¿Cómo promover el trabajo en equipo y evitar la competencia malsana?

The rigidly defined roles can stifle innovation and flexibility. Embracing a degree of role ambiguity can encourage cross-functional collaboration, creativity, and adaptability. While clear expectations are important, leaving some room for individuals to explore beyond their defined roles can lead to unexpected breakthroughs and a more dynamic team environment.

How do you avoid unhealthy competition? All within-team competition is ultimately unhealthy for overall team cooperation and engagement, so don't set up a competitive environment. There are far better ways to motivate. For example: 1) Personally appreciate the specific efforts of all team members, and celebrate team successes. 2) Craft jobs to suit each team members mix of strengths and interests. 3) Support team members on an individual basis, and help them feel like they really matter. Unhealthy competition is often fuelled by incentives. The research shows that external incentives are very poor motivators compared with intrinsic motivations (e.g. using one's strengths).

I think building spaces for intentional cooperation and collaboration is one of the best ways to promote teamwork. My previous team had a shared table where we could gather to work together, and having that physical space encouraged us to seek out collaboration. Leaders can also identify and assign projects that promote team interactions and cross-functional relationships. Another way to encourage cooperation is to recognize people who work well as a team versus just recognizing the accomplishment of a task. By rewarding teamwork, you show that you care about how your team gets the work done, not just that they get the work done.

One way I encourage collaboration is by asking who needs help and on what project. This occurs during our weekly Monday morning huddles to kick off the week in the right manner. Our huddles are a safe place where teammates can openly ask for help. They can share where they are stuck, need to problem solve, or need to pull in expertise from a particular person. This creates an environment where we actively collaborate and communicate with each other to achieve our goals as individuals and as a team. When I see the collab in action, I follow up with recognizing the teamwork verbally on our next meeting or in an email. Recognition and gratitude demonstrates you are paying attention and appreciate the people you work with.

Group-based (collective) rewards have many advantages, particularly when it comes to not fuelling competition between team members. Research suggests collective rewards are correlated with more cooperation and higher performance than individual rewards (e.g. Conley et al., 2003; Garbers & Konradt, 2014).

Don't shy away from conflict – embrace it. When managed effectively, conflicts can serve as a catalyst, driving teams to new horizons of innovation and collaboration. Avoiding conflict might create an illusion of peace. By daring to engage in passionate debates and channeling diverse perspectives, teams can tap into a wellspring of creativity and achieve remarkable outcomes.

Having worked with many different types of leaders before, I have learned from them on the traits I should be modeling and the traits I should not. Good leaders are ones that enable their team to thrive, see wins as collective wins rather than a threat to them, and trust in their team to deliver what needs to be delivered. After all, if you don't trust your team, why hire them in the first place? Criticism is necessary to good leadership, but that criticism should be constructive in nature so that the team member can reflect, learn and grow from it.