Page 323 - Effective Communication Soft Skills Strategies For Success by Nitin Bhatnagar, Mamta Bhatnagar

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Team-building Skills | 311

• To address those issues, remove the inhibitors and enable the goals to
be achieved.

The primary skills in this process are recognizing the right issues, and tack-
ling them in an appropriate way and an appropriate order. Team-building
can also take a different form depending on the size and the nature of the
team. In a project environment, where team composition is continually
changing, the emphasis must be on developing the skills in individuals to be
effective team members.
Team-building is an effort in which a team studies its own process of
working together and acts to create a climate that encourages and values the
contributions of team members. Their energies are directed toward problem
solving, task effectiveness, and maximizing the use of all members’ resources
to achieve the team’s purpose. Sound team-building recognizes that it is not
possible to fully separate one’s performance from those of others.

Characteristics of Good Team-building
Team-building works best when the following conditions are met (Francis
and Young 1979).
i. There is a high level of interdependence among team members. The
team is working on important tasks in which each team member has
a commitment and teamwork is critical for achieving the desired
results.
ii. The team leader has good people-skills, is committed to developing a
team approach, and allocates time to team-building activities. Team
management is seen as a shared function, and team members are
given the opportunity to exercise leadership when their experiences
and skills are appropriate to the needs of the team.
iii. Each team member is capable and willing to contribute information,
skills, and experiences that provide an appropriate mix for achieving
the team’s purpose.
iv. The team develops a climate in which people feel relaxed and are able
to be direct and open in their communications.
v. Team members develop a mutual trust for each other and believe that
other team members have skills and capabilities to contribute to the
team.
vi. Both the team and individual members are prepared to take risks and
are allowed to develop their abilities and skills.
vii. The team is clear about its important goals and establishes perfor-
mance targets that cause stretching but are achievable.

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