An organisation's success is tied to its team's productivity level. And the performance of each team is determined by the productivity of individual team members. Therefore, improving team and organisational performance relies heavily on a synergistic relationship between business leaders and employees.
The ability to help others produce above-average outputs is one of the hallmarks of an effective organisational leader. Such a knack is demonstrated by implementing a strategy that is capable of transforming underperforming teams into high flyers. If you are looking for ways to improve your team’s performance, this article provides 6 proven tips that will put your team on a winning streak.
How to Improve Team Performance
Implement the following strategy to boost the performance of your team.
1. Communicate effectively
Effective communication is essential for the smooth flow of work at all levels in an organisation. Expectations and responsibilities should be clearly communicated to team members to give them direction and build trust.
Strong verbal and written communication skills and a keen listening acumen will make a huge difference. Excellent listening skill is an often-underrated strength that can help decipher nonverbal communication and make a manager approachable to employees, fostering engagement and exchange of ideas.
Also, make use of an effective communication channel that supports engagement. Consider one-on-one interactions; welcome suggestions and address issues raised. A study finds that effective communication has a positive effect on organisational performance. In contrast, ineffective communication results in failure, delayed delivery, poor work quality and increased stress.
2. Give regular feedback
You can improve team performance by identifying strengths and weaknesses and giving feedback accordingly. To be more effective, feedback should be timely, sincere and constructive. This helps team members to know areas where they need to improve, boosting short-term and long-term performance. Also, ask team members for feedback to build relationships and discover alternative perspectives. Seek to know where they need help in order to perform better and provide support.
3. Have productive meetings
Meetings are needed to discuss issues that matter to the organisation and for decision-making. However, regular, lengthy and unproductive meetings have negative impacts on businesses. According to a report by Zippia, 71% of meetings held in organisations are unproductive, costing companies around $37 billion annually.
Hold only necessary meetings. To make your meetings productive, invite only those that must be there and go with a clearly defined and communicated agenda. This helps attendees to be better prepared and saves time. More importantly, stick to the agenda and stipulated duration, possibly allocating not more than 30 minutes.
During meetings, encourage team members’ participation in decision-making to benefit from innovative solutions and diverse perspectives. This not only empowers employees but also makes it easier for them to implement decisions taken. It allows them to own their jobs and reinforces a sense of responsibility, having participated in the decision-making process. It can also help you to avoid micromanagement.
4. Recognise and reward
Few things demoralise employees like a feeling of not being appreciated. According to a study, 66% of employees will quit for not being appreciated. Although great professionals are often self-motivated, what gets rewarded gets emulated and repeated. To promote a culture of diligence and improve employee productivity, regularly recognise commendable performances and outstanding employees.
Implement a creative incentive programme that involves both cash and non-cash rewards. Different things work for different individuals. In fact, simple things that money can’t buy work greatly. Both private and open appreciation can motivate employees. Send appreciation messages and emails to let employees know you notice and value their efforts. Team members may also be rewarded with continuing professional education and training opportunities, promotions, dinners, shopping vouchers or improved salaries.
5. Prioritise employees’ well-being
To improve team performance, it is important that you show interest in the personal or unofficial issues that matter to employees. Know employees beyond professional “makeup” to boost relationships, understanding, emotional intelligence and communication. For example, if habitually punctual team members begin to show up late, try to know the reason.
When you go beyond official matters and show concern for the well-being of your team, they are more likely to go the extra mile to contribute to organisational performance. According to a report by Businesssolver, 93% of employees are more likely to stay with empathetic employers while 91% of CEOs associate empathy with a company’s financial performance.
6. Provide learning and development opportunities
Providing training and further education opportunities to employees will yield a high return on investment. Training programmes enable employees to acquire in-demand skills and stay in touch with recent developments in the industry. Acquired skills improve employee productivity, employee retention and overall organisational performance.
According to a report by LinkedIn, 94% of employees would stay longer at a company that invests in their careers while 58% prefer to learn at their own pace, needs that can be met by taking online business courses. Continuing education opportunities also prepare employees for leadership roles within their organisations. Supporting employees to take flexible and personalised online business courses is highly profitable.
Final remarks
Improved team performance is the product of a carefully implemented strategy that involves global best practices and advanced business skills. As part of the efforts aimed at improving the performance of your team, support them to apply for short professional courses to gain top-notch competence in their various fields by learning from world-renowned faculty and industry experts.Image source: Pexels
