Team Culture: The Characteristics of an Effective Working Group

One thing that all successful businesses will have is a strong team culture. If your team isn’t working

in a synchronized and harmonious manner then you will find it hard to be successful. But what

makes up an effective working group? There are lots of factors that play into a team being

successful. Here are the characteristics that a successful team should have:

Respect

Respect in a team is absolutely key. If you don’t respect the people you are working with, then how

are you going to put your trust in them? No matter what people’s backgrounds, preferences etc. are,

there must be some sort of level of respect. You are having to spend a lot of your time

communicating with these people, and while you don’t have to like them, you do have to respect

them.

Communication

Communication is an important aspect of team culture. It may even be the most important aspect. If

you don’t have open communication with a group then it is highly unlikely that you will be

successful. Everyone in the team should feel comfortable enough to share their ideas and opinions

with the rest of the group. If this isn’t the case, then at best you can hope to be mediocre.

Problem Solving

Problem-solving alongside conflict management is another characteristic of effective team culture.

There is always going to be some sort of conflict/arguing in a team, it is only natural. How you deal

with it will define how successful you and your team will be. If you have clearly set out procedures

on how to deal with problems then you will be much better set for success.

Team Culture: Collaboration

For a team to work, there needs to be collaboration. An effective manager will be able to identify

everyone’s different skills and strengths, fit them all together with the rest of the team and then

watch it flow harmoniously. Once you get a collaborative culture right, a team will become much

more flowing and synchronized.

Common Goals

The term “team” is defined as “come together to reach a common goal”. So if your team are all

working towards separate objectives, then you aren’t really a team at all. Make sure that everyone

in your group knows what they are working for and towards. Even if a single member of the team is

not on board to achieve that goal, it will cause problems for the rest of the group.