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team building, teamwork, efficiency, business
Why Your Team-building Efforts are Falling Flat
 Why Your Team-building Efforts are Falling Flat 960 677 Emilie
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We all know how important it is to keep our teams motivated and working well together. Team building efforts can be incredibly useful at teaching groups how to work efficiently and effectively. In addition, they prove necessary for increasing feelings of competency and motivation. However, not all team-building events and practices may be as successful as you would hope. Here are several reasons your team may be under-performing, according to research.

Your team members are confused about who has control. Two key methods for motivating and improving team success are 1) use of control, and 2) team building. The idea behind using control is that it allows you to oversee your team’s progress more easily, and thus you will be able to guide them towards greater success and efficiency. Team building is meant to improve communication and collaboration between your team members, thus aiding with efficiency as well. A recent study paired team members together, analyzing the effects of both methods (control and teamwork). Although both methods improved team efficiency when used individually, efficiency was actually hindered for teams who successfully accomplished the team building task and were placed under the effect of external control. The researchers theorized that team building experiences lead members to feel like they have been handed greater control over the task at hand. Thus, when external control is also utilized, team members become frustrated because they do not know if they should be taking more initiative (thus keeping more control for themselves), or if their superiors still maintain all control by constantly regulating sub-tasks. Thus, team building efforts can be very useful, but if team members are micromanaged it will send mixed messages and actually hinder their ability to be effective.

You aren’t focusing on the importance of transformational leadership. Transformational leadership is the idea that through leadership and guidance we can mentor team members, transforming individuals into leaders. Recent research has demonstrated a relationship between transformational leadership and team-building, showing the important interaction between these two interventions. If your team-building efforts are falling flat, it may be because you are not simultaneously focusing on transforming your members into leaders. Team-building is about more than learning communication and collaboration, it must also highlight other important leadership skills, such as decision making, problem solving, and the ability to give definitive instruction.

Your project manager isn’t considering the different needs throughout project stages. Bruce Tuckman’s team development model analyzes the important stages a team must go through before performing as a cohesive whole. He suggests that the team first undergoes a “forming” period, during which the project manager must sell each member on the role he/she needs to play. If members are not convinced they are playing the right role, it is up to the project manager to assert control over the final decision and convince each individual that his/her role is necessary for completion of the task at hand. During the next stage, “Storming,” dominant members may try to gain more control, whereas less dominant individuals may begin to reduce the role they are playing. It is up to your project manager to continue asserting control and to maintain balance between each member’s position. Thus, it is crucial that your project manager focuses on maintaining team roles during the early stages of a project, and then turns his attention to the project itself only after team members have adjusted into the roles each person needs to play.

Overall, although team building is very important, not every team-building attempt will be successful if the previously mentioned factors are not taken into consideration. Think about each goal you want your team-building event to accomplish, not just the improvement of communication and morale.

If your company is looking for a team-building event of your own, contact us today at United EVENTures. We have a vast number of unique team-building events, and will create a custom experience specifically designed for your team!

Reiner, Gerhard, and Simon Wiederhold. "Team Building and Hidden Costs of Control." Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization 123 (2016): 1-18. Web.
Aga, D. A., N. Noorderhaven, and B. Vallejo. "Transformational Leadership and Project Success: The Mediating Role of Team-building." Internation Journal of Project Management 34.5 (2016): 806-18. Web.

Lester, Eur Ing Albert. "Chapter 39- Team Building and Motivation." Project Management, Planning and Control: Managing Engineering, Construction and Manufacturing Projects to PMI, APM and BSI Standards. 6th ed. Kidlington, Oxford: Elsevier, 2014. 371-79. Web.
business, collaboration, soft skills, teamwork
6 Soft Skills Every Leader Needs
 6 Soft Skills Every Leader Needs 960 677 Emilie
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We all know the importance of technical skills and experience, but what may be even more important is those “soft skills” that make up the person behind resume. It is easy to underestimate the importance of these personality based skills, but it is these skills that allow for harmonious collaboration amongst team members. Possessing technical abilities is just a small piece of the puzzle, which cannot be employed without the proper soft skills. Below we composed a list of the most effective and useful soft skills that everyone, from new employee to CEO, should learn the value of. Each one reflects a way to turn ideas into actionable steps which will get the most out of your employees.

1. Understand values and atmosphere. Every company has its own vibe, ethics, priorities, goals and atmosphere. Often we don’t think about how our priorities, values, etc. align with those of our company. When our feelings unknowingly do not line up with those of our company, it results in tension and frustration when we feel like an outsider within our own place of work. Spend some time devising a list of these key attributes. What values do you prioritize in a workplace? What goals do you believe a company should emphasize? What type of atmosphere should a company have? Casual? Professional? Then devise a list answering the same questions on behalf of your company. Devise a list of ways your employees might answer these questions. By being aware of these differences in point of view between you, your company, and fellow employees, you will more easily understand the frustrations of you and your employees. In order to work on this incongruity, try adapting your company’s goals, priorities or atmosphere to be more accommodating for your employees. If you are an employee yourself, try to find tasks and goals to work on which better mesh with your priorities.

2. Know how to convey your message. Years ago, studies by Albert Mehrabian developed the classic 7%-38%-55% rule.  The rule explains what people actually pay attention to when you talk: concluding that they put 38% importance in the tonality of your comment, 55% in the body language you use, and only 7% in what you are actually saying. It is thus important to remember that what you are saying to people is far less important than the way you are saying it. An employee will actually be left with a more positive experience if you give them constructive criticism with positive tonality and body language, than if you compliment them using a flat affect. Thus, it is important to remember how your comments are actually being interpreted. Work on your tonality and body language when providing constructive criticism, and your employees will be far more receptive and eager to improve.

3. Know what questions and topics to discuss. Whether you are in a meeting or writing an email, know how to pose questions and topics in the most positive way. Each question should be geared towards finding areas of commonality and collaboration amongst your team. For instance, let’s say you are trying to reformulate your company’s webpage. There are multiple ways you could pose this to your team.

Example 1: I’ve decided to change the header of our website to a larger font. Is everyone okay with this?

Example 2: I’m working on ways to improve our website’s homepage. For instance, I think it would be useful to increase the font of our header. What are your thoughts? What other ideas do people have?

Example 3: I’ve decided to change the header of our website to a larger font. What does everyone think about that idea?

The first version, while still attempting to be inclusive, does not truly aim at collaboration. It is posed as a yes/no question, and seeks for a quick resolution. The second version attempts to engage the group, genuinely valuing each person’s suggestion, making the second example better than the first. The third example is less optimal than the second; however, it is still an improvement over the first example. This third version elicits a less lengthy group conversation than the second example. Thus, it still aims for a quick resolution, but is more inclusive than the yes/no question in example one. By learning to optimally phrase questions, avoiding yes/no phrasing, your team will feel more comfortable voicing concerns and questions. This will overall create a more positive and effective workplace, in which your team can more easily reach agreement on new ideas.

4. Self Management. Be efficient with the time you have, set clear and concise goals. Each of us are given the same amount of time in a day, and often it is easy to be overwhelmed with the amount you have to do. When we become exhausted by our amount of work, it is easy to coast through, accomplishing the bare minimum and using time ineffectively. By setting goals for yourself, you will work more productively and feel more rewarded at the end of the day. By transforming your job into goals you set for yourself instead of goals your company sets for you, you will end up feeling more accomplished at the end of each day. Incidentally, taking this initiative will lead to greater success for your company.

5. Be a “Big Thinker.” Stop focusing on small errors, and start focusing on the big picture goals and accomplishments for your company and team. If your project hits a bump in the road, focus on the ways your end goals or timelines have changed, not the error that caused it. If you have an employee that is continuously making errors, work on coaching them through these challenges. By setting an example for your team that it is more important to focus on the big picture than smaller mistakes, it will lead to an increase in professionalism throughout the workplace and change the way people innately react to a seemingly negative situation.

6. Negotiation Skills. Often times when one party begins to negotiate, it results in conflict as the other party resists. The first party feels like they are not being heard, and that no one is trying to accommodate their concerns. When negotiating with employees, try to actually understand and care about what they are saying. Listen to each point they make, getting to the heart of the problem, not just the requests they are making. Make sure your employee knows you want to help, even if you can’t. And remember, that negotiations require compromise on both sides.

Luo, Tracy. "The Negotiation Skills of Workplace Professionals." Morgan McKinley. N.p., 31 Aug. 2015. Web.

Calder, Alan. Selling Information Security to the Board: A Primer. 2nd ed. Cambridgeshire: ITGovernance, n.d. Print.

Ducey, Ariel. Never Good Enough: Health Care Workers and the False Promises of Job Training. Ithaca: Cornell UP, n.d. Print.

Reddy, B. Rathan, and B. Supraja Reddy. "Soft Skills for Professional Excellence (Basic Concepts, Instruments and Cases: 3 Modules) Personality Development (Module - I)." Indian Journal of Industrial Relations 42.1 (2006): n. pag. Web.
5 Amazing Ways to Motivate Your Team, According to Research
 5 Amazing Ways to Motivate Your Team, According to Research 1024 683 Emilie
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When it comes to being a successful leader, one of the most important skill-sets is learning how best to motivate your team. Luckily for you, we scoured the internet to find some of the best advice out there. Below are 5 surefire methods for motivating your team, as according to research.

1. Show Interest in Your Team’s Career Advancement. According to Payscale.com, the number one reason people quit their jobs (45% of quitters) is because they feel like they had no mobility within their former job. Speak with your team members about the possibilities they have for personal and professional growth, making sure clear paths exist for them to work harder and achieve these goals.

2. Make the Work Challenging. Another top reason for people quitting their previous job is because they did not find the work challenging enough. It is important to provide work which is difficult enough to keep workers interested, preventing them from falling into the tedium of repetition.

3. Utilize Objective Based Team Training. In addition to providing challenging work, it is important to provide workers with clear, outlined goals. According to research from the Changzhou Institute of Technology, objective based team training should include two main components: clear individual goals, and company/team goals and visions. It is important that each worker understands both the company objectives on a grander scale, as well as their role in this goal. Providing training in this way will increase team spirit and motivation by outlining the importance of each individual’s role within the larger context of the company.

4. Emphasize the Unique Contributions of Each Member. According to research by Albert Bandura, team members work less effectively when they believe that someone else on the team is a “weak link.” Even if this belief is not accurate, misconceptions that someone else on the team is not pulling their weight leads to team members working unproductively. By emphasizing the successes and unique skill-sets of each team member, this will make each member of the team feel like everyone is a useful, necessary member. Furthermore, it will allow newer members a safe environment to to grow and learn without judgement.

5. Create Distinct Tasks for Each Person. The term social loafing was coined in the 1900s as a result of a rope-pulling experiment. In this study, participants were asked to pull against a rope either alone or with the help of another. Participants put in less effort when they were pulling the rope alongside someone else as compared to when they were pulling the rope only by themselves. Team leaders should thus avoid assigning one general task to multiple team members, because it allows each member to put in less effort when another person is there to pick up the slack. Instead, assign each person a more specific task within the larger task, holding each person accountable to their portion of the objective.

Thoughts or comments? Comment below! We love to hear from you.

Clark, Richard. "Research-Tested Team Motivation Strategies." Performance Improvement 44.1 (2005): 13-16. Web. 
Holub, Anne. "Why Most People Quit Their Jobs." Payscale. 30 Sept. 2015. Web.
Jiang, Xin. "How to Motivate People Working in Teams." International Journal of Business and Management 5.10 (2010): 223-29. Web.