Improving Teamwork Effectiveness

Will Maus

Blog Post #3

Improving Teamwork Effectiveness

            Whether in the workplace, at home, or in a school environment, improving teamwork effectiveness can lift all members of a group or team.  Several methods have been found to stimulate this greater good. Two methods that are particularly effective are 1) helping the group to discover a shared vision, and 2) teambuilding activities. These tactics will help to improve the effectiveness of a team in any environment.

            One of the most overlooked ways to improve the effectiveness of a team is to create a shared vision among the group members. Often team members are each given a set of micro instructions without an understanding of the overall goal of the group. Without an emphasis of the overall goal, it is human nature for people to define the goal on their own, with each member gaining a separate conclusion. Green states very simply that “a team will perform better if it takes time to develop a shared vision.” (2004)

            Another tried and true approach to building teamwork effectiveness is through activities that bring the group members in harmony with one another. Achieving this harmony has been found to translate very well to the other tasks the group is charged with undertaking. Employees are often enthusiastic about these teambuilding activities because they “get a break from the everyday routine and also get to learn something new.” (Joshi, 2011) Teambuilding activities will help group effectiveness in any setting.

            Several methods have shown to improve the effectiveness of team members, two of which have been discussed in the preceding paragraphs. If teams can gain a shared vision of the overall goal, as well as engage in teambuilding activities, the overall effectiveness of the group will be greatly improved.

References

Green, L. (2004). Effective teamwork: A best practice guide for the construction industry. Retrieved from http://www.constructingexcellence.org.uk/pdf/document/Teamwork_Guide.pdf

Joshi, N. (2011). Simple ways to improve teamwork. Retrieved from http://www.buzzle.com/articles/simple-ways-to-improve-teamwork.html

blog post #2

     Professional companies in the internet era can utilize blogs to build their business and reach out to customers. A blog is easy to maintain and constantly update, allowing companies to maintain personal relationships with their customers. Heathfield has this to write about blogs: “They make customers feel as if they know your company.”  Any business that wants to provide a forum for customer feedback while reaching a broad audience on a personal level should consider a blog.

References

Heathfield, S.M. (n.d.) Why blogging matters to business. Retrieved from http://humanresources.about.com/od/businessblogs/a/business_blogs.htm

“What can professional blogs do for businesses such as Snapple?”

     Professional companies in the internet era, such as Snapple, can utilize many tools to build their brand and business: One of the greatest internet tools is a blog. A blog can help a company to stay in touch with customers on a personal level. Important feedback can also be gained from blogs in the form of review postings.

Customer Interaction

     One of the best ways for a business such as Snapple to maintain a personal relationship with customers is through a blog. A blog is easy to maintain and constantly update, so customers are able to gain real-time insights into the culture of a business. According to Heathfield, “They make customers feel as if they know your company.”  By helping your customers to know your company better, they begin to think of a company as a trusted friend rather than a large corporation.

Feedback

     Another important way in which a blog can be extremely useful to a company is by giving customers a forum to share their positive experiences, as well as air their grievances against the company. Snapple understands the importance of this feedback. There are many such blogs where customers can leave feedback. One of those blogs is The Talking Spoon (2011). This blog is a review of a Snapple product, as well as a board for customers to post their comments.

Summary

     In summation, companies can follow the example of Snapple and utilize blogs to help increase the effectiveness of meeting their customer’s needs. Technology will continue to change the way that humans interact with each other as time progresses.

References

Heathfield, S.M. (n.d.) Why blogging matters to business. Retrieved from http://humanresources.about.com/od/businessblogs/a/business_blogs.htm

Thetalkingspoon. (Oct 25, 2011) Peach mangosteen snapple review. Retrieved from http://thetalkingspoon.wordpress.com/2011/10/25/peach-mangosteen-snapple-review/