How do you promote teamwork and avoid unhealthy competition?
Teamwork is essential for any organization that wants to achieve its goals and deliver value to its customers. However, teamwork can also be undermined by unhealthy competition, which can create conflict, resentment, and distrust among team members. How do you promote teamwork and avoid unhealthy competition in your team? Here are some tips to help you foster a collaborative and supportive work environment.
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Mahmoud AbdelBadieDirector - Enterprise PMO | Advisor | Strategy Execution | Project - Portfolio Management | Business Transformation |…
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Kristin BaerLeadership Coach & Facilitator | Founder of Brave Boost Leadership | Mindful Outdoor Guide | TEDx Co-Organizer &…
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Nicol PasuitI accelerate growth for forward-thinking tech companies through AI-driven sales & marketing. 🔸Obsessed with solving my…
One of the main causes of unhealthy competition is role ambiguity, which occurs when team members are not sure about their responsibilities, boundaries, and goals. This can lead to confusion, overlap, and turf wars, as well as a lack of accountability and feedback. To prevent this, you need to define clear roles and expectations for each team member, and communicate them regularly. Make sure everyone knows what they are expected to do, how they will be measured, and how they can contribute to the team's success.
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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.
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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).
Another way to promote teamwork and avoid unhealthy competition is to encourage cooperation and communication among team members. This means creating opportunities for team members to work together on projects, share ideas, and solve problems. It also means providing channels for team members to communicate openly, honestly, and respectfully, and to give and receive constructive feedback. By fostering a culture of cooperation and communication, you can help team members build trust, rapport, and mutual understanding.
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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.
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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.
A third tip to promote teamwork and avoid unhealthy competition is to recognize and reward teamwork, not just individual performance. This means acknowledging and celebrating the achievements and contributions of the team as a whole, as well as the efforts and skills of each team member. It also means providing incentives and rewards that are aligned with the team's goals and values, and that motivate team members to collaborate and support each other. By recognizing and rewarding teamwork, you can reinforce the importance of teamwork and discourage selfish or competitive behavior.
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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).
A fourth tip to promote teamwork and avoid unhealthy competition is to address conflict constructively, not ignore or avoid it. Conflict is inevitable in any team, and it can be healthy if it is managed well. However, if conflict is left unresolved or handled poorly, it can escalate into unhealthy competition, which can damage the team's morale, performance, and relationships. To address conflict constructively, you need to create a safe and respectful space for team members to express their views, listen to each other, and find solutions. You also need to intervene when necessary, and help team members resolve their differences and restore trust.
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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.
A fifth tip to promote teamwork and avoid unhealthy competition is to model teamwork behavior yourself, as a leader. This means demonstrating the attitudes and actions that you expect from your team members, such as cooperation, communication, recognition, and conflict resolution. It also means avoiding favoritism, criticism, or micromanagement, which can undermine your team's confidence, autonomy, and cohesion. By modeling teamwork behavior, you can set an example for your team and inspire them to follow suit.
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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.
A sixth tip to promote teamwork and avoid unhealthy competition is to provide learning and development opportunities for your team members. This means offering them the resources, support, and feedback they need to grow their skills, knowledge, and confidence. It also means creating a learning culture, where team members are encouraged to learn from each other, share best practices, and seek feedback. By providing learning and development opportunities, you can help your team members improve their performance, satisfaction, and loyalty, and reduce the risk of unhealthy competition due to skill gaps or insecurity.
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