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The importance of team building

H.E. Luccock once said: "No one can whistle a symphony. It takes a whole orchestra to play it."

Humans are hardwired to connect with one another, whether it’s in our personal lives or the workplace. It can be said that connection is perhaps the most important component in building effective, high performing teams that deliver the best outcome possible.

My role is to bring together diverse talent from across Kin + Carta Connect into these teams, whose goal is to address a challenge and create stand-out, engaging campaigns for our clients.

In order for this to happen, we must connect with each other so that we create an environment that fosters powerful collaboration and unlocks everyone’s skills and expertise. In that way we can drive solutions quickly.

Connected teams ensure a sense of responsibility amongst its members, encourage equal opportunity to share ideas, nurture healthy working relationships and drive a culture of continuous learning.

But unlike an orchestra, we frequently find ourselves working in teams spread across locations and time zones, with face-to-face conversations often replaced with emails and instant messages. How do we build these meaningful connections, in a world where the nature of the team building and how we work is changing?

Communication is key for team building

The real key to building connections with each other is communication in all forms: face to face, phone call, video call, email – even a written letter should you have the time. Agree a communications plan with each other prior to project kick-off, to detail how and when the team will catch up. 

Daily stand-ups are an opportunity not just to hear a status, but to prioritise deliverables, raise blockers and issues, and encourage everyone to identify as a team. In every meeting, ensure that people listen with undivided attention, and that every team member has a voice and input into the work.

Make space and time

Creating a space for the team to come together can help build this collaborative mindset and encourage a sense of ownership and responsibility. 

In an ideal world this is a physical area where work in progress can be proudly shown, along with priorities such as a Kanban board.  But this can also be replicated virtually using tools like Trello and Jira for those separated by distance.

It’s also vital to step back and reflect on work and processes, assess what’s working and where you might need to make adjustments. Each group of people working together will require a different approach and some tools or practices might need flexing. Regular reflective periods with everyone involved will help the team grow together, and nurture continuous improvement.

Celebrate good times

Come together as a team to set shared goals and actionable objectives up front – not only will  this provide each person with a sense of purpose, but also strengthen accountability as everyone has a stake in the end result. Cultivate an environment where every achievement, no matter how big or small, is celebrated with each other, helping team motivation and morale.

Ultimately, collaboration hinges on people’s willingness to come together for a shared goal, which can only happen in an environment of pride, trust and camaraderie, hence the importance of team building. Building stronger connections in the workplace isn’t a short term process but an ongoing mind-set, but when it happens both agencies and clients can reap the rewards.

Find out more about how Kin + Carta Connect can provide you with connected teams that deliver success

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