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Team leaders and managers define “teamwork”in many different ways these days, but one thing is for sure: however “teamwork” is defined, everyone wants it. Whether we’re talking about 1)elaborate quality-assurance teams, self-directed planning committees, or just good, old-fashioned team spirit, most management experts agree that people working together on teams can accomplish more than they can as individuals. But how does a manager foster true teamwork in today’s workplace? The answer lies in the L-I-G-H-T-E-R 2)approach, seven qualities that contribute to a spirit of teamwork almost anywhere: Leadership, Interaction, Goals, Happiness, Techniques, Education, and Rewards.
Leadership—Teams need leaders, but leaders don’t have to be 3)supervisors. In many cases, they are not. Whether selected by management or elected by peers, the best team leaders are highly-respected team members, people who can foster enthusiasm among their co-workers. At different times, many members of a team may take on leadership roles. One might serve as a timekeeper at meetings. Another might be an information expert or presenter. By 4)rotating leadership tasks, the team becomes 5)unified.
Interaction—Successful team leaders foster the three C’s: communication, collaboration and 6)consensus. Building open communication means regular team meetings which, unlike traditional staff meetings, might be much more informal. It means sharing information. Collaboration means that members of the team work 7)on an equal footing with each other. Team members look at managers as 8)resource people and may consult them frequently about problems and team projects. In many team-oriented workplaces, leaders remove doors or 9)partitions, or make other physical changes in the workplace to symbolize a more open, collaborative work environment. Consensus means that team members can negotiate with each other—and with non-team members—on schedules, plans and procedures.
Goals—Teams become successful when members understand and support the organization’s goals. More importantly, team members commit themselves to ambitious goals and learn how to work together to achieve those goals. This means that team members may participate in activities typically reserved for managers, such as brainstorming sessions and strategic planning sessions. It means that team members can—and should—be asked to “10)operationalize” goals. Goals gradually become second nature to team members, and a source of motivation each and every day.
Happiness—The fact is, teams work best when satisfaction fills the workplace. On a day-to-day basis, this means that team leaders foster opportunities for members to relax together, on and off the job. It means that leaders become acutely conscious of the 11)aspirations and concerns of team members, and 12)address them through regular coaching. It may often mean that team members take greater control of the workday, even introducing flexible scheduling options. The result is usually an 13)upbeat workplace where team members take an active interest in each other’s needs.
Techniques—Teams don’t develop in a vacuum. Strategic help from team leaders is usually essential. To build teamwork, many leaders present teams with problems, not solutions, and gradually increase the team’s problem-solving responsibility as their capabilities grow. Many leaders involve team members in the hiring process, inviting members to question 14)applicants toward the end of interviews or encouraging them to 15)conduct tours of the workplace for prospective employees and team members. Other leaders 16)liberally distribute “permission” and“17)authorization” forms, which members can use to“approve” courses of action on their own, whether a leader is present or not. Leaders typically encourage team members to develop their own meeting agendas and conduct periodic evaluations of their work. All of these techniques help teams build 18)cohesion and a spirit of responsibility—and motivate them to set their sights toward 19)evermore ambitious agendas in the future.
Education—Teams and team leaders need education. It’s the responsibility of team leaders to arrange for training and guidance in a wide variety of areas, from quality assurance to brainstorming techniques, to meeting management skills, to interpersonal skills. Education might consist of weekly 20)seminars with guest speakers or talented team members, access to library materials, and occasional training seminars. It might mean a formal cross-training program, giving team members the opportunity to learn the fundamentals of each other’s job. And finally, a good educational program might mean that each member of the team becomes “expert” in a particular area, and can be called upon regularly to share 21)expertise with his or her peers.
Rewards—Just as everyone seeks some form of tangible benefit from their work, team members seek 22)payoffs for their participation in committees or work groups. At times, the rewards for team participation are highly tangible: an annual 23)bonus for team productivity, a 24)stipend for participating on the team, or the opportunity for flexible schedules. Other payoffs can be less tangible, however: public recognition for the team’s work, the increased job security that arises when individuals perform essential tasks, the opportunity to engage in self-directed assignments. Once a system of simple team-based rewards is in place, the team’s responsiveness and flexibility often increases.
Teamwork is common in businesses of every type and size, from huge multi-national corporations to 25)corner stores. Whatever form it takes—from sophisticated quality circles to 26)pitch-in-and-help special project groups—building a true spirit of teamwork requires a firm 27)commitment on the part of leaders and a lot of patience as teams gradually 28)come into their own. But the longterm results are worth it: highly motivated members, a“self-starting” philosophy that 29)permeates the entire team, and new opportunities for growth.
七步打造完美团队
团队领导者和管理者在阐述“团队合作”的定义时往往众说纷纭，但有一点毫无异议：无论如何定义“团队合作”，每个人对它都拱手相迎。无论是精良的质量监控小组、自我管理的统筹委员会，或者是优良的传统团队精神，大多数管理专家都认同，团队协作能成就更多个人无法达成的事。但是如今，一个管理人员如何在职场中培养出能真正相互协作的团队呢？答案就在L—I—G—H—T—E—R这几个字母当中——几乎任何一种团队合作精神都具备以下七个特点：领导力（L）、互动（I）、目标（G）、快乐（H）、技巧（T）、培训（E）、奖励（R）。
领导力——团队中需要一个领导者，但未必就是主管，且很多情况下，领导者并不是由主管来充当。无论是由管理层任命还是同伴之间举荐产生，最好的领导者都是备受团队成员尊重并且能够激发组员 热情的人。在不同的场合，领导者可能是由团队中的不同成员来担当。他们有时候可能要在会议中掌控时间，有时候可能要做信息专家或者报告人。在领导者的轮换中，团队的凝聚力也逐渐增长。
互动——优秀的领导者能培养团队的三个“C”，即：沟通、协作与共识。营造开放的交流氛围意味着团队中要定期举行会议，不是传统的员工大会，也许是更非正式的会议。这意味着信息的交换。协作意味着团队成员在平等的基础上开展工作。团队成员视经理为智囊团，频繁地就出现的问题与项目工作向其咨询。在很多以团队为单位的工作场所中，领导者往往会把房门或者隔间拆除，或者在办公场所做其他实体改变以营造更加开放、有利于合作的环境。共识的意思是，团队成员——甚至与非团队成员之间能够就时间安排、计划和方法等方面进行磋商。
目标——当团队成员理解和支持组织的目标时，团队才能取得成功。更重要的是，团队成员会坚定地投身于实现宏伟的目标，并为了实现这些目标而学习如何相互合作。这意味着团队成员也许参与了本来是经理专属的活动，例如头脑风暴和策略性计划活动等。这也就说明，团队成员可以——也应该——被要求去“实现”目标。目标就会逐渐成为团队成员的第二本能，也成为每一天的动力来源。
快乐——事实上，当工作场所弥漫着满足感时，团队协作才能发挥到极致。在日常工作中，这意味着团队领导者要创造机会，让成员得以放松休息，工作张弛有度。这需要领导者有敏锐的嗅觉，能察觉到队伍中的希冀和担忧，并不断地给予指导。这也许需要团队成员在工作日的时间里能够更大程度地掌控自己的时间，甚至采用弹性工作时间。这样做得到的结果往往是一个充满活力的工作氛围，团队成员之间能够积极地响应彼此的需求。
技巧——团队在真空环境中并不能得到发展。领导者给出的策略性指导往往很重要。建立团队合作，很多领导者展示的是问题，而非给出解决办法，随着团队成员能力的提高，这能不断地提升他们解决问题的责任感。很多领导者让员工参与招聘过程，邀请团队成员在招聘面试的最后对应聘者提问，又或者鼓励员工带这些未来的员工参观办公室，与团队成员见面。也有一些领导者很大方地将“许可证”和“委任书”发给员工，不管领导者出席与否，员工都可以自行“批准”一些方案。领导者往往鼓励员工自行设计会议议程，定期对工作进行评估。所有这些技巧都能帮助团队培养凝聚力和责任感，并且激励员工把目光放得更高远，看到积极进取的未来。
培训——团队和领导者都需要培训。领导者有责任为团队成员安排涉及 众多领域的培训和指导，包括质量监控、头脑风暴技巧、会议管理技巧以及交际技巧等。培训的形式可以是每周一次由客座讲师或优秀队员开办的讲座、开放图书馆资料或不定期的培训论坛；也可以是一次正式的跨领域课程，让团队成员有机会了解不同工作岗位的基本知识。最后，好的培训课程或许意味着能让每个成员成为某个领域的“专家”，能够定期与同伴分享经验。
奖励——正如每个人都希望在工作中获得实际收益一样，团队成员参与委员会或者工作小组也希望能有所收获。有时候，团队合作的回报是看得见摸得着的：因为团队业绩优良而获得的年度奖金，参与团队工作而获得的定期津贴，或者弹性工作时间。而其他一些回报相对较为无形：大众对团队工作的肯定，当个人完成重要任务时获得更稳固的职场地位，以及自我指导的任务委任等。一旦建立起了基于团队的奖励制度，整个团队的响应能力和灵活性就能获得提升。
团队合作在各行各业、各大小机构中都很常见，大至巨型跨国企业，小到街边小店，无处不在。不管它的形式如何——从身经百战的精良团队，到临时受命的特别项目小组，树立团队合作精神需要领导者坚定的投入，以及培养团队成长的耐心。而其带来的深远影响——斗志激昂的团队成员、团队中“自主自动”的处事原则，以及崭新的发展机遇——会让所有的努力都很值得。
Leadership—Teams need leaders, but leaders don’t have to be 3)supervisors. In many cases, they are not. Whether selected by management or elected by peers, the best team leaders are highly-respected team members, people who can foster enthusiasm among their co-workers. At different times, many members of a team may take on leadership roles. One might serve as a timekeeper at meetings. Another might be an information expert or presenter. By 4)rotating leadership tasks, the team becomes 5)unified.
Interaction—Successful team leaders foster the three C’s: communication, collaboration and 6)consensus. Building open communication means regular team meetings which, unlike traditional staff meetings, might be much more informal. It means sharing information. Collaboration means that members of the team work 7)on an equal footing with each other. Team members look at managers as 8)resource people and may consult them frequently about problems and team projects. In many team-oriented workplaces, leaders remove doors or 9)partitions, or make other physical changes in the workplace to symbolize a more open, collaborative work environment. Consensus means that team members can negotiate with each other—and with non-team members—on schedules, plans and procedures.
Goals—Teams become successful when members understand and support the organization’s goals. More importantly, team members commit themselves to ambitious goals and learn how to work together to achieve those goals. This means that team members may participate in activities typically reserved for managers, such as brainstorming sessions and strategic planning sessions. It means that team members can—and should—be asked to “10)operationalize” goals. Goals gradually become second nature to team members, and a source of motivation each and every day.
Happiness—The fact is, teams work best when satisfaction fills the workplace. On a day-to-day basis, this means that team leaders foster opportunities for members to relax together, on and off the job. It means that leaders become acutely conscious of the 11)aspirations and concerns of team members, and 12)address them through regular coaching. It may often mean that team members take greater control of the workday, even introducing flexible scheduling options. The result is usually an 13)upbeat workplace where team members take an active interest in each other’s needs.
Techniques—Teams don’t develop in a vacuum. Strategic help from team leaders is usually essential. To build teamwork, many leaders present teams with problems, not solutions, and gradually increase the team’s problem-solving responsibility as their capabilities grow. Many leaders involve team members in the hiring process, inviting members to question 14)applicants toward the end of interviews or encouraging them to 15)conduct tours of the workplace for prospective employees and team members. Other leaders 16)liberally distribute “permission” and“17)authorization” forms, which members can use to“approve” courses of action on their own, whether a leader is present or not. Leaders typically encourage team members to develop their own meeting agendas and conduct periodic evaluations of their work. All of these techniques help teams build 18)cohesion and a spirit of responsibility—and motivate them to set their sights toward 19)evermore ambitious agendas in the future.
Education—Teams and team leaders need education. It’s the responsibility of team leaders to arrange for training and guidance in a wide variety of areas, from quality assurance to brainstorming techniques, to meeting management skills, to interpersonal skills. Education might consist of weekly 20)seminars with guest speakers or talented team members, access to library materials, and occasional training seminars. It might mean a formal cross-training program, giving team members the opportunity to learn the fundamentals of each other’s job. And finally, a good educational program might mean that each member of the team becomes “expert” in a particular area, and can be called upon regularly to share 21)expertise with his or her peers.
Rewards—Just as everyone seeks some form of tangible benefit from their work, team members seek 22)payoffs for their participation in committees or work groups. At times, the rewards for team participation are highly tangible: an annual 23)bonus for team productivity, a 24)stipend for participating on the team, or the opportunity for flexible schedules. Other payoffs can be less tangible, however: public recognition for the team’s work, the increased job security that arises when individuals perform essential tasks, the opportunity to engage in self-directed assignments. Once a system of simple team-based rewards is in place, the team’s responsiveness and flexibility often increases.
Teamwork is common in businesses of every type and size, from huge multi-national corporations to 25)corner stores. Whatever form it takes—from sophisticated quality circles to 26)pitch-in-and-help special project groups—building a true spirit of teamwork requires a firm 27)commitment on the part of leaders and a lot of patience as teams gradually 28)come into their own. But the longterm results are worth it: highly motivated members, a“self-starting” philosophy that 29)permeates the entire team, and new opportunities for growth.
七步打造完美团队
团队领导者和管理者在阐述“团队合作”的定义时往往众说纷纭，但有一点毫无异议：无论如何定义“团队合作”，每个人对它都拱手相迎。无论是精良的质量监控小组、自我管理的统筹委员会，或者是优良的传统团队精神，大多数管理专家都认同，团队协作能成就更多个人无法达成的事。但是如今，一个管理人员如何在职场中培养出能真正相互协作的团队呢？答案就在L—I—G—H—T—E—R这几个字母当中——几乎任何一种团队合作精神都具备以下七个特点：领导力（L）、互动（I）、目标（G）、快乐（H）、技巧（T）、培训（E）、奖励（R）。
领导力——团队中需要一个领导者，但未必就是主管，且很多情况下，领导者并不是由主管来充当。无论是由管理层任命还是同伴之间举荐产生，最好的领导者都是备受团队成员尊重并且能够激发组员 热情的人。在不同的场合，领导者可能是由团队中的不同成员来担当。他们有时候可能要在会议中掌控时间，有时候可能要做信息专家或者报告人。在领导者的轮换中，团队的凝聚力也逐渐增长。
互动——优秀的领导者能培养团队的三个“C”，即：沟通、协作与共识。营造开放的交流氛围意味着团队中要定期举行会议，不是传统的员工大会，也许是更非正式的会议。这意味着信息的交换。协作意味着团队成员在平等的基础上开展工作。团队成员视经理为智囊团，频繁地就出现的问题与项目工作向其咨询。在很多以团队为单位的工作场所中，领导者往往会把房门或者隔间拆除，或者在办公场所做其他实体改变以营造更加开放、有利于合作的环境。共识的意思是，团队成员——甚至与非团队成员之间能够就时间安排、计划和方法等方面进行磋商。
目标——当团队成员理解和支持组织的目标时，团队才能取得成功。更重要的是，团队成员会坚定地投身于实现宏伟的目标，并为了实现这些目标而学习如何相互合作。这意味着团队成员也许参与了本来是经理专属的活动，例如头脑风暴和策略性计划活动等。这也就说明，团队成员可以——也应该——被要求去“实现”目标。目标就会逐渐成为团队成员的第二本能，也成为每一天的动力来源。
快乐——事实上，当工作场所弥漫着满足感时，团队协作才能发挥到极致。在日常工作中，这意味着团队领导者要创造机会，让成员得以放松休息，工作张弛有度。这需要领导者有敏锐的嗅觉，能察觉到队伍中的希冀和担忧，并不断地给予指导。这也许需要团队成员在工作日的时间里能够更大程度地掌控自己的时间，甚至采用弹性工作时间。这样做得到的结果往往是一个充满活力的工作氛围，团队成员之间能够积极地响应彼此的需求。
技巧——团队在真空环境中并不能得到发展。领导者给出的策略性指导往往很重要。建立团队合作，很多领导者展示的是问题，而非给出解决办法，随着团队成员能力的提高，这能不断地提升他们解决问题的责任感。很多领导者让员工参与招聘过程，邀请团队成员在招聘面试的最后对应聘者提问，又或者鼓励员工带这些未来的员工参观办公室，与团队成员见面。也有一些领导者很大方地将“许可证”和“委任书”发给员工，不管领导者出席与否，员工都可以自行“批准”一些方案。领导者往往鼓励员工自行设计会议议程，定期对工作进行评估。所有这些技巧都能帮助团队培养凝聚力和责任感，并且激励员工把目光放得更高远，看到积极进取的未来。
培训——团队和领导者都需要培训。领导者有责任为团队成员安排涉及 众多领域的培训和指导，包括质量监控、头脑风暴技巧、会议管理技巧以及交际技巧等。培训的形式可以是每周一次由客座讲师或优秀队员开办的讲座、开放图书馆资料或不定期的培训论坛；也可以是一次正式的跨领域课程，让团队成员有机会了解不同工作岗位的基本知识。最后，好的培训课程或许意味着能让每个成员成为某个领域的“专家”，能够定期与同伴分享经验。
奖励——正如每个人都希望在工作中获得实际收益一样，团队成员参与委员会或者工作小组也希望能有所收获。有时候，团队合作的回报是看得见摸得着的：因为团队业绩优良而获得的年度奖金，参与团队工作而获得的定期津贴，或者弹性工作时间。而其他一些回报相对较为无形：大众对团队工作的肯定，当个人完成重要任务时获得更稳固的职场地位，以及自我指导的任务委任等。一旦建立起了基于团队的奖励制度，整个团队的响应能力和灵活性就能获得提升。
团队合作在各行各业、各大小机构中都很常见，大至巨型跨国企业，小到街边小店，无处不在。不管它的形式如何——从身经百战的精良团队，到临时受命的特别项目小组，树立团队合作精神需要领导者坚定的投入，以及培养团队成长的耐心。而其带来的深远影响——斗志激昂的团队成员、团队中“自主自动”的处事原则，以及崭新的发展机遇——会让所有的努力都很值得。