For a machine to work in an efficient manner, all of its parts must perform well. The same can be said about a business. When you’re running an organization, each individual member of the group must perform well and the managers must have the skills to develop a positive working culture for their employees in order to achieve peak performance but this is often easier said than done.
Organizations are comprised of people with different personalities, outlooks and backgrounds. Motivating them through fear or top-down directives will only serve to hurt morale and divide the group. Trust, loyalty and a belief in a common good are traits to be developed for an organization to thrive.
Below are four tips to help you improve your organization’s work culture:
1: ESTABLISH EXPECTATIONS
Clearly communicate to everyone how you operate and what is expected. Employees feel more comfortable by knowing exactly what the manager desires from them. In the workplace, trust is a much better motivator and builder of teamwork than fear.
2: RECOGNIZE INDIVIDUAL STRENGTHS
Each employee has his or her individual strengths and weaknesses. Make sure you observe each of your employee’s strength and weaknesses as once you do this, no team member will be burdened by an assignment they are not capable of doing well.
3: BE SUPPORTIVE
Team members need to know that the manager is their champion and will always provide support and defend them. This instills confidence in the employees and allows them to strive to move forward in a positive manner.
4: ALLOW TEAM MEMBERS TO BE A PART OF THE DECISION-MAKING PROCESS
This is very important. If each member believes that they have an amount of “decision-making equity,” it is an incentive for them to perform at their best and for the good of the group. Conducting “brain storming sessions” with the group to solve problems goes a long way towards building a team spirit. It also allows the manager to “broker” solutions between two viewpoints.
The above mentioned tips will help you as a manager/business owner, become the conductor of a finely tuned orchestra.
When you’re running an organization, you must help the members to harmonize with one another. When the team members build relationships with each other, there’s an honest flow of information between them. This goes a long way towards ending petty squabbles that might arise between them.
