Too often managers assume that a team should work a particular way without checking the facts.
Most businesses are aware of the importance of team building, but few know how to use it in a way that keeps productivity high and conflict low. Too often managers assume that a team should work a particular way without checking the facts. They assign employee roles based on previous performance and hope that interdependencies will eventually be communicated between those involved. This is not the way to build a team, but it’s a good way to destroy one. Managers who construct teams this way lack knowledge and communication, two of the most important tools in the team-building process.
Managers who only look at an employee’s history are neglecting aspects of that employee that will impact a team environment.
A sensible coach isn’t going to replace an all-star player with an injured player who’s been out all season in the last five minutes of the championship game, and managers shouldn’t either. One of the most important aspects of team building is selecting the most qualified employee for each role within the team. Previous performance and “gut feelings” are not entirely accurate when it comes to predicting how an employee will perform in a new role. Managers who only look at an employee’s history are neglecting aspects of that employee that will impact a team environment.
Employee assessments give managers a big-picture view of each individual on the team. Assessments can provide quantitative data that support a manager’s intuition. These results will showcase an employee’s behavioral tendencies that impact her interactions with others in a team setting. Managers should give more weight to a person’s behavior than his skills set since behaviors are natural and skills are learned. Once each potential team member has been assessed and their results compared, managers can choose people’s roles accordingly.
This is Part 1 in our team building series. Read Part 2 and Part 3 to determine if you have the right tools necessary to build a truly productive team.
