How to make employees happy and productive for free

Monday, 24th August 2009

Employee Programs Organizational Culture

Happy and productive employees are very important in an organization. The no cost method to do it is through an atmosphere that encourages teamwork. Organizations that implement teamwork are creating an atmosphere that is not only more enjoyable for their employees, but also more efficiency for the organization. When creating these teams, one vital aspect of the team and the responsibility of the team leaders in not only in setting clear priorities and goals, a common cause for the team to work together to achieve.

In Today’s blog post I want to talk about the importance of atmosphere in encouraging teamwork. Organizations that implement teamwork are creating an atmosphere that is not only more enjoyable for their employees, but also more efficiency for the organization. When creating these teams, one vital aspect of the team and the responsibility of the team leaders in not only in setting clear priorities and goals, a common cause for the team to work together to achieve.

Creating the common cause for the team is not the end of the task. It must be followed up on and seen through to the conclusion of the goal, an on-going and challenging aspect of teamwork that most of us find daunting. Team leaders and organization leaders find it difficult to get everyone on the same page and united. The team members must all have an understanding of the priorities. In order for this to occur, team leaders must consistently communicate ideas throughout the organization.

In order to create a common cause for the company and have it shared among teams, it is important that team leaders understand human behavior and that people, no matter whether at work or in their private life, have varying ideas, opinions and past experiences from which they draw conclusions about how things should be done.

Its important for us to understand as team leaders that in order for teamwork to succeed and the common cause met, teams need to understand the cause and know priorities. They need to work towards creating a climate where everyone knows and understands that priorities are shared and everyone understands the end goal.

Teamwork depends on each team being as concerned about the end goal as the other team, not just what their team is responsible for completing. Goals should be approached simultaneously rather than sequentially. Leaders, both team and upper management need to communicate the key success factors that will drive the teams to success.

Typically, organizations have up to three success factors that they have implemented for their organization. These success factors can be looked at as the organization’s overall philosophy that has made it a success; for some organization, it is out-pricing the competition, for others it could be timely delivery of the product. No matter what it is, it is the driving force behind the organization and what made it work. Leaders should take these factors and use them in a manner that gets everyone motivated and on the same page in order to reach the same goal.

Making it Work
So, the end question is how to get teams to work toward a common cause? Invariably, it boils down to communication. Not posting a rule or chart for others to follow, but in real, human communication where people are listening to each other and doing so in an active manner. Active listening and understanding – help people understand what is expected of them, and what they are working toward. I was always a big fan of conglomerate GE’s former tagline; “We bring goods things to life”. What a clear message for all the employees no matter what division – jet engines, power generation, financial services, medical imaging or ecoimagination. As an employee I would think our common cause as an organization is to create great things that improve the quality of people’s lives. Can you see how leaders can leverage the power of this?

Another important factor in making teamwork come together for a common cause is respecting team members’ individuality and allowing for open communication, even when sharing involves hearing out what their fears and worries are and then offering feedback that is conducive to growth.

Teamwork relies upon the common cause being communicated clearly and consistently. It is reliant on the sharing of thoughts and ideas of team members and the reception of those thoughts by team leaders being open. The common cause of the company will become the common cause of every team and in the end produce the desired results – a successful organization with happy employees.

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