Simply put, when organizations aren’t working together as a team, the product suffers. Personal achievement may be good for the individual but it doesn’t truly serve the success of the company. Although many understand this in theory, it still can be difficult for leadership to establish cohesive workplace dynamics. Fostering teamwork should start in the office, through defining roles clearly and having an open line of communication. However, there are times when taking the team out of the workplace can aid in strengthening bonds and fostering accountability. In this article, we’ll give some practice tips for how to create a team that works together, and the bonus is that it can be fun for employees and leadership alike.
First, Some Actionable Tips
At the office, there are effective ways to improve your employee accountability. Here are some of our top tips to help keep your employees responsible for their actions:
Create buy-in
Ensure your team is part of the decision making process for their work. People succeed when they are personally invested in the outcome.
Clarity is everything
If your employee knows exactly what their team expects of them, they are much more likely able to complete the task efficiently and effectively. Lingering questions should be addessed with open communication!
Encourage questions
We mean it. If you have a work culture that is based on fear, your employees are much less likely to reach out for clarification. And that can lead to less productivity and more mistakes.
Own mistakes
Things go wrong and failure is part of experimentation. Help your team understand this so they can be proud of their mistakes and turn it into a stepping stone for success.
Set up for success
Ensure team members has all the information and tools they need to complete the work. And if not, make sure they are empowered to seek it out.
The above tips are helpful for in the office. But how can you help your employees outside of the office?
Plan a team building event
When choosing your offsite outing activity, consider what you’re trying to accomplish. Indeed found that puzzles and mental challenges offer employees a chance to work together and bread collaboration, while BizFluent reports that’s something as simple as an ice breaker game can increase accountability. When teams know each other as people they are more likely to help one another and not only look out for their personal success. If you can bring your team together in person, a trust fall exercise will give a real-life consequence for lack of accountability and is the quickest way to instill trust, just make sure no one lets anyone fall!
Virtual Team Building
If you have a hybrid or remote team, a virtual escape room may be just the thing your team needs to learn to work together for a single goal. Kick-off the event with an ice-breaker or an “accountability introduction”. This is where each person states their role in the company, and their unique skill set. Team Bonding events like Patagonia Virtual Survival Race can be an intense yet rewarding end to a busy quarter.
Creating accountability within a company culture is necessary to the success of your company. To do that, you need to give employees the chance to connect on a human level with one another, and these tips are a great place to start.