HOW TO PROMOTE TEAM BONDING AT WORK

When was the last time you evaluated the competency of your team members?  Team bonding goes beyond just imagining or saying it. It refers to how much time or effort has been put in place to achieve it. 

Team bonding or team spirit as it is popularly called in various workplaces is vital and common to all organisations. Irrespective of the kind of services rendered, every organisation needs team bonding to climb the ladder of success and achievement.

There are certain misconceptions about team bonding. Most people feel they only need to bond with people in their department or people of their age range or sex. This notion is all so wrong and is peculiar to most African organisations, especially Nigeria, and needs to be corrected. 

The sooner this is corrected, the quicker we will realize how much time has been wasted in embracing team spirit.Team spirit is essential for the progress of every organisation. There’s a famous saying, ‘None of us is as smart as all of us’. It simply means no man knows it all. 

At one point or the other, you will need the support of one or two members of your organisation.  If you do not bond, how will you receive help from other team members when in need?

14 Tips on How to Achieve Team Bonding

For team bonding to be achieved in an organisation, there is the need to follow some procedures. Here are 14 tips on how to promote team bonding in any organisation:

1. Communication

Clear, frequent, and effective communication should be encouraged among team members in workplaces. As the saying goes, communication is key! As much as we know this, it is usually passed over in organisations. Good teams communicate. 

Communication does not have to be by talking – having one-on-one conversations. It could be through sending emails or memos as is common to banks and some other corporate organisations. However, you need the right words to communicate within and outside your team. 

To communicate, consider what and how to communicate, to whom to communicate it, and the media to use in communicating. 

More work is completed in a short timeline if communication is clear, frequent, and effective. Effective communication also builds trust, safety, and appreciation among team members thereby promoting team bonding.

2. Trust, Safety, and Appreciation

Team spirit is built on trust, safety, and appreciation. Team members need to feel that they are appreciated and safe in their workplaces.

Appreciations could be in the form of some simple kind gestures we have learned in preschool – Please, Excuse me, Sorry, Thank you, Pardon me – the five magic words you may say.

Team members tend to put in their best when they feel trusted and appreciated. It also makes them feel safe in carrying out their assignment and this further promotes team bonding.

3. Leader’s Role

The role of leaders in an organisation cannot be overemphasized. Leaders are key players in any organisation and as such, they should lead by example.

To promote team bonding, leaders should be compassionate towards their team. This will build trust between workers and also with the leadership. A leader should never run out of ideas on how to appreciate his team members.

A leader should also be inclusive. Do not dictate tasks as a leader without taking the lead. Leaders should pave the way for others to follow. This builds trust and increases followership and mentorship.

Read also: How to develop or improve company or workplace culture.

4. Make clear rules

If you want to encourage team bonding in your organisation, you need to make sure everyone is on the same page. The best way to do this is by making sure everyone understands and follows the company’s mission and vision. 

Employees should be reminded of the vision and mission from time to time. It should be written and pasted at strategic points to serve as reminders. 

Employees in an organisation should know the mission and vision statement of the organisation they work for by heart. Understanding this vision and mission is equally very crucial.

5. Recognition and reward

Team members who perform their duties well should be rewarded as appropriate.  To promote team bonding, the management team should not wait for workers to begin to murmur or resign before they recognize and reward members accordingly. 

Rewards should be given when due and without any biases. This creates a bond between team members and the management team increasing team spirit in the organisation. Employees can be rewarded through promotions, bonuses, compensation, or a vacation trip.

6. Clearly define and distribute roles and responsibilities amongst team members

When team members become unsure of their roles and responsibilities, it could create tension and confusion among the employees of an organisation. Team members must know their duties to avoid overlap of functions. 

When roles are not duly assigned to employees, there can be multiple employees working on the same project leading to confusion, waste of time, and resources.    

Read also: 7 Effective ways to delegate tasks at work.

7. Provide learning opportunities for your staff

Asides from serving you, your workers also need to be served. They should not be redundant.  The world is revolving at an extremely fast pace. Your workers need to keep abreast of activities around the world as it applies to their various fields of study. 

Workshops and seminars can be conducted in workplaces to boost employee skills. Also, employees can be sent on training, home or abroad to further add to their already acquired skills. This will in turn boost team bonding leading to increased productivity.

8. Support

Give team members autonomy in decision-making. Give your workers an audience. Let them feel like part of the stakeholders of the organisation too. 

This creates room for diversity of ideas and contributions. It also makes everyone actively involved in the success of the organisation. Team bonding is created this way.

A strong team is built by coworkers who are willing to help and look out for each other irrespective of their position in the organisation.

9. Hire the best 

 To get the best, you must make use of the best. Invest in the recruitment processes. Make sure to get the right people on board. This however should not be based solely on skills. Other factors such as background, personality, and experience should also be put into consideration.

10. Share feedback

 Feedback helps an organisation focus on issues they might not have taken into consideration or have overlooked.

Read also: How to Leverage Customer Feedback in your business.

11. Perform job appraisals

This helps to boost employees’ morals. When your employees are happy, be sure that your organisation will excel.

12. Organise social events

Help your team feel relaxed and at ease after a stressful work week. They can go on a comedy show, watch a movie at the cinema, go to the gym or partake in sporting activities. This is a quick and easy way to promote team bonding. 

13. Provide a workspace that encourages team bonding

Most often, organisations ignore the importance of providing a good workspace. Work spaces should be created in such a way that it promotes team bonding among employees through collaboration.  Think about creating office patterns that can promote conversations among employees.

14. Create a day off for team bonding

A day off is a healthy way to promote team bonding in workplaces. You do not create team bonding by working and exhausting your employees. Employees need a day off to cool off from the heat at work. A relaxed mind helps us think and respond smartly. 

Read also: How to overcome and avoid slacking at work.

Characteristics of an Organisation That Exudes Team Bonding.

1. One goal

There may be many opinions from many experts but the focus should be clear no matter the number of ideas shared or from who. An organization that exudes team bonding is focused on achieving just one goal – the organisation’s mission and vision.

2. Open communication

Communication is open and clear. There is no room for gossip or side talks. Here, everyone knows that they will always be heard and considered. And they are also aware that they have a say in the growth of the organisation.

3. Clear and well-defined roles

An organization that promotes team bonding has clearly defined roles and duties. Tasks are evenly distributed and effectively carried out. 

Key players are usually appointed as supervisors to ensure everyone is playing their part to the best of their knowledge and ability.

4. Strong Leadership

One of the characteristics of a company that exudes team bonding is strong leadership. The leaders are not weak and sluggish or emotional too. They learn to strike a balance between their emotions and work ethics. They always know when to draw the line. Leaders are not boastful or arrogant but are always cheerful and friendly.

4. Respect for one another no matter how inferior

Another characteristic is that there is always a clear tone for communication within the organisation. No one is considered inferior or despised. Everyone deserves to be treated with respect regardless of their age, size, cultural background, or religion, and this message is clear to everyone.

Read also: How to increase Visibility for your Business in Nigeria. 

5. Honesty and Trust

These are other characteristics of an organization involved in Team binding. Honesty builds trust and confidence in an organisation. It is as important as the mission of an organisation. It is a major bedrock on which all other aspects of team bonding are built.

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6. Love, care, and empathy

Team members must show love and care for each other. One can never predict when you will need someone’s love, care, or support. This workplace is a place where employees receive warmth, care, and support from one another each day.

 Over the weekend, employees are always eager to resume work not because of their duties but because they feel loved like a member of a family.

7. Commitment

All team members are key players and they show their commitment to their work to achieve organisational goals.

8. Contentment

Team members are content with whatever role they have been assigned. 

9. Less conflict

This is achieved when conflicts are addressed immediately and without any prejudices.

How to Reawaken Team Bonding in an Organisation

1. Spice up your team meetings.

Team meetings should not be predictable by team members. It should be constantly changing. Team members should look forward to team meetings, not run from them.

2. Find and recognise team players. 

Sometimes it’s not the team that is failing, it is the lack of ideal team players. Team players should be distributed evenly amongst team members to energize the team.

3. Share ideas often

Do not permit frequent contributions from only some specific team members. Make sure everyone is actively involved in the growth of the organisation.

4. Allow every member to take turns in anchoring meetings. 

Everyone has their unique ideas and way of doing things. Sit and watch as each member composes themself and conducts meetings. Let everyone be prepared to take the lead. A roaster can be made so each team member takes time to prepare adequately.

5. Rotate seats

As awkward as this may sound it is crucial to awakening team bonding. Ensure no one sits on the same seat or is close to the same people during meetings. Various departments in the organisation can be mixed to promote team bonding. You can design cards and make team members pick cards ahead of the meeting to determine where they will sit during each meeting. 

Conclusion

Team spirit can be lost if proper measures are not taken.  And no matter the quality of team spirit in an organisation, there are times when it needs to be refueled.

Certain factors could bring about this. Such as recruitment of new staff due to expansion or need for replacement of outgoing staff. 

New staff should be recruited into the process of team bonding. They should meet an already existing collaboration that portrays team bonding and not be left out in the whole process. Part of the recruitment exercise could include suggestions from recruits on how they intend to promote team spirit in the organisation.

In summary, building a team spirit should be the priority of every business organization just as the desire to make profitable sales.

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About Author

Mercy Rotimi

Rotimi Mercy is a Nigerian writer whose lifestyle centres around her family, teaching children and young adults, reading a book, or surfing the internet. This gave rise to her converting her speaking abilities into writing skills.
She writes on various niches such as; lifestyle, health, and Career.

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