Building organisational success on merit and teamwork

An accepted African proverb states if one wants to go fast, he goes alone, but if he wants to go far he must go with others.

Most companies the world over are most times an individual’s thought brought to reality.

However, for such an idea to scale through the individual must need a team, and having the right team makes all the difference.

… thus a team that would thrive requires a balanced mix of different skills, experiences and backgrounds

Organisational success goes beyond one man’s input, and experience has shown that it takes collective efforts to achieve lasting success in a company.

Hence, the much more need for collaboration and synergy among all in such an organisation. Little wonder, it is believed that two good heads are better than one.

The same is applicable to being the president of a country and doubling as the minister, the governor, the lawmaker, and the military. How far do you think you will get? Even the mere thought of it is hilarious.

The truth is, successful organisations, cum countries have mastered the ability to leverage the skills, knowledge, and experiences of other people – their team – to get the job done, and the job of every leader is to bring people together towards the achievement of specific goals and objectives.

Now, the big question to ask is this: how can I build and develop a dream team?

According to a Harvard Business Review, J. Richard Hackman, who is a professional in the field of organisational behaviour, argues in his research that what matters most to collaboration is not the personalities, attitudes, or behavioural styles of team members. Instead, what teams need to thrive are certain “enabling conditions.” The review detailed some of the “enabling conditions” to be a compelling direction, a strong structure, and a supportive context.

Let us consider vision for starters. Vision is the principal function of every leader, and the communication of that vision is even more essential to the success of an organisation.

If your team does not have a clear vision and a compelling direction of the goal of the vision as well as where it leads, it is very likely that such organisation will not last very long.

A visionary leader is a leader that can create the future and bring that future into the present. Therefore, a team is as strong as the vision that brings them together.

Another factor that contributes to collaboration and the growth and success of a team in an organisation is the structure and culture upon which the organisation is founded.

Organisational structure and culture are the bedrock of any A-level establishment, thus a team that would thrive requires a balanced mix of different skills, experiences and backgrounds.

Read also: How to build the right teams for your organisational success

Don’t put square pegs in round holes is a phrase that has almost become a cliché but its facts cannot be overlooked: the fact that a strong work structure is one that is designed to match people to tasks based on strengths – a competency-based structure.

Statistics have shown that employees who act collaboratively stick to their tasks 64 percent longer than their solitary peers, while also reporting higher engagement levels, lower fatigue levels, and higher success rates. This goes to show the importance of building dynamic teams that work.

It is often said that a chain is as strong as its weakest link. If that link is an introvert in your sales team or a sanguine in a department that requires focus and high attention to detail, then there is a high chance of recording negative growth. The formula for building an A-Team is to match people to tasks.

The third factor for successful team building is to develop a support system for the team. A support system should be designed to equip and train your team members on how to be effective at work, provide ease of access to information, reward exceptional performance, and also integrate technology into the standard operating procedures of the institution for increased efficiency.

Imagine as an employee in the human resource department, you need to prepare a summary of the interviews conducted three months ago for the position of assistant operations manager and this summary is required to select the second preferred candidate.

If that organisation lacks technological integration, it will be an arduous task for the employee to prepare the interview summary, and this will in turn slow down the company’s progress. It is therefore pertinent that there are support systems in place for your team to perform beyond expectations.

Hence, we want to remind our leaders that no one is an island. Everybody needs somebody, and a coalition of individuals with varying backgrounds, skills, and experiences towards the achievement of a specific goal will ultimately lead to success, because, as John C. Maxwell says, ‘Teamwork makes the dream work’!