How To Succeed Working in a Team Environment

Working in a team environment can be difficult for many different reasons. Team members can have disagreements, one person can end up doing more work, everyone can be on different pages, and overall it can be a disaster unless you know how to successfully navigate a team environment. It is a necessity to sustain a strong team environment to be able to succeed. The key elements to success as a team are: trust, communication, reward and recognition, positivity and proactive feedback. Without these pillars, it is extremely difficult to succeed.

Trust among team members is necessary, but it is also something that takes time to develop. There are many ways to develop trust within a team whether it be team building exercises or just having team members be honest about their concerns and worries and exchange ideas and constructive criticism liberally. In the end however, trust within a team will only happen if each team member allows themselves to trust their other team members.

Communication is vital. Every team member will have the own ideas, opinions, thoughts, and methods of doing certain things. It is extremely important that team members voice their thoughts and ideas, but it is also equally important that these ideas are heard and considered. If team members feel that their opinions, ideas, and contributions are not being taken seriously or considered then they may feel less inclined to contribute or lose trust in the team.

Reward and recognition is something that everyone enjoys. We can all attest to the fact that when we work hard and put time and effort into a project, we want to be recognized and rewarded for our work. Look around at all the hard work and dedication your team members are putting in and acknowledge it and reward them. Let them know that their contributions are valued and their work is not going unnoticed and they will surely feel more enticed to contribute.

Positivity and proactive feedback are the last pillar to success as a team. While working together it's important to give each other constructive criticism and help each other out where you think it is needed. As a team if you constantly give each other positive and helpful feedback you will be able to improve quicker in areas where you may be lacking. Combined with good trust and communication, positivity and proactive feedback will help propel your team further and further forward.

A word cloud with a large amount of words that really describe what being a team means and requires

Some important aspects in agile teamwork which are more specific to our current teams

References:

Llopis, G. (2012, October 1). 6 Ways Successful Teams Are Built To Last. Retrieved October 30,                       2015, from http://www.forbes.com/sites/glennllopis/2012/10/01/6-ways-successful-teams-                   are-built-to-last/

Zoglio, S. (2001, August 20). 7 Keys to Building Great Work Teams. Retrieved November 1, 2015,                     from http://www.agileconnection.com/article/7-keys-building-great-work-teams?                                 page=0,0