How to Increase Teamwork Productivity
IMAGE SOURCE: www.pixabay.com
Not having the energy and motivation to get things done is one thing, but having an unproductive team is another story. It’s frustrating when you have so many tasks at hand, but you just can’t find the mood and energy to do them. But do you know what? It’s even more of a frustration to be the energetic one in a group of unproductive teammates. I mean, sure. Every time you feel unmotivated to get some things done, the answer is all inside you how you’re going to get yourself back together, but what if the problem was on other people. I mean, if they don’t feel like working, and then what more can you do? It’s not like you have the authority to boss them around. You’d probably wish that you didn’t have to work in teams.
You’d probably wish that you could convince the boss to let you do the task all by yourself, because what are you supposed to do with your enthusiasm and motivation if the people around you aren’t going to cooperate? No matter how hard you try to turn the situation around, you’ll still end up drowning by their unproductivity. There’s a reason why the boss decided the work should be done in groups. It’s a must. It’s not something that can be done by a single person. So, what do you do then? Do you just give up and go along with the indolence of your teammates? Or do you seek ways on how to empower them? The latter seems to be the best option. Here are some tips on how to boost teamwork productivity.
SET CLEAR GOALS
People need to feel like they’re part of something. Otherwise, they won’t feel motivated to take part in the work. Don’t make your teammates feel like you’re doing all the work. Don’t give them the impression that you’re the one who knows best. Rather explain and elaborate to them the goals. Let them share their opinions and judgment about the situation and how the team should go with it, but before they can begin to tell you what they think, the goals have to be clear first. They have to be able to understand it.
SET CLEAR RESPONSIBILITIES
It’s easy for tasks and responsibilities to get mixed up. I mean it’s teamwork after all. Confusion and conflict might arise if people don’t know what they’re supposed to do. People might fight over doing one thing or another. With that, the best thing to do is to make the responsibilities clear the first hand. Having a productive team doesn’t only mean that everyone is doing something. It can also mean that there’s someone responsible for doing each task. There has to be at least one person manning a specific task. With that, there should be a meeting before you execute the task. As the team leader or manager, tell your teammates who should work on what.
SET A TIMELINE
Relying on just chance to get all the work done will send you to the grave. You have to set a timeline for everything. You can’t just let your team do whatever they’re doing, minding only your work. You have to monitor them. Give them a clear timeline of when they should finish their tasks. That way, you’ll have a smooth flow of productivity. Another thing about setting timelines is it motivates people to be productive. If you were asked to do something with no specific date, would you feel inclined to do it immediately? Well, perhaps not. You’ll probably indulge in social media first before you start doing the work.
ENCOURAGE OPEN COMMUNICATION
You’re not the only professional in the group. Even if you think you know what’s best for the team, it will still be best if you ask for their opinion too. You don’t get to decide what’s best for the project. The whole team does, and you’re not a representative for the entire project, you’re just the leader. And as the leader, your job is to make sure that everyone does their job right. With that, try to listen to what your teammates have to say. See if they have some good ideas in their mind, and try to adapt the best ideas. That way, you’ll be able to get the task done to the best of all your abilities.
Remember what I said about how people like to feel like they’re part of something? Yeah, this is one of the best situations to apply it. Why? Hearing out what they want to say about the team plan is a great way to do this. This way, they’ll be motivated to do their task.
AUTHOR BIO
Monica Morgan is a free-spirited woman having vast experience in article writing. She loves to travel Asian countries, writing reviews on each of them on her hqessays.com. She prefers using diverse writing styles to properly engage with a wide array of readers.
