An easy, inexpensive way to create a common sense of purpose
In a recent online article in Training Magazine, professional development guru David McNally drew attention to the fact that most successful organizations have an unusually strong culture.
He went on to identify some key factors in how to develop that culture and build team spirit. Step one is to have a core set of values to build around: fairness, honesty and respect. Common values make it much easier to build a common sense of purpose.
Many organizations go on retreats when they want to build team spirit, because retreats are free of distractions, and people can communicate best face to face. Unfortunately, retreats are expensive and don’t happen very often.
Instead of waiting for your annual retreat to engage in organizational development, you can build team spirit with conference calls on a regular basis. Conference calls offer the same focus and quality communication as retreats, but they are respectful of staff time, and inexpensive and easy to organize. If you're considering taking the CNA exam, then practice and then you can take the test right here.
Establishing team spirit is a job for leadership, and leaders need to articulate what the initial vision of an organization is clearly so people can understand it, be drawn to it, and “hop on board”. Conference calls excel at enabling this, because the passion of a leader can come across in an audio stream better than in writing.
Group calling also allows everybody the opportunity to have some input, so they are not just hearing what the vision is, they can actually contribute to it. By taking some ownership, they can be part of building the vision. The best way to get “buy-in” is to invite people to help create something.
Building trust is crucial in developing team spirit. People learn to trust when their leaders create a work environment that is reliable, open, straightforward, and accepting. Information is the primary currency of trust in an organization.
Conference calls are true “collaboration software”. They are a great way to break down information hoarding and construct a culture of openness.
A team’s spirit is the sum of each member’s spirit, and nothing lights a fire in people more than having their contributions acknowledged and celebrated. Be sure to schedule considerable time in any group call to highlight “small victories” of team members.
Celebration builds team spirit, but it also circulates good ideas among an organization. Success in one department can very often be adapted in many others. Businesses can build their bottom line by using conference calls to let good ideas filter up from the front lines to management.
The key element that makes a conference call so good at building team spirit is how it makes 2-way communication so easy. The ability for people to respond to each other in real-time is what dissolves misunderstandings, builds trust, and gets people excited about working together.
When you are dreaming up a weekly or monthly team-building conference call, be sure to schedule in a small space for the group to create something new. Sharing information in an open environment will build trust, but using that information together to create something new will really strengthen the bonds of teamwork.
It might be just planning the next staff lunch, or the annual Christmas party. It might be designing a streamlined office procedure or coming up with a new sales approach. Whatever the task, a bit of brainstorming and creativity is a wonderful way to build a common sense of purpose in an organization.
Whether your team is spread over 3 continents, or through just one large office complex, conference calls build team spirit by enabling 2-way communication and offering a perfect opportunity to celebrate the achievements of team members.
The information sharing they enable builds trust, and creates an environment where people can reflect on the question “Why are we doing this?” Better yet, teleconferencing can help people actually help contribute answers and ask "why", so they take ownership and truly “buy in”.
Don’t wait for the annual retreat to develop your organization, take advantage of how inexpensive and easy to organize conference calls are to build a strong corporate culture full of team spirit on a regular basis.
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