Five Ways Team Commitment Impacts Team Building

May 26, 2012 - PRLog -- The importance of team commitment is often overlooked by managers when they’re developing teams. They bring together employees with the right skill sets, give them a task, set goals, and expect the best. But they forget about the role commitment plays in building teams to achieve personal, departmental, and organizational success.

There are five questions managers should consider when evaluating the level of team commitment:
1.   Do team members actually want to be part of the team? Do they perceive that they had a choice in deciding whether to work with the team? Although the type and size of a company, department dynamics, project type, and team member skills are among the many factors that contribute to putting teams together, making participation feel mandatory can reduce team commitment. Motivation is a key component of creating team commitment, so give members a reason to want to engage by empowering them to help set the direction, define goals, and make decisions. Team members are almost always more committed to a project when they are encouraged to “own” it by a manager who sets expectations and provides guidance but then trusts the team to execute its own strategies.

2.   Do team members feel valued? Another way to increase team commitment is to communicate an employee’s individual value to the team and the entire team’s value to the organization. Managers can also strengthen team commitment if members see the value of the team in the development of their skills and career.

3.   Do team members believe the mission, vision, and goals of the team are important? Team members want to feel like they are part of something larger than themselves, and want to know how achieving the team’s goals fits into the overall mission of the organization. They also want to know that their individual skills and contributions to the team are critical to accomplishing its objectives.

4.   Do team members know their roles and responsibilities? A manager must be able to clearly articulate expectations of team members and how fulfilling their specific roles and responsibilities will impact the success or failure of the team. Team commitment will be boosted by explicitly connecting individual performance with a shared expected outcome.

5.   Do team members receive recognition for accomplishing individual and team goals? Even seemingly small amounts of recognition along the way can make a big impact on team commitment and give team members the confidence, encouragement, and motivation to continue working hard to reach the desired goals. Rewarding performance at significant project milestones also improves morale.

Managers who keep a pulse on the level of team commitment and ensure it always remains at a high level are rewarded by better productivity and greater success of the team, project, department, and entire organization. If you want to learn more about how team commitment impacts the process of building effective work teams, visit www.ThinkBlueThinking.com or call 619.550.8052.

About:
Bruno Raynal is the president and CEO of Blue Thinking, a business consulting firm based in San Diego, California. Bruno works with top level senior management to enhance their awareness of modern business practices and patterns so they can make informed choices, take the right action, and achieve their vision and goals. Learn more about Blue Thinking by visiting www.ThinkBlueThinking.com or calling 619.550.8052.