Factors for Team Success

Team members are one-of-a-kind individuals with invaluable experiences, perspectives, expertise, and viewpoints to offer. After all, the point of building a team is to capitalize on individual diversity. Each person brings their personality and skills to achieve objectives and complete a mission. Given the difficulty of building a team, which includes developing interaction standards and principles consciously or unconsciously, achieving a successful, functional team is nothing short of miraculous.

Low Peck Kem, senior HR leader for the Singapore government, has distinctly described the shifts in HR in Singapore:

Where one in three in the workforce are foreign talent and there are four generations working side by side in what is a very multicultural workforce. We need to create an inclusive workforce and workspace that can meet their diverse needs and demands.

A company’s competitive edge is based on how well it can tap into the full potential of its staff. In today’s context, with technology enablers, progressive HR departments can drive greater productive longevity, build team networks, improve workforce planning, and focus on a culture of employee engagement.

Here we discuss five factors within the work environment that establishes cornerstones for creating a functioning, contributing team that drives organizational success.

Leveraging Technology

As Steven Yong, HSBC’s Director of HR Operations, explains with using technology to empower HR:

Digitalization is vital because as HR architects, we need to know where we want to be and how we want to achieve our goals. Therefore, choosing the most appropriate technological tools is crucial.

But implementing and using technology doesn’t come without its challenges. It could be dealing with peoples’ willingness (or unwillingness) to learn, managing change that adds tension, and transitioning multigenerational teams that require different approaches to embrace digitalization.

One way is to reduce the number of applications for the workplace to choose. Having too many choices can be overwhelming and creates analysis paralysis. HR should focus on the most important filters in software systems and select intuitive applications that do not require intensive training. HR can use influencers within the organization to spread positive feedback about new software applications and drive adoption.

Clear Mission and Goals

Effective teamwork involves being aware of the objectives and having people dedicated to achieving them. It needs clear direction and consensus on mission and purpose. Team members can agree on a mission that serves as the foundation for everything the team attempts to accomplish. When the organization has clear expectations for the scope of work, outcomes, and accountability, this team clarity is strengthened.

Encourage Reasonable Risk

An environment where people are encouraged to take reasonable risks in communicating, presenting ideas and changes, and taking action builds confidence, trust, and innovation. Nobody is punished for disagreeing; in fact, disagreement and stepping out of the box is expected and appreciated. This is a driver for teams to constantly examine themselves and continuously improve their processes, practices, and interaction between members.

Respectful Communication

When communication is honest and open, but respectful, teams feel they can freely express their thoughts and potential solutions to problems. People feel they are heard and know their team members are sincerely attempting to understand and not forming negative rebuttals. This type of respected communication does not support conflicts motivates people to work towards the mutual resolution of problems and disagreements.

Team Commitment

When team members have a keen sense of belonging to the group, they experience a deep commitment to its decisions and actions. This is enhanced when the team spends time developing relationships and objectives together. Otherwise, why do organizations approach projects and goals with a team? The more a team can bring out divergent opinions that are thoughtfully presented, the better.

Key Takeaways

Technology is a key enabler in providing better experiences for employees while redefining the services that HR professionals can provide and offering teams a channel through which they can define their career journey. KRIS Document Management System (DMS) focuses on applications that allow employees to share, interact, and collaborate from their desks or mobile devices, making knowledge sharing and learning more democratised than ever before. We place a premium on innovation and agility.