HOW TO IMPROVE TEAM EFFICIENCY: NETWORKING A TEAM

HOW TO IMPROVE TEAM EFFICIENCY: NETWORKING A TEAM

HOW TO IMPROVE TEAM EFFICIENCY: NETWORKING A TEAM
HOW TO IMPROVE TEAM EFFICIENCY: NETWORKING A TEAM

All teams, no matter what their purpose, depend to a considerable extent on good networking skills. Make full use of the formal and informal connections both inside and outside your organization to provide valuable support for your team.

Understanding the Need for Support

All teams need friends in high places – a network system. At the top end of an organization, a network may include a decision-maker, such as a top executive; an influencer, who may have the ear of top managers; one or more players, whose own tasks depend on your team’s performance; and a consent-giver – an individual whose consent is officially required for key purposes. Remember to network in and outside the organization to find the support your team needs to function efficiently.

Finding Sponsors

A team sponsor is usually a well-placed, well-disposed individual, working from either inside or outside an organization, who does not occupy any of the main four roles (decision-maker, influencer, player, or consent-0giver) that affect a team. When a start-up runs into difficulties, or a crisis develops later in a team’s life, turn to your sponsor for their ability to use influence on the four role-fillers. The sponsor’s function is to help resolve an impasse or head off conflict. Team life is much tougher without such mentors. 

Removing Work-Related Problems

Barriers to the success of team performance can be caused by the inflexibility of corporate tradition. Be aware of any company rules, regulations, and procedures that can cause delays and difficulties for the team. Look to your sponsor and network of contacts in senior management to smooth the passage of team decisions and actions through the organization. Such allies may be able to influence reticent colleagues and speed up approval processes.

Dealing With Individual Problems

Watch out for the human factor problems within the team can equally well be caused by outsiders. Work pressures, conservatism, jealousy, self-protection, or stubbornness can all drive individuals outside a team to try to disrupt its efficiency.  Although many such situations can be resolved informally, avoid head-on conflict if you can. Ask an influencer, decision-maker, or team sponsor to deal with extreme cases personally. If trouble makers persist in causing problems, look to senior management to resolve the situation.

Points to Remember

  • The higher-placed a team allies, the better the chance of success for the team.

  • Time should be allocated to maintaining a network of influencers and sponsors.

  • Sponsors need to be informed of team progress and consulted regularly for their advice.

  • Anyone with influence over a senior decision-maker should be regarded with respect and caution.

TIPS

  1. Cultivate all relationships that may be useful to the team.

  2. Try to keep all team relationships on an even keel

  3. Make sure that good news is heard and clearly understood by all relevant people.

  4. If trouble is brewing in any team relationship, deal with it quickly.

 

…………………………………………………………………

TCB & ASSOCIATES

We are professionals in book publishing, editing of manuscripts, books and magazines, transcription of messages from tapes, audio and video CDs into texts for preachers, teachers and ministers, public speakers, politicians, etc. Organizing educational seminars and training programmes. ...Your trust, Our strength.

Next Post

MEETING TODAY’S PERFORMANCE CHALLENGES

Wed Apr 10 , 2024
MEETING TODAY’S PERFORMANCE CHALLENGES What is your organization’s greatest internal asset? The right answer: the people who work for your organization. But the workforce and today’s market pressures place great demands on that assets today. Here are some of the most important imperatives facing workers today. Provide higher-quality goods and […]
MEETING TODAY’S PERFORMANCE CHALLENGES

You May Like

Chief Editor

Johny Watshon

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur