Team activities play an indispensable role in the growth of an organization. A set of well co-ordinated team activities help an organization achieve its goals faster and to aim greater heights.

Well, what exactly is Team Activity? How can we define it and what are the factors concerning it?

These are a few questions that come to our mind when we think about a Team in general. A Team is a group of people working together to achieve a common goal. In the process, each person is assigned different responsibilities. Real team work happens when each person starts contributing more to the team in one way or the other, in addition to performing their assigned responsibilities. For example, document the solution to a new problem that was encountered within the team and share it with everyone.

There are two main factors that relates to team activity:

1. The systems and the procedures we follow.
2. How well we adapt to changes or how effective we are in tackling new challenges.

Of these factors, the latter is a little difficult to define, because the changes in the workplace tend to vary widely and hence the challenges. This is where the team’s characteristics or the expected behavior of the team gains significance. Following are the major characteristics expected of a team and this article discusses each of them briefly.

Everyone in the team should be able to present situations honestly. Each situation demands a follow up action, and the person responsible for it should perform it and update the team regarding it. Be the situation favorable or not, the team member should bring that to the attention of others. Do not hesitate to seek help. Only when that happens, all get together to find a solution to the problem.

When challenges arise, the team should have the resources and commitment to tackle them in a constructive manner.

Every person needs a good amount of nurturing at the initial stage, especially when the person is new to the team. Unless the team members are in a position to give the initial support, the team may not get the desired results. Also, the team should help themselves and share their views on solving problems and finding better solutions.

Taking up responsibilities is another important quality. Every one in the team should be in a position to take up jobs and deliver results. They should be able to act quickly on problems and share the solutions within the team. The members should challenge themselves with new problems daily and thus pull up the standards of excellence. Pro-activeness comes along automatically.

No team can succeed in the long run, unless it is built on strong and positive personal relationships. Every one in team should be positive to criticism and work to improve the situation. All things being discussed in the team should be considered only in terms of performance and must be taken in a positive manner. There should not be any hard feeling among the team members.

Real team work happens when each person starts contributing more to the team in one way or the other, in addition to performing their assigned responsibilities.

Unless the team members are committed, the team cannot achieve any result. They should be able to pull themselves up to any level to meet the goals of the team. If you need to be successful, you must have derive the commitment factor from within you.

Teamwork must be given high priority and constant attention. When challenges arise, the team should have the resources and commitment to tackle them in a constructive manner. A team built upon the above mentioned values can tackle any challenge that comes on it’s way!

About the Author:

Prasad P M works as a Sr. Software Engineer in Bobcares and specializes in cPanel and remotely managing Datacenters. He currently leads all shared teams at Bobcares and is also the founder and manager of Bob and Knowledge factory – a searchable archive to get help on specific technical issues related to Web Hosting.