Video:How to Make Work Teams Effective

Transcript:How to Make Work Teams Effective

Hi! This is Meghan Lynn Allen for About.com, and today we're discussing how to make work teams effective.

Tips for Making Work Teams Effective

You want to start off by setting clear expectations. People should know what they're getting involved in when they're part of a team. Do they understand the goals and objectives of the team. Do they know why they're there, why the others on the team were chosen, and what the focus is?

More Tips for Making Work Teams Effective

Next, your team needs to know: what is its context? How does it fit into the big picture? What does your team need to do to make their own goals achievable, and how does that fit into the goals of the organization as a whole.

Additional Tips for Making Work Teams Effective

Your team knows why it's there and what it needs to accomplish - but now it needs some guidelines and ways to measure that accomplishment along the way. So if the ultimate task takes one year you'll want to set some milestones - some checkpoints along the way - to measure and enjoy their success. The team needs to understand the concept of collaboration. They're all working together, we've all heard there's no 'i' in team - and it's really true.

Making Work Teams Effective

So, maybe your team members are new; they've never worked together before. You'll want to do some icebreakers, some exercises when first starting your team to make them loose and comfortable around each other.An excellent team has to have excellent communication skills. As the manager or team leader, you need to set that example, whether or not you're involved in the day to day activities of the team. So you need to be available for questions, answers, or just to listen, as questions arise. And remember to keep it professional and not personal. It's about what the team needs, not you.

Your team needs to know the consequences as well, so what happens with a job well-done, and what happens when goals aren't hit, aren't met? You don't achieve what you expected to achieve out of this team. They need to clearly understand from the beginning what this team needs to do, and what happens when those goals aren't met.

Thanks for watching. To learn more, visit us on the web at About.com.