Creating a team-oriented workplace can boost productivity
Creating a team-oriented work environment can be challenging, but it’s definitely worth the effort. Working in teams may get the initial groan from some employees, but team projects can actually be beneficial to the company and those employed there.
At Russell Conveyor & Equipment, we strive to create a family-like atmosphere where we actively listen to one another and create a team-oriented business. We understand that everyone has different personality traits and that’s what makes teamwork effective: everyone bringing their unique gifts to the table. Some employees may excel at problem-solving while others do well with time management or conflict resolution.
No matter the skill set, everyone can make a great team player. Creating effective teams where people have differing skills is an excellent tool for group projects and meeting deadlines. Creating a team-centered culture can be challenging but can be created at your own workplace by focusing on the six characteristics below.
Soft Skills Needed to be Team-Oriented
Soft skills are personality traits that are typically related to how someone interacts with other people. They are difficult to quantify for job candidates on a resume but essential to possess. Solid soft skills are critical when working closely with team members. These skills are not always apparent when people have them, but it’s easy to see when they are lacking.
Soft skills include a combination of interpersonal communication, social skills, attitude, and being able to correctly read social cues. While this list may seem unimportant, it can be a determining factor why people stay at workplaces for the long haul. Having employees with high levels of soft skills will increase your employee retention rate.
Below is a list of soft skills needed in today’s team-oriented workplace:
Flexibility
Work Ethic
Problem-Solving
People Skills
Positive Attitude
Interpersonal Skills
Leadership Skills
Empathy
If a soft skill set is not in your wheelhouse, there are several ways to develop these skills. Several ideas include trainings, monitoring body language, making eye contact, actively listen, and being open to critical feedback.
Interpersonal Skills
Interpersonal skills are used every day to communicate with others, whether verbally or nonverbally. They can be used individually or in a teamwork setting. Some of the most important interpersonal skills include actively listening, making eye contact, speaking effectively, and managing emotions. Strong interpersonal skills are needed for customer-facing positions such as sales and customer relations, but they are important in many other roles as well.
To sharpen your interpersonal communication skills, you’ll need to be around people. Thanks to the ever-looming pandemic, many employees people skills have dulled over the past year. While the introverts were hooraying being able to work from home, the extroverts were itching to get back in the workplace. Slowly but surely, dreaded or not, employees are returning to the workplace and having to brush up on their interpersonal and teamwork skills.
Conflict Resolution
Most people do not enjoy confronting conflict head-on, but it is necessary to effectively move past workplace disagreements. To build a viable business model, it is vital to have practical conflict resolution skills. Bottom line: not effectively confronting conflict in a timely manner can hurt productivity and efficiency. It can also hinder creativity and create barriers to cooperation and teamwork. Conflicts in the workplace rarely resolve themselves.
Leaders who bury their head in the sand when it comes to workplace disagreements are not only hurting themselves, but their employees as well. Often, something as simple as a meeting or mediation between quarreling employees is what is needed to keep a great employee from walking out the door.
“Empathy has always been a critical skill for leaders, but it is taking on a new level of meaning and priority. Far from a soft approach it can drive significant business results.”
Team-Oriented Project Management
Teamwork is essential to effectively manage projects. At Russell Conveyor & Equipment, our employees work cohesively to manage internal and external projects. We also provide project management for our customers who allow us to manage the day-to-day activities of overseeing a project.
Teamwork in project management is essential and leads to increased productivity and efficiency. All team members use their particular skill set to ensure the project is well-managed and takes less time to complete. A competent project manager can overcome any obstacles or hurdles to project completion. Diversity training can also help project managers embrace different skill sets to improve team performance.
Emotional Intelligence
Emotional intelligence (EI) is the ability to comprehend, use, and manage our own emotions. This also encompasses understanding and reading the emotions of others as well. Many employees are armed with solid technical skills but lack the EI needed to effectively communicate with coworkers.
There are many workplace scenarios that can require a high level of EI. These include tight deadlines, dealing with challenging coworkers, navigating change, and not having enough resources. It’s important to self-reflect often to be more aware of one’s own EI. Having a reasonably high level of self-awareness can help resolve conflict, motivate others, collaborate more easily in teams, and manage emotions when stressed.
Empathy
Empathy is the ability of someone to genuinely understand the needs of others. The ability to be empathetic towards other, both personally and professionally, is critical to our lives and those around us. According to Forbes.com, “Empathy has always been a critical skill for leaders, but it is taking on a new level of meaning and priority. Far from a soft approach it can drive significant business results.”
When bosses and colleagues are truly empathic to those around them in the workplace, the results are beneficial for the company as a whole. These results include an increase in creativity, productivity, innovation, engagement, and retention. This is a win-win situation for employers and employees alike.
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