Sunday July 19, 2015

Principles for Team Effectiveness

I am currently a Team Lead Supervisor with CaptionCall and am working with a group of 22 Communications Assistants. In my position it is important for me to find ways to encourage my team to perform their necessary tasks individually but also to build a cohesive team. I am also a part of a team of other TLS who have specific goals as well. On pages 130-131 it discusses the principles for team effectiveness which I try to use in my work experience both as a supervisory team as well as in my own individual team.

First is to have a clear goal. For anyone to be successful they need to understand the goal that is set. It needs to be clear and significant and something that can be measured. The goals also need to be challenging enough to promote growth and improvement. CAs need to know exactly what is expected of them in order to perform at the levels that we expect.

Next is a results driven structure. There are processes and procedures in place that ensure accurate information sharing, complete documentation of performance, and feedback on that performance to help foster enhanced goal achievement within the teams. The TLS group also has their own set of objectives that are outlined by their managers.

Third, competent team members. Each individual team member was chosen because they possess the skills and abilities to perform the tasks necessary to achieve the goals. In testing, we evaluate their skill level and either hire them on or let them go practice and come back at a later date. The TLSs go through interviews to be sure that they have the qualifications to accomplish their job as a supervisor. One other element is to ensure that they have the social competencies and can communicate well.

Unified commitment is another key element to successful teams. This one is a little bit more difficult to achieve in some situations. Our system is individual focused as far as meeting certain standards and expectations for the CAs. It is sometimes difficult for them to see the big picture. This is where we implement team activities and competition to help foster a sense of teamwork and team success. As far as the TLS group, it is similar. We are all self-motivated and have different talents, and we all have a sense of loyalty to the success of the company. We have quarterly awards and other goals that we set for ourselves and our group. The tasks that we have are sometimes difficult to fulfill due to time off or other circumstances, and our group of TLSs will step up and help a team member get those things done that they are not able to do themselves. This is evident when another supervisor is out on vacation and has a team that needs testing. Those of us here at work will divide the work to ensure its completion.

The fifth element is having and fostering a collaborative climate. This definitely falls under social competencies. Creating a sense of trust and honesty is important in building a strong cohesive team. Within the individual teams and among management, team members need to be able to communicate their issues, good and bad, and feel that they are being heard and understood. During our individual meetings with team members we talk about performance and goals. This is a great time to bring up any issues that may need attention that need to be discussed face to face as opposed to over IM. During our TLS meetings we discuss all sorts of things from competition to new policies and procedures. I personally feel that the relationships that we have formed as a team make it a safe venue to share ideas and ask questions when things are not fully understood.

Standards of excellence are set within our company to ensure that all are performing at their top capacity. The standards are moved little by little to extend the performance level as well and rewards are extended for performance and goal accomplishment. As a model of performance we have posted those top scorers from each team for other employees to see. There are top achievers as far as testing goes as well as a TLS of the quarter. We are all encouraged to reach higher and to be more creative in an effort to improve the performance of team members and reach those standards of excellence that are set.

One more key element to team effectiveness is having external support. Our organization consists of many employees and a great team at headquarters. They set the standards of achievement, give us the resources to reach those goals and offer rewards for performance. We have a CA of the year and a TLS of the year based on the performance within the individual centers. The company also offers recognition to one TLS within the entire company for a special award each year as well. This helps encourage us to keep performing well, and working hard to increase the potential and progress our teams. These awards are based on our individual performance as well as our skills within the workplace.

Finally, principled leadership helps the team to see the vision that is set and empowers them to achieve those goals. In our business, change in inevitable from call process, procedures and tasks, to technology and updated programs that we use to facilitate our work. I, along with the other supervisors and managers need to enable the employees to adapt to the changes and do their best. Sometimes we get employees you don’t understand the changes is policies, etc. and it is my job to help them understand what they need to in order to move forward with a positive attitude regarding those changes.