In today’s workplace teams come in a
variety of flavors: department teams, project teams, virtual teams, global
teams, cross-functional teams, permanent teams, temporary teams, task force
teams, self-directed teams and combinations thereof. Each of these has its own inherent
challenges. Common among them, however,
is the need for effective dialogues. Here’s how to achieve them.
Establish
communication standards. Whether it’s about sharing ideas or resolving
conflict, it’s essential to develop and implement guidelines that encourage and
support open communication. That includes communication media. Email may be
acceptable for information exchange, but issues should be discussed in person
or, if that’s not practical, by phone. Guidelines should cover:
·
Using a common
language (especially important for global teams)
·
Identifying
trigger words and phrases to avoid
·
Emphasizing
effective listening strategies
·
Promoting an
understanding and appreciation of varying communication styles
·
Scheduling
regular meetings
Identify
and address barriers to open communication.
Barriers to communication generally fall into three categories: physical,
emotional and environmental. Support
effective dialogues by removing any physical distractions (these could range
from a noisy conference room to a bad telephone connection). Work to understand
and appreciate the diverse styles of your team and create opportunities for the
team to develop a mutual understanding of each other. As they learn to consider
each other’s style and frame of reference, they’ll learn to minimize the
emotional reactions that get in the way of effective dialogues.
Create
guidelines for managing conflict.
A certain amount disagreement on a team is natural and necessary for innovation
and optimal performance. The key is how you channel and manage it. Give your team tools for dealing productively
with conflict by working together to create conflict management guidelines.
Emphasize respect and active listening. Include feedback best practices.
Encourage a dialogue that begins with points of agreement and develops from
there. Ensure that the focus is on the issue at hand rather than personalities.
State the team goals and expectations clearly and concisely and remind the team
of their mutual commitment to those goals.
Evaluate
and improve. Like any
relationship, team relationships need to be nurtured. Make time for a periodic
“check in” through an open dialogue specifically around how team communication
is going. Encourage those who are typically less vocal to weigh in. Identify
areas – from team feedback and your observations – where improvements could be
made. Then make them.
Lead on,
Rebecca
