4 Ways to build a winning team

Building a winning team isn’t necessarily about recruiting the smartest people and then assembling them.

Research shows there are some key factors that are common to teams who function effectively, get things done and work together for the success of a business. Here are four of them:

1. Great teams communicate frequently

The more frequently a team communicates, the more successful the team is likely to be. A lower frequency of communication leads to a decline in performance. This has implications for office layout and design, as well as the tone of your meetings. For virtual teams, there needs to be a way for team members to quickly and easily share information with their colleagues.

2. Great teams talk and listen

Lower performing teams have dominant members who do most of the talking (but who are not so good at listening). Open two-way communication is important for superior performance. Less dominant, introverted team members need to be encouraged to have their say and feel like they were listened to in order to build a high trust, high performing team.

3. Great teams also have frequent informal communication

The best teams spend a lot of time discussing ideas outside of formal meetings. It’s important to create as many opportunities as possible for these “water cooler” chats. The more frequently this informal communication occurs, the better the team performs.

4. Great teams seek outside information

The tendency for “group think” (where everyone thinks the same) is a trap to be guarded against. The best teams frequently connect with many different outside sources and bring what they learn back to the team for debate.

In summary

• More communication is better
• Ask everyone’s opinion and learn to listen better
• Create more opportunities for informal discussions (when did you last take your team out for lunch?)
• Get out of the office more to expose ourselves to new ideas.

If you’d like more information about how to create a winning team, you can find it here.