Team Building

Guide to Small Business Team Building

How to get employees to work together toward a single goal
By Tonya Vinas

Use of teams in business is widespread. In small business, the entire staff is one big team because work always seems to outweigh resources. Take advantage of this. If everyone in your business knows a little bit about what everyone else does, you've taken the first step to building teams.

Formal teams can be organized in several ways:

1. Product teams: Taking a cue from cellular manufacturing, these teams are organized around products or services.
2. Short-term teams: Teams can also be project-oriented, with a definitive start and end date. These can be organized around the needs of customers or shorter-term business goals, such as a relocation or annual company picnic.
3. Long-term teams: Businesses use these to keep momentum and continuous improvement alive in ongoing needs, such as safety and health, technology needs, etc.

Action Steps

The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Train your team A seminar, workshop or retreat may be the quickest way to kick-start your teamwork program.

I recommend:  TeamBuildingInc.com offers dozens of team training workshops. Find a variety of team-building training tools at The Richardson Company.

Make it fun When implementing a team-building program, consider injecting a little fun into the mix. When employees are having a good time, it encourages interaction and fosters teamwork.

I recommend:  The Ant & The Grasshopper and Total Adventures specialize in team building programs that focus on games and play.

Use team-building exercises Creating a team environment requires an ongoing commitment. Routinely engage your team in exercises that reinforce the team concept.

I recommend:  Find detailed descriptions of common team-building exercises, available free of charge courtesy of Wilderdom.com.

Take it outside Getting your employees outside the office offers a great opportunity to strengthen your team concept.

I recommend:  Make it simple by planning a company picnic or going to a sporting event. If you want a full-scale outdoor adventure, check out the programs offered by Venture Up, the world's largest provider of team building events, including corporate campouts and climbing.