PHED 1042 – PHYSICAL ACTIVITY TOWARDS HEALTH AND FITNESS

(Outdoor and Adventure Activities)

Fourth Article

What Makes A Successful Team?

By Carley Sime

Let us first go through a simple real life situation.

John was working as a key accounts head with a leading advertising firm. He had four members
reporting to him. Unfortunately he always under estimated his team members and fought with
them constantly. He could never trust them and always thought they were incapable of doing
good work. One fine day, he got some major assignment from one of his clients which was to be
submitted within two working days. He decided to do it all alone as he thought nobody else
could do it apart from him. John could never submit his assignment on the required day and
received good criticism from his superiors. His organization also lost one of their major and
prestigious clients.

Why do you think John failed ? Why could he not complete his assignment on time ?

Here comes the importance of a team. Had John taken the help of his team members, he would
have finished his assignment on time and everyone would have appreciated him.

An individual cannot perform all tasks on his own. He needs the support as well as guidance of
others to be excellent in whatever he does. Complex goals can easily be accomplished if
individuals work together as a team.

What is a team ?

A team is a group of individuals, all working together for a common purpose. The individuals
comprising a team ideally should have common goals, common objectives and more or less
think on the same lines. Individuals who are not compatible with each other can never form a
team. They should have similar if not the same interests, thought processes, attitude,
perception and likings.

Difference between Group and Team

A group is not necessarily a team. A group can have individuals with varied interests, attitude
as well as thought processes. It is not necessary that the group members would have a
common objective or a common goal to achieve.

What happens in a political rally ? The political leader appeals to the individuals to cast the
votes in his favour only. Do you think all of them would cast the votes in favour of the leader ?
There would always be some individuals who would support his opponent. This is example of a
group. All individuals gathered on a common platform but had dissimilar interests and likings.
Some were in favour of the leader while some against.

A team must have individuals with a common objective to achieve. They should all work
together and strive towards the achievement of a common goal.

What happens in a cricket team ?

All the players have a common focus and a common objective. Everyone, the captain, the
wicketkeeper, the bowlers, the fielders all work together to achieve a common target i.e. win
the game. No one ever thinks of losing the game.

It is not only the individuals who form a team; even animals can constitute a team. Go to any
hill station and one can spot many horses all working for a common goal i.e. Carry people to the
hill top and bring them back.
Team members

The team members must complement each other. All team members should help each other
and work in unison. Personal interests must take a back seat and all of them must deliver their
level best to achieve the team objective. Team members must not argue among themselves or
underestimate the other member.

Organizations have a sales team, administration team, human resources team operation team
and so on. All the members of the sales team would work together to achieve the sales target
and generate revenues for the organization.

Team Size

The team size depends on the complexity of the task to be accomplished. Ideally a team should
consist of 7-10 members. Too many members also lead to confusions and misunderstandings.

It is not always that we require a team. Teams should be formed when the task is a little
complicated. A single brain can sometimes not take all critical decisions alone, thus a team is
formed where the team members contribute equally making the task easy. A team can actually
create wonders if all the team members work in unison.

Success in the workplace depends on your ability to build a team, as well as to interact with
others on that team. Together, people are able to accomplish what one person alone can not.
This is known as synergy.

Following are the characteristics of a Good/Effective team:

 A clear, elevating goal: This is a goal which has been communicated to all.

 A results-driven structure: The goal has been jointly decided by all the team members.
They are fully committed towards achieving it.
 Competent members: Each team member has the required skill set in order to achieve
the team objectives.
 Unified commitment: There is nothing happening in silos. With the total commitment
from team members, achieving organizational goals becomes easier.
 A collaborative climate: Commitment from team members and a good leadership leads
to a collaborative team with a productive work environment.
 Standards of excellence: Quality orientation is vital to the success of any organization.
 External support and recognition: Appreciation as well as appraisal is required to keep
the morale of the team high.
 Principled leadership: Leadership defines a team. An able-bodied leadership can chart
the team’s path to success.
 Each team member participates actively and positively in meetings as well as projects.
This shows a person’s commitment as well as understanding towards a project.
 Team goals are clearly understood by all: Communication is vital for achieving
successful completion of any project.
 Individual members have thought about creative solutions to the team’s problem.
Thinking out of the box is vital in today’s economic scenario.
 Members are listened to carefully as well as given a thoughtful feedback. Listening is an
important skill for any team. Each team member is important. The thoughts and ideas of
each team member have to be listened to, with respect, no matter how silly they may
sound at first.
 Everyone takes the initiative in order to get things done. There is no concept of passing
the buck. This is an indication of clear communication leading to understanding of
individual responsibilities.
 Each team member trusts the judgment of others: Mutual trust and respect is highly
important for the team. This is the only way to achieve the organization goals.
  The team has to be willing to take risks: Risk taking is an attitude which comes with
confidence. Confidence on yourself as well as on the team, besides the ability to face all
consequences.
 Everyone has to be supportive of the project as well as of others. A team is one unit.
Unless these cohesive forces are there, the team will never be able to work efficiently
enough.
 There is ample communication between the team members.
 Team decisions are made by using organized as well as logical methods.
 Dissenting opinions are never ignored: In fact, they are always recorded in order to be
revisited in case the future situations dictate so.
 Teams are given realistic deadlines: External support as well as aid is vital to the success
of any team.

An efficient team needs support from both inside and outside. It needs to meet the individual
needs of its members in order to achieve the organization’s goals.

A single brain sometimes is not capable of taking critical decisions alone. An individual needs
the support and guidance of others to come out with an effective solution. When individuals
come together on a common platform with a common objective of accomplishing a task, a
team is formed. Ideally the team members should be from a common background and have a
common goal to ensure maximum compatibility. The team members must complement each
other and work in close coordination as a single unit to deliver their best.

As they say “There is no I in Team Work”, every individual must think of his team first and the
personal interests must take a back seat.

The success of any team is directly proportional to the relation among its team members and
their collective efforts.

What is Team Work ?

The sum of the efforts undertaken by each team member for the achievement of the team’s
objective is called team work. In other words, team work is the backbone of any team.

Every member in a team has to perform and contribute in his best possible way to achieve a
common predefined goal. Individual performances do not count in a team and it is the
collective performance of the team workers which matters the most.

Let us go through a real life situation.

One cannot work alone in any organization and thus teams are formed where individuals work
together for a common objective. Peter, Michael, Jackson and Sandra represented the legal
team in a leading organization. Peter and Michael always took the initiative and performed
their level best while Jackson and Sandra had a laidback attitude towards work. Their team
could never meet their targets inspite of Peter and Michael’s hard work.

Peter and Michael worked hard, then why do you think their team fell short of targets?

In a team; everyone has to work equally for the maximum output.

Team work is actually the collective effort of each and every team member to achieve their
assigned goal. No member can afford to sit back and expect the other member to perform on
his behalf. The team members must be committed towards their team as well as their
organization to avoid conflicts. Nothing productive comes out of unnecessary conflict and in
turn diverts the concentration and focus of the team members. Every member should adopt an
adjusting and a flexible attitude. One should consider his team members as a part of his
extended family all working together towards a common goal. The team members must be
dependent on each other for the best to come out.
Tips for a better team work

Let us go through some steps for a better team work

 Think about your team first - Every individual should think of his team
first and his personal interests should take a backseat. Do not mix your
personal issues with your professional life. Keep them separate.
 Never underestimate your team member - Do not neglect any of the
members, instead work together and also listen to them as well. Never
try to impose your ideas on any member. Avoid demotivating any team
member.
 Discuss - Before implementing any new idea, it must be discussed with
each and every member on an open platform. Never ever discuss with
anyone separately as the other person feels left out and reluctant to
perform and contribute to the team.
 Avoid criticism - Stay away from criticism and making fun of your team
members. Help each other and be a good team player. Be the first one to
break the ice and always create a friendly ambience. If you do not agree
with any of your team member, make him understand his mistakes but in
a polite tone and do guide him. Avoid negativity within the team.
 Transparency must be maintained and healthy interaction must be
promoted among the team members. The communication must be
effective, crystal clear and precise so that every team member gets a
common picture. Effective communication also nullifies
misunderstandings and confusions. Confusions lead to conflicts and
individuals waste their time and energy in fighting rather than working.
 The team leader must take the responsibility of encouraging the team
members to give their level best and should intervene immediately in
cases of conflicts. The personality of the leader should be such that every
team member should look up to him and take his advice whenever
required. He should not be partial to any member and support each of
them equally. It is the duty of the team leader to extract the best out of
his team members.
 For better team work, try to understand your team members well. Do not
just always talk business, it is okay if you go out with your team members
for lunch or catch a movie together. It improves the relations and
strengthens the bond among the team members. The team members
must trust each other for maximum output.
 Avoid conflicts in your team. Don’t fight over petty issues and find faults
in others. One should be a little adjusting with each other and try to find
an alternative best suited to all the team members.
 Rewards and Recognition - Healthy competition must be encouraged among the team
members. The performance of every team member must be evaluated timely and the
best performer should be rewarded suitably so that the other members also get
motivated to perform. Recognitions like “The Best Team Player” or the “The Best
Performer” go a long way in motivating the team members. Appreciate the member
who performs the best or does something unique.

Team work and Team Building are essential in corporates to make the organization a better
place to work.
One does not gain anything out of unnecessary conflicts. You can’t afford to fight with your
colleague who sits next to you probably for 7-8 hours, five days a week. We are not machines
or battery operated devices, we are human beings and we need people to talk to and discuss
various things. One cannot implement things on his own, he needs individuals who can work as
critics and evaluate the pros and cons of his concepts.

Team Building activities bring employees closer and one feels happy to go to work daily.
Individuals start enjoying their work and feel fresh the entire day.

Please go through two situations carefully:

Situation 1 - Michael worked with a leading organization and handled a team of five skilled
team members. Michael made sure that he interacted with his team members almost daily. He
even enquired about their family members and was always available to them. The team
members had the liberty to come up with their issues on an open forum or write to him freely.
No wonders his team members always appreciated their team leader and looked up to him. His
team members never fought among themselves and willingly helped each other.

Situation 2 - Samuel on the other hand also had four individuals directly reporting to him. He
always maintained a distance from them and never missed an opportunity to criticize or make
fun of his team members. No employee was allowed to enter Samuel’s cabin without prior
appointment. His team members hated their office like anything and preferred working from
home just to avoid Samuel. No body was ready to help each other and everyone worked
individually. Their team could never achieve their targets within the stipulated time and there
was lots of negativity in their team.

Michael did nothing great. He just reassured his team members that he is always there for them
and they can fall back on him anytime. Samuel never encouraged any team building activity and
thus his team always suffered.

Team Building activities improve the relations and strengthen the bond among the
employees. Every one strives hard to achieve a common goal.

Please refer to Michael’s example once again. His team members had the liberty to write to him
anytime or freely discuss issues with him. There was never a misunderstanding among the team
members as everyone knew what the other person was upto.

Team Building activities also reduce the chances of confusions, misunderstandings and in a
way making the communication effective. Individual is very clear about his goals and objectives
and what exactly is expected from him.

Team Building exercises also increase the trust factor among the employees. If you are sitting
next to a driver, whom you don’t trust, you will always feel uncomfortable and will never be
able to enjoy the ride. If you don’t trust your teacher, you can never learn anything from him.
You need to trust people. Don’t always assume that your fellow employee will speak ill about
you in front of your superiors. Trust him, you will feel relaxed.

The productivity increases when individuals work as a team. They tend to divide work among
themselves and hence the objectives are achieved at a much faster pace. People take less
leaves and concentrate more on their work and eventually the organization benefits.

Individuals feel more positive and confident at work. Stress disappears and it reflects on their
work. Chances of mistakes reduce and people stop cribbing and blaming others. There is
positivity all around. Allow team members to express themselves freely.

Being a “Hitler” at work will never give you extra points, instead you will find yourself in the bad
books of other employees. No one will come to you, when you actually need them. People will
be hesitant to support you and you can’t perform with enemies all around. Gone are the days
when the word “boss” meant a terror to the employees. Now a days the team leader is also a
part of a single team, just with some additional responsibilities. Learn to respect your
colleagues.
Teams are formed when individuals with a common taste, preference, liking, and attitude come
and work together for a common goal. Teams play a very important role in organizations as well
as our personal lives.

“Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success-

Henry Ford”

The above proverb by Henry Ford can very well highlight the importance of working together in
teams.

Every employee is dependent on his fellow employees to work together and contribute
efficiently to the organization. No employee can work alone; he has to take the help of his
colleagues to accomplish the tasks efficiently. It has been observed that the outcome comes out
to be far better when employees work in a team rather than individually as every individual can
contribute in his best possible way. In organizations, individuals having a similar interest and
specializations come together on a common platform and form a team.

A sales team has employees inclined towards branding and marketing activities to promote
their brand. An individual with a human resource specialization would be out of place in such a
team. Research supports that organizations with clearly defined teams are more successful as
compared to those with a one man show.

Team work is essential in corporates for better output and a better bonding among
employees.

 No organization runs for charity. Targets must be met and revenues have

to be generated. Tasks must not be kept pending for a long time and
ought to be completed within the desired timeframe. A single brain can’t
always come with solutions or take decisions alone. He needs someone
with whom he can discuss his ideas. In a team, every team member has
an equal contribution and each team member comes out with a solution
best suited to the problem. All the alternatives can be explored to come
out with the best possible solution. Thoughts can be discussed among the
team members and the pros and cons can be evaluated.
 Tasks are accomplished at a faster pace when it is done by a team
rather than an individual. An individual will definitely take more time to
perform if he is single handedly responsible for everything. When
employees work together, they start helping each other and
responsibilities are shared and thus it reduces the work load and work
pressure. Every team member is assigned one or the other responsibility
according to his specialization, level of interest and thus the output is
much more efficient and faster.
 Work never suffers or takes a backseat in a team. Mike was taking care
of an important client and was the only one coordinating with them.
Mike took a long leave and there was no one else who could handle the
client in his absence. When he joined back after a long vacation, the
organization had already lost the client. Had Mike worked in a team,
others could have taken the charge when he was not there. In a team,
the other team members can perform and manage the work in the
absence of any member and hence work is not affected much.
 There is always a healthy competition among the team
members. Competition is always good for the employee as well as
the organization as every individual feels motivated to perform
better than his other team member and in a way contributing to
his team and the organization.
 Team work is also important to improve the relations among the
employees. Individuals work in close coordination with each other and thus come to
know each other better. Team work also reduces the chances of unnecessary conflicts
among the employees and every individual tries his level best to support his team
member. The level of bonding increases as a result of team work.



 Team members can also gain from each other. Every individual is different and
has some qualities. One can always benefit something or the other from his
team members which would help him in the long run. Everyone is hungry for
recognitions and praises. One feels motivated to work hard in a team and to live
up to the expectations of the other members. Each member is a critic of the
other and can correct him whenever the other person is wrong. One always has
someone to fall back on at the time of crisis.

Team and team work must be encouraged at workplace as it strengthens the bond among the
employees and the targets can be met at a faster pace. Workload is shared and individuals feel
motivated to perform better than his team members.

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