Achieving healthy teams
Image credit: Marcus Wallis
Hmm, what is a healthy team? Is it behaviour, ethics, professionalism, the way we treat others, energy, dynamism, trust, enthusiasm? It can mean all of these things, but the challenge lies in how an organisation achieves these ‘healthy teams’.
I am writing this article while listening to what the Australian cricket team has been up to in South Africa with ball tampering and yes, the 3rd test result was absolutely critical and probably the total focus was on the result and not on ethical and professional behaviour and the agreed code of conduct. Businesses can also fall into this trap where time and focus is spent on the output or goal and not on ‘how we do things around here’.
An organisation really needs to think not only about the outcome required, and what are the tasks and associated skills, knowledge or expertise needed. It also needs to understand what kind of collective competence is needed for working well together on a team.
A Healthy Team comes down to a staff that has skills to be able to cooperate, negotiate, and communicate well with each other and really think about the collective team. Of course there are always those on a team that operate in a competitive manner while others expect to have more of a relationship with team members, and if this is not handled with emotional intelligence by management, there will be potential conflict eventually.
In previous articles on teams which compliment the theme ‘Healthy Teams’ I have discussed:
In the end a ‘Healthy Team’ must have a team purpose, trust within the team, support from management, reward and recognition which does not have to be dollar-based, healthy and constructive conflict, and an agreed code of behaviour. A group of people becomes a team only if they can depend on each other and the unique contributions each makes towards achieving their shared goals.
Christine Brown is founder and managing director of Potential Unlocked, a market leader in the design of management systems that meet compliance and business requirements. She holds a Bachelor of Arts (double major in Political Science and Public Sector Management); RABQSA Lead Auditor, DiSC 5 Behaviours of a Cohesive Team accreditation; Everything DiSC accreditation, TAE 40110 Cert IV Training & Assessment & TAELLN 411.
Due to her extensive knowledge and experience, Christine is trusted by her clients for her patience, understanding and her ability to interpret compliance requirements in a straightforward, uncomplicated way. She regularly facilitates in-house and public workshops, sharing her knowledge of designing simple processes and systems, communicating effectively as an auditor, building and leading teams, and risk management.
Christine’s clients range from small business and start-ups to large organisations and government departments. Covering a broad range of industries, her clients include Boral, BAE Aerospace, Geobrugg, Tenix, West Australian Police, and the Victorian Ambulance Service.
Christine’s new initiative, The Business Performance Program, assists businesses with all major areas of business that are essential for success
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