaluate performance regularly.

Foster strong interpersonal relationships. Successful teams communicate well with each other and know how to handle conflict when it arises, as it inevitably does. They support but challenge each other to give their best to the team effort.

Praise your team members frequently. Catch them doing something right as often as you can. The boost in self-esteem that comes with genuine praise often motivates employees more than monetary rewards.

<B>Be a coach:</B> We all look for the coach behind any successful team that wins the premier league. Dismiss your manager/boss image and take on the supportive, loyal image of a coach. Support your team members and be there for them when it counts. When you do, you’ll win their loyalty and commitment will follow. Do not dismiss a team member’s idea if you don’t agree with it. Understand that we all have different ways of looking at things. Learn not to say “you’re wrong”. Instead, say “Allow me to explain a different point of view.”

Allow your team members to try. For team work to succeed, give up control – and that means delegation. Get team members ready for responsibility. If you don’t let them try, they’ll never learn to accept it. 

Help them learn from mistakes. When they err, seize the chance to make sure they learn from the error. Provide immediate and constructive feedback that will help them improve their performance. Never criticise the person, only the action and the result. 

If you are still unconvinced about the power of teamwork, consider this: The little ant survived for millions of years when the big dinosaur didn’t. Why? Because the ant understood teamwork.

<B>Hugh & Sylvie Stanley</B>

<I>Hugh and Sylvie Stanley run Quantum Vision Ltd, a training company that specialises in stress management, change management, personal development and visionary leadership.They can be contacted on 759 5705 or email: [email protected]</I>