Teams bring together individuals with diverse perspectives, experiences, and backgrounds. Working inclusively and collaboratively allows us to deliver unique insights and greater value to our clients. Teamwork also spurs continuous innovation to help grow and strengthen our business.

In an outsourced environment, this proves even more challenging with dispersed resources impacted by time and geographical constraints.

We know that teams and groups fluctuate between different stages of development before becoming fully highly functioning; however, needs of individual members’ on the team similarly can change, impacting individual and overall team effectiveness.

According to Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman, these individual needs include:
1. Understanding the expectations of their performance;
2. Understanding how others on the team perceive their contributions;
3. Feeling a comfortable fit between personal and team values;
4. Knowing what learning and growth opportunities exist.

If all these needs are met by the team and leader, it increases the odds that individual team members are highly engaged with a reoccurring sense of achievement. If some, but not all, of these needs are met, we can expect these team members’ engagement levels and productivity to decrease over time.

As a leader, how can you ensure your team has a strong foundation? Focus on helping individuals fulfill needs #1 and #2 through regular feedback discussions… this will make it easier for individuals to fulfill needs #3 and #4.

while it is easy to deal with resources onsite and present in front of you, it becomes important to visit offshore locations where most resources are or if you have few one-off resources outside allow them come over to a common meeting place once in a while to establish that rapport with you and the broader team members and provide a forum to accomplish the above.

Actively taking steps to strengthen the effectiveness your team will result in an organizations overall ability to meet, and exceed, clients’ expectations better and faster.

Why not take the first step today?