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Students often report they don't like working in groups. If the dynamic is off, or others are not participating, group work can be very frustrating. But students need to learn to work together in groups to hone their skills for the workplace and even in personal relationships.

Although working in groups has its advantages, there are also times when problems arise. Beebe and Masterson (2003) list four disadvantages:

1. There may be pressure from the group to conform to the majority opinion.

2. An individual may dominate the discussion.

3. Some members may rely too heavily on others to do the work.

4. It takes more time to work in a group than to work alone.

Here are the four ways that faculty can help students work effectively with, and even enjoy, working in groups:

Collaborative learning: Uses activities where learners are working cooperatively in pairs. Keeping the group size small encourages discussion. Set rules for listening to each group member. Involve the GSI or faculty member in the collaboration to set expectations.

Cooperative learning: This instructional method uses small groups to accomplish a common goal. It is important for the instructor to articulate the goal clearly first so students know what to do. This method facilitates students' own opinions and research by encouraging them to speak up with the help of a moderator.Use technology to encourage the quieter students to participate.

Problem-based learning (PBL): PBL is an approach in which students learn about a subject by solving an open-ended problem. Brainstorming is encouraged, and ideas outside the discipline are welcome too. Mind Mapping is one tool used for this type of problem.

Team-based learning: Following individual answers, students join teams and work through problems, appealing when they are incorrect. This method encourages students to use their critical thinking skills and can involve using different roles to assist in the process.

In every group method, making each group member aware of the goals and objectives of the group and assigning specific tasks or responsibilities is vital.

Remind students of the following six advantages to working in a group:

1. Groups have more information than a single individual.

2. Groups stimulate creativity. In regard to problem solving, the old adage can be applied that "two heads are better than one."

3. Group learning fosters learning and comprehension.

4. Research suggests that students who are engaged in group problem solving are more committed to the solution and are better satisfied with their participation in the group than those who were not involved.

5. Students gain a better understanding of themselves.

6. Teamwork is highly valued by employers (Graduate Outlook Survey, 2010).

If you would like to discuss ways to incorporate any or all of the different styles of group work into your own courses, reach out to the Learning and Teaching Consultants!

References:

Group Work: How to Use Groups Effectively, The Journal of Effective Teaching, Vol. 11, No. 2, 2011, 87-95 l. https://uncw.edu/jet/articles/vol11_2/burke.pdf

Communicating in Small Groups: Principles and Practices, 11th Edition, 2014 by Steven A. Beebe, John T. Masterson. ISBN-10: ‎020598083X

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Four Types of Group Work for Engagement | U-M LSA LSA Technology Services

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Using the four different types of group work will help you and your students engage with the content in a more robust manner.

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Group work can be an effective method to motivate students, encourage active learning, and develop key critical-thinking, communication, and decision-making skills. But without careful planning and facilitation, group work can frustrate students and instructors, and feel like a waste of time. Use these suggestions to help implement group work successfully in your classroom.

Preparing for Group Work

Think carefully about how students will be physically arranged in groups. Will it be easy for groups to form and for all students to be comfortable? Also think about how the layout of your classroom will impact volume. Will students be able to hear one another clearly? How can you moderate the activity to control volume?

Set clear guidelines on professional, civil conduct between and among students to respect people's differences and create an inclusive environment.

Talk to students about their past experiences with group work and allow them to establish some ground rules for successful collaboration. This discussion can be successfully done anonymously through the use of note cards.

Designing the Group Activity

Identify the instructional objectives. Determine what you want to achieve through the small group activity, both academically (e.g., knowledge of a topic) and socially (e.g., listening skills). The activity should relate closely to the learning objective(s) and class content, and must be designed to help students learn, not simply to occupy their time. When deciding whether or not to use group work for a specific task, consider these questions: What is the objective of the activity? How will that objective be furthered by asking students to work in groups? Is the activity challenging or complex enough that it requires group work? Will the project require true collaboration? Is there any reason why the assignment should not be collaborative?

Make the task challenging. Consider giving a relatively easy task early in the term to arouse students' interest in group work and encourage their progress. In most cases collaborative exercises should be stimulating and challenging. By pooling their resources and dealing with differences of opinion that arise, groups of students can develop a more sophisticated product than they could as individuals. See our teaching tip "Group work in the Classroom: Small-Group Tasks" for some ideas.

Assign group tasks that encourage involvement, interdependence, and a fair division of labour. All group members should feel a sense of personal responsibility for the success of their teammates and realize that their individual success depends on the group's success. Johnson, Johnson, and Smith (2014) refer to this as positive interdependence and argue that this type of cooperative learning tends to result in learners promoting each other's success. Knowing that peers are relying on you is a powerful motivator for group work.

Allocate essential resources across the group so that group members are required to share information (e.g., the jigsaw method). Or, to come up with a consensus, randomly select one person to speak for the group, or assign different roles to group members so that they are all involved in the process (e.g., recorder, spokesperson, summarizer, checker, skeptic, organizer, observer, timekeeper, conflict resolver, liaison to other groups).

Another strategy for promoting interdependence is specifying common rewards for the group, such as a group mark. See the CTE teaching tip "Methods for Assessing Group Work" for more information.

Decide on group size. The size you choose will depend on the number of students, the size of the classroom, the variety of voices needed within a group, and the task assigned. Groups of four-five tend to balance the needs for diversity, productivity, active participation, and cohesion. The less skillful the group members, the smaller the groups should be (Gross Davis, 1993).

Decide how you will divide students into groups. Division based on proximity or students' choice is quickest, especially for large and cramped classes, but this often means that students end up working together with friends or with the same people.

To vary group composition and increase diversity within groups, randomly assign students to groups by counting off and grouping them according to number.

For some group tasks, the diversity within a group (e.g., gender, ethnicity, level of preparation) is especially important, and you might want to assign students to groups yourself before class. Collect a data card from each student on the first day of class to glean important information about their backgrounds, knowledge, and interests. Alternately, ask students to express a preference (e.g., list three students with whom they would most like to work or two topics they would most like to study), and keep their preferences in mind as you assign groups.

Allow sufficient time for group work. Recognize that you won't be able to cover as much material as you could if you lectured for the whole class period. Cut back on the content you want to present in order to give groups time to work. Estimate the amount of time that subgroups need to complete the activity. Also plan for a plenary session in which groups' results can be presented or general issues and questions can be discussed.

Design collaborative work in multiple forms: pairs, small groups, large groups, online synchronously, online asynchronously, etc. Some students might be better at contributing after they have had time to digest material, while others might be better at thinking on the spot. Other students will defer to others in large groups but actively contribute in pairs. All roles should be valued and included.

Introducing the Group Activity

Share your rationale for using group work. Students must understand the benefits of collaborative learning. Don't assume that students know what the pedagogical purpose is. Explicitly connect these activities to larger class themes and learning outcomes whenever possible.

Have students form groups before you give them instructions. If you try to give instructions first, students may be too preoccupied with deciding on group membership to listen to you.

Facilitate some form of group cohesion. Students work best together if they know or trust each other, at least to some extent. Even for brief group activities, have students introduce themselves to their group members before attending to their task. For longer periods of group work, consider introducing an icebreaker or an activity designed specifically to build a sense of teamwork.

Explain the task clearly. This means both telling students exactly what they have to do and describing what the final product of their group work will look like. Explaining the big picture or final goal is important, especially when the group work will take place in steps (such as in snowballing or jigsaw). Prepare written or visual instructions (e.g., charts, sequential diagrams) for students. Remember to include time estimations for activities.

Set ground rules for group interaction. Especially for extended periods of group work, establish how group members should interact with one another, including principles such as respect, active listening, and methods for decision making. Consider making a group contract. See Group Decision Making, a CTE teaching tip prepared for students working in groups, and Making Group Contracts.

Let students ask questions. Even if you believe your instructions are crystal clear, students may have legitimate questions about the activity. Give them time to ask questions before they get to work.

Monitoring the Group Task

Monitor the groups but do not hover. As students do their work, circulate among the groups and answer any questions raised. Also listen for trends that are emerging from the discussions, so that you can refer to them during the subsequent plenary discussion. Avoid interfering with group functioning - allow time for students to solve their own problems before getting involved. You might consider leaving the room for a short period of time. Your absence can increase students' willingness to share uncertainties and disagreements (Jaques, 2000).

Be slow to share what you know. If you come upon a group that is experiencing uncertainty or disagreement, avoid the natural tendency to give the answers or resolve the disagreement. If necessary, clarify your instructions, but let students struggle - within reason - to accomplish the task (Race, 2000).

Clarify your role as facilitator. If students criticize you for not contributing enough to their work, consider whether you have communicated clearly enough your role as facilitator.

Ending the Group Task

Provide closure to the group activities. Students tend to want to see how their work in small groups was useful to them and/or contributed to the development of the topic. You can end with a plenary session in which students do group reporting. Effective group reporting "can make the difference between students' feeling that they are just going through their paces and the sense that they are engaged in a powerful exchange of ideas" (Brookfield & Preskill, 1999, p. 107).

Oral reports: Have each group give one idea and rotate through the groups until no new ideas arise. Or have each group give their most surprising or illuminating insights or their most challenging question. You can record ideas raised to validate their value.

Written reports: Have each group record their ideas and either present them yourself or have a group member do so. One variation on this is to have groups record their conclusions on a section of the blackboard or on flipchart paper that is then posted on the wall. Students then informally circulate around the room and read each other's answers. Alternately, you can ask students to move around the room in small groups, rotating from one set of comments to another and adding their own comments in response. Another variation on written reports is to have students write brief comments on Post-it notes or index cards. Collect them, take a few minutes to process them or put them in sequence, then summarize their contents.

Model how you want students to participate. When responding to students' answers, model the respect and sensitivity that you want the students to display towards their classmates. Be ready to acknowledge and value opinions different from your own. Be willing to share your own stories, critique your work, and summarize what has been said.

Connect the ideas raised to course content and objectives. Recognize that groups might not come up with the ideas you intended them to, so be willing to make your lecture plans flexible. Wherever possible, look for a connection between group conclusions and the course topic. However, be aware that misconceptions or inaccurate responses need to be clarified and corrected either by you or by other students.

Don't provide too much closure. Although the plenary session should wrap up the group work, feel free to leave some questions unanswered for further research or for the next class period. This openness reflects the nature of knowledge.

Ask students to reflect on the group work process. They may do so either orally or in writing. This reflection helps them discover what they learned and how they functioned in the group. It also gives you a sense of their response to group work.

Support

If you would like support applying these tips to your own teaching, CTE staff members are here to help. View the CTE Support page to find the most relevant staff member to contact.

References

Brookfield, S.D., & Preskill, S. (1999). Discussion as a Way of Teaching: Tools and Techniques for Democratic Classrooms. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers.

Gross Davis, B. (1993). Tools for Teaching. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers.

Jaques, D. (2000). Learning in Groups: A Handbook for Improving Group Work, 3rd ed. London: Kogan Page.

Johnson, D. W., Johnson, R. T., & Smith, K. A. (2014). Cooperative learning: Improving university instruction by basing practice on validated theory. Journal on Excellence in College Teaching, 25(3&4), 85-118.

Race, P. (2000). 500 Tips on Group Learning. London: Kogan Page.

Roberson, B., & Franchini, B. (2014). Effective task design for the TBL classroom. Journal on Excellence in College Teaching, 25(3&4), 275-302.

Resources

CTE teaching tips

Other resources

Journal on Excellence in College Teaching (2014). Special Focus Issue: Small-Group Learning in Higher Education - Cooperative, Collaborative, Problem-Based, and Team-Based Learning.

Johnson, D.W., Johnson, R.T., and Smith, K.A. (2006). Active learning: Cooperation in the university classroom (3rd edition). Edina, MN: Interaction.

Silberman, M. (1996). Active Learning: 101 Strategies to Teach Any Subject. Boston: Allyn and Bacon.

This Creative Commons license lets others remix, tweak, and build upon our work non-commercially, as long as they credit us and indicate if changes were made. Use this citation format: Implementing Group Work in the Classroom. Centre for Teaching Excellence, University of Waterloo.

This Creative Commons license lets others remix, tweak, and build upon our work non-commercially, as long as they credit us and indicate if changes were made. Use this citation format: Implementing Group Work in the Classroom. Centre for Teaching Excellence, University of Waterloo.

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Implementing Group Work in the Classroom | Centre for Teaching Excellence

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Group work can be an effective method to motivate students, encourage active learning, and develop key critical-thinking, communication, and decision-making sk

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Effective facilitation of a discussion involves the recognition and employment of different perspectives and different skills to create an inclusive environment. In order to do so, it is important to consider the features of effective discussions, and conditions that promote small group interaction and engagement. Discussion is a powerful mechanism for active learning; a well-facilitated discussion allows the participant to explore new ideas while recognizing and valuing the contributions of others.

Roles of Discussion Leaders

adapted from Handelsman et al. 2006

1. Create an inclusive environment

Opportunities for reflection

What do the participants bring to the group? ("Characteristics that may give you a unique perspective")

Self-awareness; awareness of others

What do I bring to the group? What surprises or challenges me?

What behaviors am I most familiar or comfortable with?

What behaviors challenge me?

Allow participants to introduce themselves - you can even set up an ice breaker to have pairs of students introduce each other.

Be clear up front about expectations and intentions amongst participants and the facilitator.

Use inclusive language.

Ask for clarification if unclear about a participant's intent or question.

Treat participants with respect and consideration.

Develop an awareness for barriers for learning (cultural; social; experiential, etc).

Provide sufficient time and space for participants to gather their thoughts and contribute to discussions.

Provide opportunities for participants to pair-share.

Use certain conventions or language that will exclude certain groups from understanding the context of the discussion, or make them feel uncomfortable.

Assume participants all have the same expectations when the group first convenes.

Over-generalize behavior or have stereotypical expectations of participants (tokenism).

Use (or allow others to use) disrespectful language or tone, or disrespectful non-verbal communication.

Convey a sense of self-importance or superiority.

Allow only the dominant or more verbal participants to take over the conversation.

Discourage alternate views or counter-arguments.

Try to be someone else - be yourself.

2. Keep discussions constructive and positive

Make the discussion functional by clarifying the goals of each session to the group.

Establish ground rules:

Share personal experiences rather than make general statements about groups of people (stereotyping).

Ask dominant participants to allow others to speak.

Give all participants a voice- at the start highlight the value of a diversity of perspectives as an essential part of the process.

Go over constructive and destructive group behaviors at the start of the course / workshop.

Request that if participants challenge others' ideas, they back it up with evidence, appropriate experiences, and/or appropriate logic.

Try to keep the group on task without rushing them.

If the group starts to veer in the direction of negativity and/or pointless venting, ask them how they would like to address this.

Step back when a group is functional/functioning - help participants become independent learners; take control of their learning.

3. Encouraging participants

Encouraging participation can be accomplished by:

Writing participants' comments on the whiteboard.

Asking follow-up questions, and paraphrasing the comments for everyone to ponder. A combination of initiating and probing questions can be an effective approach to bring out participants' ideas further.

Asking the contributor for further clarification and/or elaboration.

Re-visiting past contributions and incorporating them into subsequent discussions.

Encouraging others to add their reactions or ideas to build on someone's comment.

Not being afraid to admit your own ignorance or confusion if you don't know something - invite others to provide resources, and use the opportunity to discuss with the group how one might go about researching the issue.

Discomfort and silence are ok, but balance with a clearly stated context and purpose.

Potential Problems in Discussions

adapted from: Center for Integration of Research, Teaching and Learning Handbook, accessed July 2008

Maintaining discussions often means dealing as smoothly as possible with the problems that arise. Here are some common problems with suggestions for how to deal with them.

The participant who talks too much:

A way to approach the dominant participant and pull in non-participants is to redirect the discussion to another person or another topic. Alternatively, you may wish to reframe their comments, making them viable additions to the discussion. Facilitators might also ask one or more members of the group to act as observers for a few sessions, reporting back their observations to the group. Perhaps assigning the avid talker to the observer role would help the person develop sensitivity. Another approach is to break down the group into still smaller task groups.

The member who will not talk:

A way to approach non-participants is to provide opportunities for smaller group discussions or pair-share discussions. Smaller groups may help put some students at ease. A second strategy is to ask opinion questions occasionally (e.g., "How do you feel about this?"). This may encourage participation by reducing participants' fear of answering incorrectly. Another strategy is to have participants write out their answers to a question. Having the words written out may make it easier for a shy or fearful person to speak up.

The discussion that turns into an argument:

In good discussions, conflicts will sometimes arise. If such conflicts are left ambiguous, they may cause continuing trouble. Here are some ways to resolve them:

If the solution depends on certain facts, the facilitator can ask participants to refer to the text or another authority.

If there is an experimentally verified answer, the facilitator can use the opportunity to review the method by which the answer could be determined.

If the question is one of values, the facilitator may use the occasion to help participants become aware of the values involved.

The facilitator can list both sides of the argument on the board.

The facilitator can take a strong position as moderator, preventing participants from interrupting each other or speaking simultaneously. She or he can lay ground rules for discussion, such as asking participants to focus conflict on ideas rather than people and to resist being judgmental.

Unclear or hesitant comments:

The facilitator can encourage participants making unclear contributions to give examples and factual evidence of their points. The facilitator can also restate points for verification or rejection by the participants, or give enthusiastic nonverbal cues and patience.

The discussion that goes off track:

Some facilitators keep discussions on track by listing the questions or issues they want to cover on the board or summarizing the discussion on the board as it proceeds. Stopping and asking a participant to summarize where the discussion is at the point it appears to go off track may also help.

The student who attacks the facilitator:

When participants argue for the sake of argument, facilitators will usually lose if they take the bait. Participants or students who attack often want attention, so simply giving them some recognition while firmly moving on often takes care of the problem. If participants are simply trying to embarrass the facilitator, they may seek to make him or her defensive with such comments as, "How do you really know that...?" or "You're not really saying that...?" Such questions can be handled by playing boomerang. The facilitator might say, "What I'm saying is..., but now I'd like you to share your perspective." Turning the question back to the questioner forces him or her to take responsibility for his or her opinion. Other ways to handle these situations include:

Confrontation - Facilitators can confront the questioner with their reactions to his or her behavior. "I'm uncomfortable with the imprecision of your questions. What I really hear you saying is..."

Active listening - Facilitators can paraphrase the message they heard and check out the accuracy of their assumptions before responding.

Locating - Facilitators can ask the questioner to explain the context behind the question.

Reframing - The focus can be on clarifying the assumptions behind the person's argument and then inviting her or him to see alternative possibilities.

Deferring - Often, the best strategy is to invite participants to come up after the session and arrange for a time to talk about the disagreement further, and then move the discussion on to another topic.

References

Boice, R. (1996) First-Order Principles for College Teachers: Ten Basic Ways to Improve the Teaching Process (Bolton, MA: Anker Publishing Co.)

Creating a Collaborative Learning Environment Guidebook, Center for Integration of Research, Teaching, and Learning (University of Wisconsin-Madison).

Feito, J. (2007) Allowing Not-Knowing in a Dialogic Discussion. The International Journal of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, accessed July 2008. http://academics.georgiasouthern.edu/ijsotl/v1n1/feito/ij_feito.htm

Gelula, M.H. (1997) Clinical discussion sessions and small groups. Surgical Neurology, 47:400-403.

Handelsman, J., Miller, S., & Pfund, C. (2006) Scientific Teaching: Diversity, Assessment, Active Learning (New York: W.H. Freeman & Co.)

Sellers, S.L., Roberts, J., Giovanetto, L., Friedrich, K. & Hammargren, C. (2007) Reaching All Students-A Resource for Teaching in Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics (Second Edition) (Madison, WI: Center for the Integration of Research, Teaching, and Learning)

Steinert, Y. (2004) Student perceptions of effective small group teaching. Medical Education, 38:286-293.

Tuckman, B. & Jensen, M. (1977) Stages of Small Group Development. Group and Organizational Studies, vol. 2, pp.419-427.

University of Queensland: Designing Culturally Inclusive Environments, accessed July 2008. www.tedi.uq.edu.au/cdip

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Tips on Facilitating Effective Group Discussions

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Effective facilitation of a discussion involves the recognition and employment of different perspectives and different skills to create an inclusive environment. In order to do so, it is important to consider the features of effective discussions, and conditions that promote small group interaction and engagement.

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Collaborative Learning Theory – E-Learning Essentials 2020

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Teamwork Theory

Tuckman's Stages of Group Development
Probably the most famous teamwork theory is Bruce Tuckman's "team stages model".
First developed in 1965, Tuckman's model is widely known as a basis for effective team building. Yet how many people really know how to use it? Below we explain Tuckman's model before offering some fresh insights on how to take it further.

Tuckman's model is significant because it recognizes the fact that groups do not start off fully-formed and functioning. He suggests that teams grow through clearly defined stages, from their creation as groups of individuals, to cohesive, task-focused teams.

Tuckman's Teamwork Theory

Tuckman describes working with a team of social psychologists, on behalf of the U.S. navy. The team studied small group behaviour, from several perspectives. In doing so, Tuckman reviewed 50 articles on group development and noticed that there were two features common to these small groups: the interpersonal or group structure, and the task activity. From this he identified that groups evolved into teams via four common stages.

Firstly an orientation, testing phase which often led to a period characterized by a degree of conflict. This then generally resolved itself, leading to a more socially cohesive phase. Finally, groups settled to a functional phase, during which they focused on role-relatedness. To summarize these four phases, Tuckman coined the oft-quoted terms: "forming", "storming", "norming" and "performing".

Tuckman's teamwork theory is best illustrated on a graph which shows the link between group relationships (the horizontal axis) and task focus (the vertical axis). The optimal or "performing" position is reached when relationships have developed within the group and it has started delivering with a clear focus on the task.

However, Tuckman's ideas clearly indicate that it takes time to reach the "performing" stage, and it's normal for these teams to go through ups and downs as they develop relationships. Particularly in the early period, which is perhaps why Tuckman called it the "storming" phase!

The 4 Phases of Tuckman's Teamwork Theory

Forming:

The initial stage of team development during which individuals have not yet gelled together. Everybody is busy finding their place in the team, sizing each other up, and asking themselves why they are here! Find out more in our articles: Team Building Techniques and Teamwork Tips. The first offers advice on starting a new team while the second will help you take over an existing team (perhaps a far more common situation).

Storming:

People begin to see themselves as part of a team. However at this stage they may challenge each other, and the team leader, about such things as what the team is doing, and how things should be done. As the stage title suggests, conflict and confrontation typify this stage, as differences surface. This may result in some loss of performance or focus on the task, as the diagram illustrates.

Norming:

This is the phase where team members start to come together, developing processes, establishing ground rules, clarifying who does what, and how things will be done. This phase is characterized by a growing sense of "togetherness". Find out more about both the Storming and Norming phases in our article: Team Building Concepts.

Performing:

This is the final stage where increased focus on both the task, and on team relationships, combine to provide synergy. Performance is delivered through people working effectively together. We have written two articles to further develop this stage. Team Building in the Workplace will help you build a performing team. Characteristics of Effective Teamwork will help you and your team sustain that performance.

Thinking about Tuckman's Model

The value of Tuckman's model is that it helps us understand that teams evolve. It also helps us to consider how they may encounter different problems at different stages of their development.

One limitation of the model may be that it makes team building appear too linear and sequential. Although it's a useful analytical tool, we must remember that some teams may "loop" around in their development.

For example, not all teams evolve smoothly through Tuckman's stages but may yo-yo between norming and storming until they either begin to function, or are disbanded! Regardless of limitations, all well-conceived models can be useful in helping us to understand and better manage our circumstances.

Adjourning

Tuckman's famous phases are part of a teamwork theory based on stages of team development. His theory may have gained popularity partly due to the catchy labels for each of his stages. Indeed, in 1977 Tuckman proposed an update to his model, introducing a fifth stage: adjourning. This was meant to reflect the period after a team disbands, having achieved its objectives or perhaps being broken-up for other reasons. The issues for managers here can include:

Capturing the knowledge/expertise of the team for future use or reference.

Dealing with any sense of loss amongst team members, where successful or well-established teams are being broken up.

Understanding the causes and ramifications of team dysfunction, where the team is being disbanded because it has not worked.

Beyond Tuckman's Theory

Tuckman's theory provides a useful and simple way to think about how we humans interact in team situations. Firstly by illustrating that it's normal for teams go through stages as they develop. Secondly, by highlighting the need to manage different aspects of team behaviour at each stage of that development. The beauty and usefulness of Tuckman's model is perhaps in its simplicity. Follow this for more information on this theory or click here to read Tuckman's original article.

Team development theories such, as Tuckman's group development stages, recognise that teams develop through different stages, from forming through to performing. Whilst these theories give a useful understanding of different team requirements at different times, there are a number of questions that aren't particularly well answered by the models. For example:

How should you lead at the different stages of a team's development?

How do you identify when you are progressing through a stage?

How does the team develop in the organisational setting?

How is it affected by other outside influences?

The theory of group stages alone doesn't answer these questions. To do so, and thus to build a more robust teamwork concept, ideas about team leadership and outside factors need to be introduced. We've done just this in our STAR team performance model. You can see how this model applies to group stages in: Stages of Team Development.

This is the first of ten articles in our teamwork series. But for some practical tips on using teamwork theory, look at our great-value guides (below), or at our Team Building Exercises for all team stages.

Team Building Exercises and Team Stages

Our e-guide: Team Building Exercises has been specifically designed to help you understand and use a team stages model. It contains a tool for each stage to help you build a high-performing team - as quickly as possible. The exercises in the guide are grouped according to our own team stages model. Remember, each team is unique and needs to be led through several developmental stages. These include:

If you're creating a new team or taking over an existing team

Exercise 1: Being a TEAM together
Exercise 2: True or false
Exercise 3: Who does what in a team?
Exercise 4: Getting the mix right
Exercise 5: Doing something for the first time
Exercise 6: Two years from now

If you're developing an existing team

Exercise 7: A clearer vision
Exercise 8: Mad, sad or glad
Exercise 9: Seeing the bigger picture
Exercise 10: Positive feedback
Exercise 11: Conflicting views

If you're team is already performing and achieving results

Exercise 12: Did you notice?
Exercise 13: Limiting beliefs

If you're trying to sustain good team performance

Exercise 14: Scarce resources
Exercise 15: Keeping going

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Teamwork Theory | Tuckman's Stages of Group Development - The Happy Manager

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Probably the most famous teamwork theory is Bruce Tuckman's 'team stages model'. Tuckman's model is widely used for effective team building.

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Engaged users are happier and more productive

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Software works best when people love using it. Learn why Slack is the tried-and-true solution for millions of users worldwide.

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Nurture an Engaged and Satisfied Workforce | Vantage Circle HR Blog

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A team that performs well has the right coordination and understanding between each other. This is because their team spirit is on the right wavelength. It allows each team member to believe in their capabilities and skill level. Thus, enhancing their productivity and overall standard of work.

Without team spirit, the growth of modern organizations is limited, and employees fail to produce the desired engagement. It is necessary to have a spirited team to perform at the highest level in a competitive market.

But what is the team spirit that plays an essential role in achieving the goals and objectives? Let us have a look at it.

What is Team Spirit?

According to the Collins dictionary, team spirit is the feeling of pride and loyalty among team members. That feeling makes employees or team members perform well to build a better group
of proficient individuals in their job.

A team that has unity will have higher levels of team spirit. It creates a work environment where the employees trust each other, communicates well, and collaborate to reach their goals. Without these pivotal factors, a team is less likely to perform well. Hence, you must work on improving the overall spirit of your team while targeting your goals and objectives.

Why is team spirit essential?

Having a high team spirit has its fair share of benefits that helps an organization immensely. Below are some of the benefits and why team spirit is important in the workplace.

1. High Productivity and Engagement Levels

A dynamic team can perform at its best and have a high engagement level. This is because they gel in well with each other and have a superior understanding of each other's strengths and weaknesses.

A necessary skill set also plays a pivotal factor in determining a team's productivity. Knowledgeable team members can share their ideas and suggestions, making the whole group more efficient and productive. Also, keep in mind that exchanging ideas is crucial to growth and learning, which makes the work environment sustainable. And in return, it elevates the team spirit levels.

2. Boost in Morale

Teams in good spirits are confident in their jobs and can tackle difficult situations without any hassle. The reason behind this is that team members support each other and are open to making mistakes. They learn from their mistakes and try to improve each other.

Consequently, it boosts morale that significantly builds the team's ability to handle every work with minimal error. In the long run, it helps an organization to make fewer mistakes and become more efficient.

3. Positive Employee Relationships

A team with high spirits fosters understanding and compassion toward the team members. These are crucial elements of a passionate group that play a pivotal role in building employee relationships.

Positive relationships in the workplace means there is no room for toxicity and the team members share mutual respect. That ensures that job satisfaction remains high and the turnover rate low.

4. Dedicated and Enthusiastic Workforce

Team spirit's very existence is proportional to the right work environment in an organization where employees feel enthusiastic to complete their tasks. The managers need to understand and support the employees so their eagerness to work is constant. This is why leaders must give the employees the right working environment without having second thoughts.

It improves the efficiency of each individual, and the sense of commitment grows. And with so much devotion in a workplace, employees fulfill their duty without hiccups. This increases success rates and improves employer branding.

5. Mutual Respect and Trust in the Workplace

When there is mutual respect and trust among the team members, it portrays high team spirit.

Shared trust and faith ensure employees can depend on their colleagues without self-doubting. On top of that, when employees admire each other, it is an added bonus. These factors help team members in improving themselves without having to judge.

It also showcases the organization's employee-centric culture focuses on empowering and building leadership qualities.

Encouraging Team Spirit in the Workplace

The presence of team spirit defines a good workplace culture. Here are five easy ways to help you and the organization to incorporate and encourage team spirit in the workplace.

1. Great Communication Flow

To incorporate a high team spirit, team members must have a mutual understanding to help each other during difficult times. And it is only possible if there is a good communication flow. Without proper and open communication, there is an increase in misunderstandings that eventually hinder the organization's team spirit and workflow.

Therefore, employees must often communicate verbally or with the help of online tools. But the tools and channels should be effective so that timely interaction is possible.

2. Organize Team Lunches and Events!

Taking the team out for lunch and social events is an effective way to improve team spirit. Team members get to know each other and connect well, which fosters a healthy relationship.

It is also considered an excellent team-building practice where employees can destress and rejuvenate themselves to increase efficiency.

3. Make Room for Appreciation

As a manager and a team member, when you appreciate someone for their excellent work, it boosts their morale. Furthermore, employee appreciation will influence the team to improve and work harder. This encourages healthy competition and increased efficiency. In the long run, it will increase the team's spirit and make them valuable assets to the organization.

Therefore, it is essential to appreciate and award all the hard work and dedication to increase team engagement and loyalty.

You can go about it in a number of creative ways, such as bulletin boards, shout-outs on social media, team activities, on-spot rewards, and others. Luxury hotel chain Jumeirah Hotels & Resorts, for instance, recognize and celebrate its people's spirit with an annual event called Spirit week.

4. Practice Problem-Solving Skills

The practice of problem-solving is one of the most interesting ways to develop team spirit. Not only does it test the capabilities of a team, but it also encourages individual creativity and problem-solving ability. Successful teams work in synchronization to solve any obstacle that comes their way.

Here are a few points on how you can improve your team through the practice of problem-solving:

The right attitude and strategic planning towards the problem.

Asking the right questions and devising solutions.

Having an open mind and accepting the facts.

Being analytical to find the root cause of the problem.

Related Article: Probelm-Solving Skills

5. Mentoring your Employees!

Mentoring your employees is a crucial part of the workplace culture. Being a leader, it becomes your responsibility to guide them and never leave the scope for micromanagement that will hinder the mentoring process. The hard and soft skills gathered by a team member through mentoring improves the chances of elevating the team spirit.

It is essential to know where to focus your mentoring efforts so that you hit the bull's eye and increase the team's efficiency.

Summing It Up

A team's effectiveness within the organization will define their spirit and dedication. Cheering on every little accomplishment will increase the team's spirit and incorporate a belief that everything is achievable. Remember that consistency is the key to tackling issues that will unite everyone. Keep in mind that with unity comes success, and with success comes positivity.

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5 Ways to Encourage Team Spirit in your Organization

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Team spirit is a crucial element that increases enthusiasm and elevates engagement levels. Here are 5 ways of how a manager can foster team spirit in an organization.

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Nurture an Engaged and Satisfied Workforce | Vantage Circle HR Blog

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Are you struggling to build an effective team within your company? Do you see low morale, lack of productivity, and high turnover rates?

Building an effective team is crucial for the success of any business, yet it can be challenging. It requires a combination of clear goals and objectives, strong leadership, open communication, diversity, trust, and respect among team members.

But where do you begin? How do you know if your team is truly effective? These are important questions to consider when building an effective team within your company, and we intend to answer all your questions.

But before that, here is what Timothy A., a senior corporate investigator has to say about team building and its impact on workplace relationships.

The best part of working together is that you know you always have people. Among the many advantages of team building is the enhancement of relationships between workers. When member A of the team supports member B, B will eventually return the favor. Workers band together to take on challenges and share the Spotlight.

What Is an Effective Team in an Organization?

When we term a team as being "effective," it often:

Works collaboratively and efficiently towards a common goal or set of goals.

Practices clear communication, a shared understanding of roles and responsibilities, and a positive and productive team dynamic.

Adapts to changes and overcomes obstacles to achieve its objectives.

Importance of Effective team in an organization

Having an effective team at your side means half the battle is won.

An absolute team not only contains the basic skillset required to get the job done but also pools complementary skills that bring diverse perspectives and skills, which can lead to more innovative and effective solutions.

But here's the thing!!

Effective team building is a continuous process. As teams and their members evolve, it's necessary to regularly reassess and adjust the team's approach, goals and strategies.

This includes addressing any issues that may arise, such as conflicts or communication breakdowns, and implementing new strategies to improve performance.

Example

A great example of excellent teamwork was observed in Google in 2012 when it launched Project Aristotle. The company analyzed over 100 operational teams, where hundreds of employees were interviewed over several years. In the end, the conclusion was what competent managers have known for years: the best teams possess sensitivity and listen to one another.

We looked at 180 teams from all over the company. We had lots of data, but there was nothing showing that a mix of specific personality types or skills or backgrounds made an difference. The 'who' part of the equation didn't seem to matter."
Abeer Dubey (Manager, Google Analytics Division)

Attributes of an Effective Team

Behind any successful brand or company lies an effective team that showcases certain dominant attributes that shouldn't be ignored during team building. They are essential for achieving the team's goals and objectives and creating a high-yielding and prolific team.

Clear goals and objectives provide direction and purpose for the team.

Strong communication and trust among team members enable them to share ideas and collaborate effectively.

Diversity and inclusiveness lead to more innovative and effective solutions.

Collaboration in the workplace and teamwork are vital for achieving common goals.

Flexibility and adaptability help the team to adapt to changing circumstances.

Strong leadership guides the team toward achieving its goals and objectives.

Accountability ensures that team members take ownership of their work.

Steps to build an effective team in an organization

1. Set the Vision and Purpose

Make clear what the team is trying to accomplish, including the overall goal. Are there any changes you would like to make, create, or improve? How does each team member's role contribute to the success? Teamwork and decision-making are guided by a clear, inspiring vision for the future.

But how do you ensure the members are heading toward the set direction or goal?

Losing purpose while working towards a goal is a pretty common thing. The idea is to reinforce the vision for persistent perusal. It's thus important to address challenges and opportunities as they arise and to regularly assess and adjust the team's approach and strategies as needed.

2.Set Goals for expectations

Setting goals for your team is a tricky step. Without that, your team will be blindsided and lost. Some will have a clean slate, and although they may be open to all cultures, setting expectations and ground rules is important.

It is important to let them know the kind of environment and company culture they are expected to maintain. It will avoid any confrontations and conflicts.

As per a study, the likelihood of employees being engaged in their job is 6 times higher when they know what they are supposed to accomplish and are allowed to work freely. Their quality of life is also 3 times higher.

So, What NOT TO DO while setting expectations?

It is important to hold back while setting expectations. You should consider the team's experience, caliber, and skills before you set them and must not do the following.

If the expectations are too high, team members may feel overwhelmed and discouraged if they cannot meet them.

Inflexibility

Setting expectations can create a rigid framework within which team members feel they have to operate, which can stifle creativity and innovation.

Lack of ownership

When a leader or manager sets expectations, team members may feel less invested in the team's success, as they feel that the goals differ from theirs.

Negative impact on morale

If team members feel that they are constantly being held to a strict set of expectations, it can lead to lower morale and motivation.

Lack of trust

If expectations are not met, it can create mistrust among team members and between team members and management.

It's important to balance setting expectations with fostering an environment that encourages creativity, autonomy, and teamwork.

3. Assemble your team

Ensure to build your team by pulling in passionate members ready to embrace the company's vision and work towards it. Including members with diverse skills and communities is important so your team can be a tad different and diverse than homogenous teams.

In fact, as per a study, diverse teams with members from different ages, gender, and ethnicity perform better by up to 35% than homogenous teams.

But building an all-comprehensive team is easier said than done. Problems like unconscious bias, stereotypes, and prejudices may hinder your ability to select the right candidates for the job.

So, how to go about it?

Consciousness, empathy, understanding, cognizance, and acknowledgment of the diverse reach of your team will help you take the right call.

Encourage open and honest communication and provide a safe space for team members to share their thoughts and concerns.

It's also important to have clear policies and procedures in place to address any issues of discrimination or prejudice that may arise.

Finally, don't forget to trust your gut! Remember, building a team calls for much responsibility on your part as your team members while trying to uphold it.

Determine the Goals
This is where you step up to your responsibility by educating your team regarding the goals and targets. Breaking the vision into facile and manageable jobs with milestones and achievements will help you lead the team toward success.

Cooperation is the thorough conviction that nobody can get there unless everybody gets there."
- Virginia Burden, Author

However, problems can arise when determining goals, such as lack of clarity, misalignment, limited perspectives, and inadequate resources.

So, how can you avoid such problems?

Taking time to know each member and explain the goals, investing in team-building events, or bonding exercises can bring everyone on the same page.

Reinforcement of goals through weekly meetings, brainstorming sessions, and knowledge-sharing discussions is also a good way to ensure a smooth process.

Positive work culture can help to build a sense of unity and cohesion within the team, resulting in greater success in achieving shared goals.

5. Enkindle relations within the team

For a friction-free environment, it is important to engender relations within the team. Respecting team members and colleagues without bigotry is the key to building bonds and molding a high-performance and thriving team.

Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence win championships."
- Michael Jordan

Monitor and Review
Monitoring and review during team building are essential to evaluate the team's performance and progress towards achieving their goals. If you are focussed on creating an effective team, then asking the following questions will help you realize where you stand in fulfilling goals and tasks.

What progress has been made toward achieving the team's goals?

Are team members working effectively together?

Are there any issues or challenges that the team is facing?

Are there any areas where you can take action to improve the team's performance?

Are there any changes that need to be made to the team's goals or objectives?

These questions will give you the much needed wriggle room with your team, especially during roadblocks and conflicts, while helping you augment the team's potential.

7. Conflict Management Strategy

A set strategy for conflict management is the heart of effective team building. If you cannot handle and sort conflicts for your team, interruptions may become full stops for the projects.

But what is conflict management?

Conflict management is the art of resolving conflicts without compromising goals, respect, and dignity.

It refers to the strategies and techniques that a team leader or manager uses to resolve conflicts and can include effective communication, active listening, problem-solving, and compromise.

The goal of conflict management in team building is to address and resolve issues in a way that is productive and beneficial for the team as a whole rather than allowing conflicts to escalate and harm team dynamics.

8. Consensus is the Key

Consensus can help team building by promoting shared decision-making and ownership among team members. Consensus secures the commitment of every team member entirely, ensuring complete dedication.

When team members are involved in the decision-making process and feel their opinions and ideas are valued, they are more likely to buy into the decisions and work together to implement them.

When employees feel their opinions count, companies could benefit from a 27% decrease in turnover rate, a 40% decrease in safety incidents, and a 12% increase in productivity.

But achieving consensus from a team with heterogeneous skills takes work. It takes a lot of foresight, monologue, and effort to bring a team to sing the same song. Sometimes, however, even that is not enough.

So, what can a manager do to help in such situations?

The best way to deal with this is to have a 'conflict kicked Friday' where the members can discuss the issues and pain points.

Other decision-making tacks like 'vote of no confidence' or 'majority vote' often come handy to reach a consensus.

Finally, if nothing works, the manager can act as a tie-breaker, where his decision will be final.

Although nothing beats the glee of having all in the same team, the above methods will surely lead you halfway through, in case the team doesn't reach a consensus.

9. Celebrate, Acknowledge, and Reward

A simple thank you can take you a long way during team-building exercises. However, with platforms and software overtaking the various aspects of business, you can now make milestones, achievements, and rewards a grand affair.

Customized thank-you notes, personalized messages, emblematic rewards, and monetary rewards are a few ways to acknowledge a member's contributions.

But if you are asking the question of why acknowledgment and reward are such a big deal, we would love to elaborate on that;

Celebrating team successes helps to create a positive and uplifting atmosphere, fostering a sense of accomplishment and pride among team members.

Acknowledging individual efforts helps increase motivation and recognition of hard work, which can increase productivity and employee engagement.

Rewarding hard work and achievements helps to promote a culture of accountability and ownership, encouraging team members to take on leadership roles and continuously improve.

Additionally, recognizing and rewarding team membersfor their efforts can build trust and collaboration among team members, fostering a sense of belonging and camaraderie.

Specialized platforms and collaboration tools are dedicated to employee engagement and collaborative work. They help build internal and external relationships. Thus, they enable teams to maintain psychological and social stability surrounding their work-life.

An innovative platform dedicated to employee performance management and redefining corporate rewards is the rewards and recognitions program of Vantage circle. It's a SAAS-based and AI-fueled platform that redefines the meaning of rewards with its plethora of customized awards and token rewards.

10. An Effective Leader can go a long way

Leadership is much more an art, a belief, a condition of the heart, than a set of things to do."
-Max De Pree

An effective manager can have a great impact on the team. Leaders are more than just giving instructions and reading guidelines merely. The right leader believes in the evolution of leadership according to the team and molds accordingly.

An effective manager can inspire honesty, innovation, and integrity. A manager can motivate the team in the right way and set the tide toward the right goal.

Similarly, a bad manager can totally ruin the team and lead it toward catastrophe. As they say, ' a leader must inspire, or the team will expire' hold the right ring. After all, a slacking manager can be the biggest misstep for a team.

Conclusion

Team building and teamwork, although different, are continuous processes because they require persistent attention and efforts to maintain and improve the team's effectiveness over time.

Effective team building is like a puzzle. Each team member is a unique piece that, when put together, creates a beautiful and powerful image.

An intuitive leader is like the glue that holds all the pieces together, but it takes the cooperation and commitment of each team member to make the final image come to life. So, don't be a loose piece, be a part of the puzzle and let's make the team-building process fun and successful!

FAQs

1. What is effective team building?

Team building is a process that helps a teams and groups to become more cohesive over time. It takes a little bit of everything to make it great - a dash of trust, a pinch of cooperation, a sprinkle of communication, and a whole lot of cracking eggs (i.e., getting out of your comfort zone). But what you get is a breakfast of champions!"

2. What are 7 team building strategies?

1. Communication and active listening

2. Trust-building exercises:

3. Collaborative problem-solving

4. Social and recreational activities

5. Recognition and rewards

6. Leadership & Coaching

7. Setting clear goals & objectives

3. What are the 4 pillars of effective team building?

Think of it like a castle. Communication is the walls, keeping everything inside, while trust serves as the moat, keeping everything secure, while collaboration acts as the army, ready to defend and conquer. Aligning goals is the king, leading the charge, and together they create a fortress of team building success.

4. How do you bring the team closer for effective team building?

You must be bold and willing to shake things up!

Try new team-building activities, regularly schedule team retreats, or switch up the office layout to encourage collaboration.

The key to success is open communication, trust, and willingness to step out of your comfort zone and try new things. So, don't be afraid to mix it up and watch your team soar to new heights of success!

5. What is the 5 big teamwork model?

The 5 big teamwork model suggests that a team's success is influenced by the interplay of five key elements: composition, context, processes, supportive structure, and leadership.

By focusing on these five elements, teams can improve their performance and achieve their goals. The model was developed by Dr. Richard Hackman, has been extensively researched and tested, and has been proven effective in various settings.

6. How do you build team culture?

Building a team culture that fosters success and excellence is not for the faint of heart. It takes bold leadership, clear communication, and a willingness to shake things up. Create opportunities for team members to bond and have fun.

effective team building is like constructing a house. It starts with a strong foundation of shared values and goals, and then you add the bricks of open communication, trust, and collaboration. Throw in a few design touches like recognition and celebration, and voila! You've got a beautiful team culture that will stand the test of time.

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10 Ways to Build an Effective Team: A Complete Guide For 2023

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Are you managing skills or people? Learn how to build a great team by following these 10 core steps of influential team building.

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Hygger: Project Management Software & Tools for Companies

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When an efficient team starts to work, their efforts turn to productive results.

In order to gather a productive team, you need to identify the core characteristics of effective teamwork.

It may sound easy: a team is a group of people who work together to achieve common goals. However, how to make them successful?

What makes one team effective while others are not is a bit complex. Characteristics of effective teamwork include the ability to set aside personal prejudices and the willingness to take on group responsibilities.

An important leadership competency in small and midsize businesses for any company's manager is the ability to create, manage and lead high performing teams.

To remain competitive, people must work closely together and collaborate effectively across the company to get tasks accomplished quickly enough. Here we combine 11 characteristics of high-performing and effective teams:

11 Characteristics of Effective Teams

1. Clear direction

Yes, it's about a clear sense of purpose and measurable objectives. This unifies the group and every team member knows why the group exists.

Unfortunately, often companies are in such a hurry to move on their projects that they pull together groups of people without deciding on the goals and desired results. A clear goal is a fuel that drives each member's effort.

First, you need to realize and communicate the team goals and desired outcomes. Use them for clear direction for the team you select and leave the team flexibility to develop the best way to get there.

2. Open doors and clear communication

Communication is crucial for building a sense of camaraderie between team members.

Clear and transparent communication is when the team is able to communicate effectively and there is a feeling of open communicative relations between all members of the group. All the issues are handled by face-to-face communication and team members do not talk behind each other's back.

Keep your door open to let your coworkers be with you. The more freely you talk to your team members, the more comfortable you are in sharing ideas and insights. This is one of the reasons why modern businesses emphasize communication and collaboration tools.

Here, it's a relevant thing to add a couple of words about listening. It is not just a way to find things out but also a sign of respect. Listen like you mean it and demonstrate that you're listening.

3. Collaboration spirit

The more you collaborate and communicate, the more you create and the better products you get. Thorough and close collaboration is a trait shared by every high-performing team.

It can be difficult, especially if some members possess strong personalities. Successful teams tend to have strong leaders that are able to keep everybody on the same page while keeping the petty bickering to a minimum.

4. Playing by the rules

Any team should have a set of rules that determines its operating procedures and acts. This set helps to keep the team on track and eliminate any ambiguity. It means that everyone has to agree to the rules beforehand.

5. Defined roles

Skill sets, specific roles, and thinking styles are required for teams.

If it's needed to develop a new product, the team will need a detail-oriented person who can keep the team on track.

An explorer is also an important role because he/she can be more of a big-picture thinker who can help the team see what is possible. There is also a need for a person who will be responsible for measurement and metrics.

Of course, your team may have other roles, but you should have a good handle on those roles before you begin managing the team.

6. Encouraging differences in opinions

"The strength of the team is each individual member. The strength of each member is the team." Phil Jackson

Common goals and their agreement are essential. However, it's not about suppressing alternative ideas and opinions. Divergent opinions within a team may enhance team performance.

7. Mutual accountability

High-performing teams accept responsibility as individuals and as a team. Team members should not blame one another for mistakes and failures. And no one should spend time in personal justifications.

Any success should be celebrated together.

8. Team trust

The truth is - team members who cannot trust one other or and do not believe in the defined team goals seldom get success.

Focusing on solving problems is a natural thing for effective teams. There can be trust between team members only if they can translate their views freely.

That's why managers and team leaders often undertake team building exercises and problem-solving activities that put everyone in positions of trust.

9. Decision making

There are a built-in decision-making system and a hierarchy in any effective team. They help teams to react quickly and effectively to all situations. Each member is respected for the various areas of expertise, and the leader obtains the members' opinions to formulate the group's response.

10. Efficient use of ideas

Generating ideas is a crucial skill for all teams. Brainstorming is one of the ways to come up with a solution to a problem. Every team member should be able to propose information and formulate that information into a response.

11. Having fun

Permanent work can lead to burnout and lack of productivity, so it's important for any team to have time for fun and relaxation. It shouldn't be just work and no play.

Collaborative groups that work particularly well together should enjoy each other's company and get together outside of the office sometimes to socialize and have fun.

Creating such positive relationships with colleagues can make for a much more relaxed environment and reduce conflicts.

Conclusion

A powerful team is the foundation of a high-performing business and a good team ethic may lead to the success and smooth running of a company. If employees do not feel each other's support and do not work well together, problems, conflicts, and risks can arise.

The characteristics mentioned above are definitely required for the teams' great performance and the total company's success.
Would you like to learn about some threatening roles in companies that only interfere with the processes and inhibit the overall teamwork? Watch this fun video here:

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How to Define an Effective Team? 11 Characteristics | Hygger.io

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✅How to Define an Effective Team? 11 Characteristics - Read Article by Autor Pavel Kukhnavets. ➤See also other materials in Collaboration category at Hygger.io Blog.

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Did you know that the word "accountability" comes from the Latin word "computare," which means "to calculate"? It's a funny coincidence because when it comes to team accountability, you must keep track of everyone's contributions!

Team accountability has existed for centuries, but it's more important than ever in today's fast-paced and competitive world. A team can quickly fall apart without accountability, like a Jenga tower missing a crucial block. But don't worry; we're not here to be a Debbie Downer about it! We're here to show you how fun and empowering accountability can be.

Imagine your team being a group of superheroes, each with a unique power. But even superheroes need to work together and be accountable for their actions. Batman can't just disappear during a team mission, leaving Robin to do all the work. And just like the Avengers, your team needs to be accountable for saving the day, even if it means sacrificing a little personal glory.

So, are you ready to take your team to the next level with accountability? We promise it's not as scary as it sounds. It's downright empowering. Stick around, and we'll show you how!

What is Team Accountability?

"Individual commitment to a group effort - that is what makes a team work, a company work, a society work, a civilization work." - Vince Lombardi

Team accountability is the shared responsibility of a team to achieve its goals, fulfill its obligations, and be accountable for its actions. It is the understanding that the success or failure of a team is not the responsibility of any individual but rather the collective effort of the team as a whole. In a team that practices accountability, each member is responsible for their own tasks and ensuring that their work contributes to the team's overall success.

In a business setting, team accountability is crucial to achieving organizational goals. It ensures that every team member is on the same page, working towards the same objective, and taking ownership of their role in the team's success. When a team is accountable, it fosters a culture of trust, collaboration, and communication. It also encourages individual and team growth, motivating each member to learn, improve, and contribute their best efforts.

For example, imagine a marketing team responsible for launching a new product. Each team member has specific tasks to complete, such as creating social media posts, designing graphics, and writing email copy. If one team member fails to complete their tasks on time, it can delay the entire launch and risk the project's success. However, if the team is held accountable for their individual tasks and the project's success, everyone is motivated to work together to ensure that the launch is a success.

In conclusion, team accountability is the foundation of a successful and high-performing team. It fosters a culture of ownership, responsibility, and collaboration, leading to better communication, productivity, and overall success in achieving organizational goals. As Vince Lombardi once said, "The achievements of an organization are the results of the combined effort of each individual."

To understand the benefits of team accountability in detail, jump into the next section, where we've discussed the various advantages of team accountability.

What Are The Benefits?

Whether part of a startup or an established corporation, having a high-performing team is critical to achieving your goals. That's where team accountability comes in - ensuring everyone is responsible for their actions and collectively accountable for achieving team objectives. Here, we'll explore the 7 benefits of team accountability and how they can help improve team dynamics, productivity, and overall success.

1. Strengthens Culture

When team members are held accountable for their work, they are likelier to take ownership of their tasks and demonstrate a strong work ethic. This promotes a sense of unity and belonging, and team members become more invested in the team's success. For example, if a team is working on a project, each member should be responsible for delivering their part on time to ensure the overall project's success. Also, a study proves that 88% of employees believe having a strong company culture is essential for business success.

2. Improves Team Collaboration

An online accountability system encourages collaboration and helps team members work together more efficiently. By sharing progress reports, feedback, and deadlines, team members can stay on track and avoid miscommunications. Collaboration is essential for complex projects that require input from different team members. According to a study, companies that promote collaborative working are five times as likely to be high-performing.

3. Promotes Ownership

An online team accountability system can help foster a sense of ownership and responsibility in team members. By assigning tasks and deadlines, team members are empowered to take ownership of their work and deliver high-quality results. When team members feel a sense of ownership, they are more likely to take pride in their work and go above and beyond to meet their targets.

4. Builds Trust

Trust is a vital component of any successful team. A team accountability system promotes trust by providing transparency and promoting accountability. By sharing progress reports, feedback, and deadlines, team members can keep each other accountable and avoid misunderstandings. Trust allows team members to rely on each other, which is crucial for successful teamwork. A study by Harvard business review found that trust is the most significant predictor of team performance, and teams with high levels of trust have 106% more energy, 50% more productivity, and 76% more engagement.

5. Reduces Conflict

Conflict is inevitable in any team, but having a team accountability system can help reduce it. By promoting transparency and accountability, team members can avoid misunderstandings and conflicts. When team members have clear expectations and deadlines, they are more likely to deliver quality work and avoid conflicts.

6. Ensures High Transparency

Team accountability promotes transparency, which is essential for successful teamwork. By sharing progress reports, feedback, and deadlines, team members can stay informed about each other's work and progress. Transparency promotes trust and accountability and ensures everyone is on the same page.

7. Forecasts Errors

It helps teams identify potential problems and errors before they occur. When everyone is accountable for their work, it's easier to catch and correct mistakes before they become bigger issues. This assists teams in avoiding errors and delays, which can be costly and damaging to the team's success. It's important because, according to a study, 37% of projects fail due to a lack of defined goals and objectives.

If you're interested in implementing team accountability effectively, stay tuned for our next section, where we'll discuss the online team accountability challenges you might encounter and how to overcome them.

What Are The Online Team Accountability Challenges?

In today's virtual world, online team accountability has become a major concern for many organizations. As companies increasingly shift towards remote work environments, managing teams in a virtual space has presented a unique set of challenges.

Here are four online team accountability challenges and how they can impact a team's success:

1. Lack of Face-to-Face Interaction

With remote work, ensuring team members remain on task and aligned with goals is challenging. When there's a lack of face-to-face interaction, it becomes easier for team members to avoid accountability. For instance, team members might not respond to emails or messages or miss deadlines without proper communication.

2. Difficulty in Tracking Progress

Tracking progress and deadlines is crucial for maintaining accountability within a team. However, online workspaces can make monitoring team members' progress challenging. Like, team members may not update their project management tools regularly or report their progress, making tracking the project's status difficult.

3. Time Zone and Schedule Conflicts

When teams are distributed worldwide, time zone differences can create challenges. Scheduling team meetings and keeping everyone on the same page can be challenging when team members are in different time zones. This can lead to communication gaps and a lack of accountability, as members may not be available for important discussions.

4. Technology and Connectivity Issues

One of the biggest challenges of virtual teamwork is the reliance on technology. Technical glitches and connectivity issues can disrupt workflows and communication, leading to missed deadlines and accountability issues.

To overcome these challenges, it's important to establish clear expectations, set deadlines and communication protocols, and provide regular feedback. In the next section, we'll dive deeper into 10 ways to maintain team accountability, improve communication, and build trust to ensure success in the virtual workplace.

10 Ways To Maintain Accountability In Your Team

Accountability is crucial for the success of any team, but maintaining it can be challenging. As a team leader, maintaining accountability can be a daunting task. It requires focus, consistency, and a willingness to hold yourself and your team members responsible for their actions. However, with the right strategies, you can improve accountability and create a culture of responsibility within your team.

Here, we will discuss 10 creative ways to maintain accountability in your team that will help you improve team performance and achieve your goals. These strategies will improve team accountability and promote a positive work environment.

1. Hold Yourself Accountable

Before you can hold your team accountable, you must hold yourself accountable. Regularly assess your performance and be honest about where to improve. You must assess your leadership style and ensure you set the right example for your team. Reflect on your communication skills and ensure your expectations are clear and concise.

2. Make Everyone Responsible for Team Meetings

It's important to make everyone responsible for team meetings to ensure accountability. Assign roles to team members, such as note-taker or timekeepers, to encourage active participation and ensure everyone contributes.

3. Set Clear Expectations

Setting clear expectations is essential to maintain accountability. Clearly define each team member's role and responsibilities, and communicate expectations for their performance. Be specific and provide measurable, achievable, and relevant goals for the team's objectives.

4. Track Progress

To track progress, regularly review progress toward goals and provide feedback to team members. This can be done through one-on-one meetings, progress reports, or regular team check-ins. Use spreadsheets or project management software to monitor progress and identify areas where improvements can be made.

5. Improve Communication

Effective communication is key to maintaining accountability. Encourage open and honest communication between team members and provide opportunities for regular feedback to promote growth and development. Use tools like project management software or team collaboration platforms to streamline communication.

Imagine you're part of a team working on a project. You have an idea, but it's hard to articulate it in words. You try sending a long email, but it doesn't capture your vision. Enter Bit.ai - a collaborative document platform that enhances communication among team members.

Bit.ai is an all-in-one knowledge management and document collaboration platform designed for the modern-day workplace. Bit's platform helps teams create, collaborate, share, track, and manage knowledge in one place.

Bit provides a commonplace for everyone to collaborate in real-time and create documents, brainstorm ideas, share digital and media assets, share knowledge, and get work done collaboratively.

On Bit, you can easily create multiple workspaces and folders around projects, teams, departments, and clients in order to store and manage information in an organized manner. It ensures that the right team members have access to the right documents at the right time!

Bit's workspaces each have their own content library where you can add various types of digital or media assets such as images, files, PDFs, Google Docs, Dropbox files, SlideShares, YouTube videos, visual web links, presentations, and more. The content library is connected to your Bit documents so that you can quickly collaborate, search, insert, and build your interactive documents quickly.

But that's not all. Bit.ai also offers powerful real-time collaboration features like co-authoring, commenting, highlighting, @mentioning, and more! This means your team can work together seamlessly, with everyone on the same page.

And if you ever need to share your documents with people outside your team, Bit.ai has got you covered. You can easily set permissions and control who can view and edit your documents.

In short, Bit.ai takes communication and collaboration to the next level. With its interactive documents and powerful collaboration features, you can ensure your team is always on the same page and working towards a shared vision.

6. Follow-Up

Following up with team members is essential to ensure they are on track and meeting their goals. Regular check-ins can help identify potential issues and provide opportunities for course correction. Be consistent and fair in enforcing consequences for missed deadlines or incomplete work.

7. Help in Creating Good Work Relationship Among Teammates

Building strong relationships between team members is essential to maintaining accountability. Foster a positive and supportive work environment by promoting teamwork, collaboration, and mutual respect. Encourage team members to build relationships outside work through team-building activities or social events.

8. Embrace Mistakes

Mistakes are a natural part of the learning process. Embrace them and encourage team members to learn from their mistakes and use them as an opportunity for growth. Create a culture that values honesty and transparency and celebrates learning and development.

9. Reward Work

Recognize and reward team members for their progress and achievements. Celebrate team members who have gone above and beyond to achieve their goals. This may include bonuses, promotions, or other forms of recognition.

10. Celebrate Successes

Celebrate team successes and milestones to foster a sense of pride and accomplishment. Take the time to recognize team members who have achieved their goals and celebrate their successes as a team. You can include team outings, celebratory lunches, or other team-building activities.

In the end, maintaining accountability is crucial for the success of any team. These ten creative strategies will help you improve team accountability, promote a positive work environment, and achieve your goals. If you want to learn how to implement a team accountability plan, keep reading our next section.

How To Implement A Team Accountability Plan?

Do you want to implement a team accountability plan? Looks like someone's trying to keep their team in check. Don't worry; we've heard you and presented a clear way to implement a team accountability plan. So, if you're looking to implement a team accountability plan in your organization, here are a few things to keep in mind:

First and foremost, make sure everyone is on the same page. You don't want one person thinking they're responsible for everything while the others are just enjoying a bag of chips. That's not teamwork; that's a recipe for disaster.

Next, set clear goals and deadlines. It's hard to hold someone accountable if they don't know what they're accountable for. And let's be real, we all need a little push sometimes to get things done on time.

Now, here's where things get fun. Hold each other accountable! Yes, you heard me right. If you see your colleague slacking off, don't be afraid to call them out (in a friendly way). And if you're the one slacking off, be open to feedback and take responsibility for your actions.

Remember, accountability is not about blame or punishment. It's about taking ownership of our work and supporting each other to achieve our goals.

So there you have it, folks. Implementing a team accountability plan is all about communication, clear goals, and holding each other accountable. Now, let's go out there and crush those deadlines!

Wrapping Up

And that's a wrap, guys! You now know everything there is to know about team accountability. From its benefits to the challenges, and even ways to implement it fun and engagingly. But don't just let this newfound knowledge sit idle. It's time to take action! Head over to Bit.ai, the ultimate collaboration platform that will help you achieve team accountability like a pro. With its real-time collaboration, document tracking, version history, and project management features, you can enhance communication and keep your team accountable and on track. So, what are you waiting for? Let's hold ourselves accountable and get the job done!
Further Reads: Manage Remote Employees: Expert Tips to Keep Your Team Productive & Connected! Top Knowledge-Sharing Methods for Enhanced Productivity & Innovation Workplace IceBreakers: Ask The Right Questions To Know Your Team! Remote Work Challenges and How To Overcome Them Like a Pro? Remote Employee Onboarding Checklist and Best Practises!

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Team Accountability: What is it and How To Improve it?

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Team accountability is the collective duty of a team to accomplish its objectives, carry out its duties, and be accountable for its activities.

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Accountability - it's the willingness to accept personal responsibility for our own actions. And successful teams can't thrive without it.

Ever worked on a team routinely plagued with missed deadlines, broken promises, or vague expectations? Or where managers constantly nagged and micromanaged? It's likely the team didn't have a culture of accountability.

Accountability fosters better work relationships, improves job satisfaction, and helps teams work more effectively together. It empowers ICs with ownership over their work and fuels more effective teamwork, since folks know they can count on each other to get things done. Mastering team accountability can help teams have better performance discussions and hold each other accountable in a more supportive way too. It inspires individuals to exceed their goals and improve their performance, and it's intrinsically linked to results (and revenue). Employee engagement, according to Gallup, helps companies outperform their competitors, and can result in 21% greater profitability.

Despite the clear benefits, if your team struggles with accountability you're not alone. 25% of remote managers say lack of accountability is one of the biggest hurdles their team needs to overcome. According to another study, 93% of employees don't understand what their team is trying to accomplish (let alone how they can contribute to help get there), and 85% of leaders aren't defining clear enough expectations for employees in the first place.

What is team accountability?

On a team, accountability means the team follows through on its commitments, finishes projects on time, and meets its goals. Team accountability requires each individual to be accountable for their own piece too - both for long-term goals and day-to-day work. On teams with strong accountability, ICs take ownership of their work, communicate openly and often about commitments, and complete tasks they commit to in a timely manner.

So often, teams only discuss accountability when things go wrong. It can be a term charged with negative connotations including stress, fear, and even disciplinary measures. But it doesn't need to be.

Building systems for team accountability - like regular planning and goal-setting, or standards around sharing progress updates - ensures accountability feels fair and non-judgemental. It's less about a manager or teammate nagging you for information, and more about adhering to a process everyone has agreed upon. The system holds you accountable, not just the people.

Why remote teams struggle with accountability

It's harder to align on expectations

When you work remotely, you miss out on natural opportunities to build alignment and ask questions. It can be harder for folks to know what's expected on any given project or of certain roles, which can lead to unnecessary work and misunderstandings. Teammates might feel like someone is dropping the ball, when in fact, it's actually not that person's responsibility or they didn't even know it was in the first place. Plus, when you're spread across multiple time zones, it can be challenging to know what's expected in terms of ways of working, online hours, or response times over Slack or email.

Communication takes more work

Developing remote practices for communication that successfully keep everyone in the loop can be daunting at first. Teammates often feel like they're spending more time reporting on their work than getting work done. For managers, it can feel like there are endless status updates floating around in their inbox, project management systems, or both. Some people share too much; others share too little. Important updates can easily get lost in the mix and, if there's not a single source of truth, it's hard to track down what's been shared in the past.

The pressure to report on progress: Especially for teams new to remote work, there's often added pressure from leadership to report on progress. Leaders want to know teams and projects are running smoothly. Generally, this comes from a place of good intention, but can quickly create a trickle-down micromanagement effect as managers and leads scramble to stay on top of their team.

It can be harder to feel progress and purpose

When you work from home, it can be easy to forget about the rest of the team and how your work fits into the bigger picture. It's harder to keep tabs on team goals, especially if they're not being talked about regularly, and oftentimes folks start to doubt whether their work is impactful, resulting in a lack of engagement and lower levels of motivation. When individuals lose momentum, projects stall, and the team is more likely to experience burnout. When you're remote, it's also easier to focus on individual work over collaborative projects - which ultimately changes what work gets done.

3 ways managers can foster remote accountability

1. Define clear expectations around roles, projects, and ways of working

When you WFH, things that were naturally resolved or aligned upon when you sat together in an office can take a lot more effort and intentionality. To fill these gaps, it's important to develop standardized practices that focus on communicating expectations with specificity and clarity.

Use the S.M.A.R.T.E.R framework: Whether you're defining expectations for a particular project, role, or your team as a whole, one tool that helps with assessing specificity and clarity is the S.M.A.R.T.E.R. framework. This framework makes certain your expectation is specific, measurable, attainable, results-oriented, trackable, ethical, and recorded.

Outline clear WFH policies: After we went fully remote, our team found it helpful to create a WFH policy that outlined clear expectations around ways of working. In the policy, we include things like: defining core work hours, windowed work (https://www.range.co/blog/windowedwork), and communicating around vacation and absences. The key is transparency. Be abundantly clear about your expectations and any potential consequences, while also acknowledging that WFH presents its own unique set of challenges. Show empathy and allow for flexibility - you never know what else team members may be juggling at home.

Create a detailed project spec template: Project specs and one-pagers help teams create alignment and clearly define expectations. Each one should include a clear timeline (that's specific on timezones - "code freeze goes into effect on May 11 at 5:00 pm PST"), outline project ownership (including a RACI chart), and have specific details on the deliverable (if possible, provide examples). It can be helpful to create a project spec template for your team to save time and ensure a standard set of information is included in each one. Not sure where to start? Check out our project spec template.

Define project ownership: When there is a lack of clarity around project ownership, managers often feel the need to micromanage because there isn't a point person and they're worried about dropping the ball. Take a look at all the major projects that you have going on this quarter, and review the owners for each task. Does each task have one clear, identifiable owner? If not, work with your team to define who owns what. Many teams also like to use a RACI chart for each project - clarifying who should be responsible, accountable, consulted, and informed on the work.

Clearly define roles: When people know their role, they're more likely to feel a sense of ownership and take charge of their work. Likewise, when teammates understand each other's roles, it strengthens collaboration, communication, and trust because they know who to turn to for what and what is (and isn't) expected. As a manager, make it a point to publicize everyone's role and revisit expectations on a regular basis.

2. Build habits around daily planning and long-term goal setting

To be accountable to yourself and your team, first you need to define what you're actually trying to accomplish.

Start the day with an individual planning exercise: For remote teams, where folks naturally have more freedom and less guidance in their day-to-day, daily planning is a small practice that can help build up personal accountability over time. On our team, individuals create their own plan for the day every morning and share it as a part of their Check-in. Especially since going fully remote, we've found it to be a helpful tool in building individual autonomy and self-awareness.

Have regular conversations around commitments and outcomes: As a team, set up a system for committing to work for a period of time - maybe it's a two-week sprint or a month. Then include ways to check in and follow up with each other. On our team, we set expectations together in our sprint planning meeting for the coming two-week cycle, share updates about the work through our daily Check-ins, and then reflect together in a retro at the end of the sprint. The goal of this process isn't necessarily that everyone meets their commitments 100% of the time, but rather to start a conversation about why not and what's getting in the way (to create accountability measures).

Set team and individual OKRs: For longer-term goal-setting, you can help your team align their work with purpose by setting strong OKRs (objectives and key results). OKRs are goals that outline the why, in addition to the what and how. They help teams see how individual work ladders up to the big picture or a specific business objective and can be a powerful way to help folks feel their impact.

3. Create a practice of sharing progress and checking in on commitments

Daily progress updates - whether through a team standup, scrum meeting, or async Check-in - encourage more individual accountability by building expectations around sharing and moving work forward. When folks know the team cares about their work and is following their progress, they feel more motivated to get it done. When done right, daily updates can also improve transparency and make remote communication less burdensome and more impactful.

Try daily written updates: Written progress updates are easier for remote teams because they work for everyone's schedule and can be read or referenced later on. You can use Range Check-ins to make the process even easier. Teams find them to be more effective and less time-intensive than other styles of status updates. Managers can see what everyone is working on in one place, ICs can easily pull in tasks from other tools to create an all-up view of their work in under 5 minutes, and leadership always has a line of sight into your team's accomplishments.

"As a manager, Check-ins really helped me do away with all the weekly status reports in email." - Kristin Toole, Adobe

Engage with each other's updates: Showing that individual work directly impacts shared team goals is a powerful way to build team accountability. One way our team does this is by reading (and engaging with) each other's Check-ins. It helps reinforce the idea that individual work matters and shows folks their work has an impact on the team's success and results. We've also found it helps our team feel more connected around shared goals, which has helped bring us together as a remote team and improves our team dynamic.

Give structure to your updates: As you build the habit of sharing daily updates, it can be helpful to give structure to the sharing to give folks a foundation and place to start. You'll likely want to try different formats and see what sticks for your team. Our team likes the GROW format - Goal, Reality, Opportunities/Obstacles, Wins.

Build a foundation of accountability on your team

Accountability should be something your team talks about daily, not just when there are gaps in performance or when things go wrong.

Building systems for accountability into your team's workflow can help ICs feel more empowered and help managers support them, without micromanagement. You can have better performance discussions, build healthy habits around planning and goal-setting, and achieve better results. If you want your team to be more effective, invest in team and individual accountability.
Start improving accountability with Range

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How to increase team accountability - even when you're remote

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While some teams struggle with accountability when they go remote, it doesn't have to be that way. Here are 3 ways managers can increase team accountability.

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If you think your team struggles with accountability, don't worry - you're not alone.

A recent study revealed that 82% of managers recognize that they have 'limited to no' ability to successfully hold others accountable, and 91% of employees consider effective accountability to be one of their company's top leadership development needs.

The reality is, most teams could use a lesson on this. Before we get into our tips, let's clarify what we mean by the term 'team accountability.'

What does team accountability mean?

You've probably grown up thinking that accountability means owning up to your mistakes. While this isn't an incorrect understanding, team accountability has a bit more to it.

Team accountability is about each member of a team following through on their portion of a teamwide commitment, and holding themselves responsible for delivering high-quality results.

Coworkers must understand that they have a responsibility to fulfill to achieve their collective team goals. If one person fails to take ownership of their work, then the entire team will struggle to meet its objectives.

If your team has accountability issues, you might be experiencing missed deadlines, repeated mistakes, fluctuating team performance resulting in unpredictable quality of work, or an overall lack of trust among team members.

Related: How To Manage Time And Never Miss A Deadline

Accountability challenges: Onsite vs. remote

The increased flexibility that has accompanied changes to workplace cultures in the wake of the pandemic has left many teams facing accountability issues.

Three main challenges remote and onsite teams face include the following:
#1 Low levels of trust
There are several causes of low trust - all of which damage team accountability.

Issues like high turnover can prevent coworkers from developing strong relationships, and a lack of personal connection can also prevent employees from feeling like they can rely on one another.

This is prevalent in remote teams in particular, where there are fewer opportunities for socializing, which means people must put in more effort to get to know their team members.
#2 Communication issues
Even teams who spend their days working together in an office face communication issues. But this problem is even more exacerbated for teams who primarily communicate via video calls or messaging platforms like Slack.

Remote or hybrid environments may leave employees with fewer opportunities to communicate updates with their team and work together to overcome challenges. The loss of nonverbal cues in remote workplaces makes it more difficult to practice accountability, especially since there are no body language cues to rely on when discussing shortcomings with a supervisor, for example.

Related: 15 Marketing Agency Software To Use in 2023

#3 Unclear responsibilities and priorities

In organizations with a structured hierarchy, employees at the bottom of the pyramid can become easily frustrated with changing company priorities. This ties into issues with communication discussed above, as it's difficult for an employee to practice personal accountability when they're not even sure what's expected of them.

Also read: 12 Free Project Budget Templates

12 ways to improve team accountability

Your accountability problem might be minor, or perhaps it's more severe. Regardless, there are steps you can take to mitigate the issue.

Here are 12 tips to improve team accountability.

1. Check in with yourself

The first step in improving team accountability is taking the time to check in with yourself and assess your team's current challenges. Ask yourself questions like:

How are these issues manifesting in our work or productivity?

Is this issue specific to one team member?

How am I potentially contributing to this issue?

It may be difficult to think critically about the last question on this list since it involves evaluating your behavior. As you consider it, keep in mind that self-awareness is an incredibly important quality for leaders to have.

Overall, it's crucial to collect your thoughts and assess the current situation before speaking with your team. You don't want your concerns to come off as condescending when you eventually relay them, so make sure you've thought through your grievances before airing them.

Related: Product Manager vs. Project Manager: Understanding the Differences

2. Schedule a team meeting

If you don't have standing check-ins with all of your team members, schedule a meeting to discuss your accountability concerns.

Again, this meeting doesn't have to be accusatory, rather, start by asking your team members to assess the team's strengths and weaknesses. This strategy will make your meeting feel more collaborative and will allow your team to share thoughts that you may not have considered.

Acknowledging that there is room for improvement provides a great segway into a discussion about expectations.

Related: What Does a Project Manager Do? A Look at 10 Key Responsibilities

3. Set clear expectations

Accountability issues are usually unintentional consequences of a larger problem, such as unclear expectations, responsibilities, and goals.

Before an employee can take responsibility for their shortcomings, they have to know what's expected of them. With that in mind, take time to address both your short-term and long-term expectations and set milestones they can hold themselves responsible for along the way.

Clearly outlining their responsibilities during this conversation will make it easier for you to hold them accountable if they fail to meet expectations later on.

Related: How to Write a Persuasive Project Proposal

4. Create a sense of purpose

Instilling a sense of purpose in your team is a great way to motivate them to practice accountability.

85% of employees said in a recent survey that they weren't sure what their organization's goals were. If you haven't already, walk your employees through how their work ties into larger company goals. This can serve as a helpful reminder that their work is larger than just themselves and that the firm is relying on them.

5. Improve communication

Some teams function best with daily standup meetings, whereas others thrive with occasional meetings and maximized individual work time.

Whatever the case for your team, establishing a channel of regular communication allows them to share regular updates and receive feedback, both of which are important to build team accountability.

If regular daily meetings are too much, consider implementing structured written updates where team members briefly summarize their progress and send it to the entire team. Transparency is essential, and keeping tabs on what everyone's working on is a great way to develop it.
Also read: How To Manage Communication In Projects
6. Build habits around task planning and goal setting

As we've discussed, some accountability issues are caused by an unclear division of responsibilities. The key is to eliminate uncertainty surrounding what needs to get done by assigning specific tasks and setting clear deadlines.

Implementing a project management software like Rodeo Drive can be extremely beneficial for this. For example, Rodeo Drive's planning feature allows you to add tasks using a timeline view of your projects. This allows you to manage your team's capacity at a glance, as you can see how many tasks each team member has on their plate for that day.

Rodeo Drive also allows project managers to see the number of hours that have been tracked toward a particular project and what percentage of the estimated budget has been spent on time activities and expenses.

These metrics all help with accountability, as you can see your team's progress, who can take on more tasks, who might need more support and coaching, as well as your project budget's health without having to micromanage.

If this sounds like something that might be helpful for your team, try Rodeo Drive for free.

Also read: The Ultimate Guide to Managing Projects Effectively

7. Help your team foster personal relationships

Strong personal relationships between team members establish trust, which is an important aspect of developing an employee's sense of responsibility. People are far less likely to miss deadlines when they know that doing so will cause more work for someone they care about.

If your team works in person, schedule team activities like happy hours or other bonding events to help everyone get to know each other better. Celebrating birthdays, asking how their weekend was, and showing care for their personal life will help create a positive work environment.

That said, it's significantly more difficult to promote bonding between employees in an online work environment. Help your team socialize remotely as much as possible by encouraging employees to take part in informal virtual coffee breaks to get to know each other.

Related: 100 Team-Building Questions for Stronger Team Bonds

8. Mediate strained relationships between team members

This step goes hand-in-hand with the previous one about building personal relationships, as a conflict between team members damages your team's capacity for trust and accountability.

This sort of harmful conflict should be resolved promptly. There might be larger reasons behind this distrust that require a supervisor's attention - perhaps work is being unequally distributed and one person is upset that they're bearing more responsibility.

of workers surveyed by the Center for Management & Organization Effectiveness thought managers should be better at resolving conflicts. Trust is critical in building accountability, and effective leaders step in to mend cracks in the team's foundation when they arise.

9. Maintain relationships with other high-performing teams in your organization

Each team within an organization has its own unique dynamic and workflow, so it could be beneficial for your team to see how other units operate successfully. For example, maybe they have an effective way of planning tasks that your team can implement.

Success depends on your ability to work well with others, so it's important to get to know your colleagues even if you don't interact with them daily.

10. Come to a mutual agreement on the next steps

Once you've met with your team about your accountability concerns, discussed the team's strengths and weaknesses, and established a clear method of planning tasks and goals, ensure you're all in agreement on what's next.

Your team accountability won't dramatically change overnight, but agreeing to the changes you've discussed allows you to hold them accountable if they fail to follow through. This way you're all on the same page regarding how to improve.

11. Regularly track progress

Having a centralized place where you can record what projects an employee is working on and what milestones they're working toward is a key piece of the accountability puzzle. This way you're knowledgeable about where they should be up to when you check in with them.

As we've already mentioned, project management software can keep track of employee progress, tasks, and projects for you. For instance, Rodeo Drive's reporting feature can provide you with a financial status overview of ongoing projects and closed projects, detailed time registration data, and finally, a breakdown of employee productivity.

Also read: What is Project Management? A 2023 View

12. Celebrate successes

Team members should never feel like their work is going unnoticed, as a lack of appreciation for accomplishments is not motivating.

Celebrating success is a great way to encourage accountability. Use these celebrations as a way for coworkers to strengthen their relationships by expressing gratitude for each other's contributions to the team's success.

Takeaway

Building accountability is a complex task - and many managers make the mistake of micromanaging their employees instead of establishing a supportive foundation for accountability to thrive.

Instead, we recommend leaning into relationship building, improving your communication channels, and setting clear expectations and team goals to improve performance.

Best of luck in implementing these 12 tips!

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12 Ways to Improve Team Accountability [Remote & Onsite]

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Poor team accountability can cause missed deadlines and poor performance. We've curated a list of 12 steps to take to help your team improve.

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When it comes to teaching, we must provide all students with the opportunity to learn in an equitable environment. This means that each student has access to the same quality of education, regardless of race, socio-economic status, identity, or background. It must happen to set all students up to learn and thrive in classrooms. The suggestions in this blog are designed to help any teacher in any school.

1.Recognize that all students have different needs

If you are teaching students from various backgrounds and cultures, it is crucial to recognize that they have diverse needs. This means that each student has different strengths and weaknesses, so we need to teach them in ways that honor and embrace their identities.

For example, some students struggle with reading comprehension while others struggle with math. If this is the case, your lessons should provide support so all students can succeed. Once we look at each student as unique and has unique strengths and needs, we can truly start reaching all students.

2.Pay attention to your mindset and be aware of any biases you may have

It is essential to be aware of our mindset. Being aware of our mindset means that we need to pay attention to any biases or prejudices that might affect students. If you are not mindful of your own biases, you might accidentally give students unfair treatment.

For example, pay attention to who you are calling on more often than others to answer questions. Also, pay attention to who you are redirecting for behaviors. It is even important to be aware of who you stand by while you teach. If we let ourselves be truly reflective and observant, we might see that we are implicitly showing favoritism or unfairly treating students in the classroom. We can only make changes once we are aware of what we need to work on.

3.Create a community of trust where students from all backgrounds and identities feel safe to speak up

Building community in the classroom is vital. When students do not feel safe or included at school, it can affect their learning ability. We need students to trust us to share their thoughts and ideas with us. If they don't, we won't know what our students need. We should make sure that our students feel safe in the classroom so they can focus on learning.

Every student deserves to feel safe, welcome, and comfortable in the classroom. By doing this, you allow them to participate fully in their lessons and make good progress by providing this atmosphere.

One way you can build trust with your students is to hold a community circle before lessons begin. This way, all students will feel welcome and included in the classroom community. To learn more about circles, check out this article, Circle Up for a Better Climate and Culture.

4.Promote diversity in your curriculum, not just literature or social studies classes, but science and math too

Teaching acceptance and diversity doesn't have to have a time limit or be at a particular time of the year. Diversity must be incorporated into all class subjects. Students should see diverse people reflected in every subject. We must also intentionally include a wide variety of diverse perspectives and diverse people in our everyday curriculum to ensure students consistently see representation.

We must pay attention to what and who we put in the curriculum, how we teach it, and how students learn it.

According to the blog Culture and Equity in Science Classrooms, when students' contributions do not conform to the expectations of the science curriculum, their ideas are more likely to be dismissed. Because Western science has defined the curriculum, it is more likely for students from non-dominant communities to be shut out. This is why we must stay aware of our implicit biases and intentionally keep them in check with our actions and in our planning.

When we think about math, we might not always think of the need to make a more equitable experience for students, or know how we can do so. We found some key research that points towards the need to make math more equitable. According to a study called The Importance of Equity in Mathematics Education, there are some key indicators of equity in math, including:

Strong Support for all students

High Expectations

Collaborative Learning

Accommodating Differences

Open-ended teaching/learning strategies

5.Use visuals to promote diversity in the classroom

Representation does matter. In your classroom, try to include diversity in your visuals as well. If all of your visual examples are of people who look the same, some students might not feel valued, validated, or belonging.

For example, if you are teaching students about some of the first female scientists, include pictures that show women from a wide variety of backgrounds and cultures. This might seem simple, but it can make a difference to students. Check out this set of FREE Diversity and Inclusion Posters that help spread equitable messages and actions in your classroom.

6.Utilize student voice in curriculum planning and use different perspectives

If you want your lessons to be both engaging and equitable, you should listen to students' interests when creating curriculums.

Student voice and choice are critical. Students must have a say in the curriculum because it promotes active learning and empowerment. Allowing students to choose means they are engaged in their learning, further promoting equity.

A great way to highlight student voice is to demonstrate alternative ways to express their knowledge and skills other than traditional tests. Better yet, allow them options on how they will learn about specific topics. For example, you might give them several different resources and pathways they can explore to learn about a historical event or historical people and demonstrate their knowledge using evidence.

You might also try project-based learning because it provides a learning experience students can be empowered to help drive. According to PBLWorks, project-based learning is "A teaching method in which students learn by actively engaging in real-world and personally meaningful projects." Students will also get to be collaborative and practice social-emotional skills. Be careful to also think about what kinds of projects students might be working on and be purposeful with picking projects that pertain to their interests. Better yet, give students choices on their projects or allow them to suggest their own!

7.Have diverse materials in the classroom and diverse books on your shelves

Classrooms today have students with unique backgrounds, cultures, and identities, so it is important that the classroom materials represent this.

Having diverse resources within the school is crucial because it can provide students with more information on specific topics. For example, if you teach about immigration to your students, having books or websites available for them to access after class will help them learn even more.

If there are no books or other materials about certain groups of students, then some students might feel like they don't belong or like they aren't represented. This means all students need to see themselves reflected back at them when they open a book to enjoy it. Check out 22 Diverse Book Choices for All Grade Levels from Edutopia for some great book suggestions.

8.Reach Multilingual Learners

Multilingual education specialist Carly Spina said that languages are tied to our identities. She believes that it is important to incorporate heritage languages into our learning spaces. Providing supports for multilingual learners provide more ways to make our classrooms more inclusive.

If you are looking to learn more about how to promote diversity, equity and inclusion in the classroom with your multilingual learners check out Episode 12 of the TeacherGoals Podcast with Carly Spina! In this episode, Carly shares how she approaches fostering community with multilingual students and their families by engaging them in conversations about their lives. She discusses the importance of reflection in order to create equitable practices in the classroom. She also provides examples of how using social media has helped her connect with her students and their families. Be sure to check it out by listening below!

9.Get help if you need it

It is important to remember that we all need support sometimes. If you're struggling with what to do, when to do it, or how to do it, it is important to seek out this information and learn from others.

There are many ways to get support, such as blogging, joining an online community Facebook group, listening to podcasts, or engaging with the amazing colleagues you have right down your hallway. The important thing is to put in the work needed to learn!

Creating an Equitable and Safe Place for your Students

Teachers need to have a mindset that promotes equity to teach students equitably. Additionally, teachers should utilize student voice and choice when planning lessons, use diverse materials in the classroom, and be proactive in seeking out resources to help them promote equity.

So what do all of these things have in common? They're all ways that we can promote equity in our classrooms. When we teach and learn from a perspective of equity, everyone benefits. Students feel seen and heard, and they are more likely to succeed both academically and socially. We hope that you'll try out some of these ideas in your classroom, and if you need help getting started, don't hesitate to reach out!

If you're looking to learn more about how to promote equity in your classroom, be sure to check out Episode 4 of the TeacherGoals Podcast with Dr. Sheldon Eakins! In this episode, Dr. Eakins discusses how to meet the needs of all students by having a mindset that promotes equity. He provides many great ideas and strategies that you can use in your classroom, so be sure to check it out by listening below!

Additional Resources

There are many great resources available, and here are some of our favorites to help promote equity in the classroom:
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9 Ways to Promote Equity in the Classroom - teachergoals.com

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Every student deserves an equal chance to learn and succeed. These nine tips will help promote equity in your classroom, so that all students can reach their potential.

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Walk into any classroom today and you'll find great variation in student growth and kids with a variety of strengths, academic experiences, and needs. Superintendents now report an average of half of all their students are behind grade level, and other research suggests as many as 10% of students may be two or more grade levels behind.

The sheer variety of what students bring to school can be a major challenge for educators. Because these students' needs are different, they'll likely need different supports to be successful. At the same time, teachers are also tasked with ensuring every student has equal access to grade-level standards.

With only so many hours in the day, how can educators both differentiate to meet student needs and give all students access to the grade-level content they need to keep up and continue to succeed?

What the research tells us about helping kids succeed

It's been my privilege to conduct research focused on meeting this intense challenge. And what my colleagues and I have found is heartening: there are many strategies teachers already use that have proven to be especially effective in helping children make the academic gains we know they can make. We're calling these the Transformative Ten.

1. Provide supplemental learning time for targeted retrieval practice

2. Mix whole-group, small-group, and individual activities

3. Adjust student groups in real time

4. Share students and strategies within a grade level

5. Differentiate tasks within a unit

6. Provide targeted practice for foundational skills

7. Teach from multiple standards at once

8. Create opportunities for self-directed learning

9. Use student discourse as formative assessment

10. Explicitly teach academic vocabulary

Each of these strategies optimizes learning time, maximizes the amount of content students receive, and promotes student autonomy and empowerment. In our guide titled "The Transformative Ten," you can read a detailed description of each approach along with relevant research and specific examples. Think of the paper as your toolkit for getting started addressing the tricky balancing act of differentiation vs. providing access to grade-level content.

About our studies

My research began with a commitment to understanding how schools generate high levels of student growth and to continuing the work of my late colleague, Andrew Hegedus. In 2019, Andy released provocative work demonstrating that schools that produce above-average student growth come from all corners of the country; in fact, 60% of the lowest-income schools showed growth above average.

My colleagues and I picked up where Andy left off and identified 789 schools that produced above-average growth for students in all achievement levels for multiple years. We then partnered with two of those schools, located in Schiller Park, Illinois. The Illinois schools are similar to others across the country: 62% of their students receive free or reduced-price lunch, 55% of students are non-white, and per-pupil spending in the district is below the state average. Yet these schools produced higher-than-typical growth across all student achievement levels six years running.

Getting to the heart of what effective instruction looks like requires close partnership. I visited the schools-Kennedy Elementary School and Lincoln Middle School-four times over the last 15 months. Each time, we conducted observations of classroom instruction and interviews with our four focus teachers, adding up to around 87 total hours of data. None of that could have happened without the willingness of teachers, principals, and a district willing to open up their practice for the benefit of other educators, and Schiller Park's teachers and administrators deserve the bulk of the credit for making this work possible.

The purpose and intent of an effort like this departs in some important ways from other kinds of educational research. Unlike qualitative research, our intent was not to show conclusively that the strategies documented here can or will lead to high growth; other scholarship, particularly the pioneering work of John Hattie, meets that need. Instead, our intent was to pair existing research with concrete, in-the-moment details of professional practice that allow teachers and administrators to extract the best practices from high-growth schools and apply them in their own contexts and to their own students. Taking this approach allowed us to get much more specific about what high-quality instruction looks like while still drawing on past effectiveness research and the previously certified successes experienced in Schiller Park.

For the kids

Schiller Park teachers describe their commitment to student growth in five words: "All kids are our kids."

While the challenges associated with meeting the needs of diverse learners grew during the pandemic, they were present long before the pandemic and aren't likely to disappear anytime soon. By focusing on student growth and learning from the schools that achieve that growth, we stand to gain the specific research-based strategies teachers need to help all students succeed, not just those on the margins of grade-level proficiency.

We believe learning can be both individualized and equitable, and the Transformative Ten are first steps for getting there.

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10 ways to meet the learning needs of all students - Teach. Learn. Grow.

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Recent research from NWEA highlights 10 classroom strategies educators can use to support student growth for all kids.

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Express Employment Professionals - Vancouver, BC

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