Article

The St. Petersburg Times, 24 Октября 2006

A Hot Lesson in Team Building

By Olga Kalashnikova Special to The St. Petersburg Times

«The idea of a team is very important. If people feel part of a team, they get pleasure from their work,» said Anna Sagaida, chief consultant and head of Top Hunt International Selection Office in St. Petersburg.

Today every manager is expected to build a united team. It guarantees success in business. There appears the so-called «synergy effect» when the knowledge and actions of each person combine to improve the overall result.

The employee who is a member of a team usually strives for greater efficiency and puts his knowledge to better use.

«Effective work is impossible when people do not hear or understand each other,» said Sagaida.
Effective teamwork is an intermediary goal towards getting good, sustainable results.
«Business is done not by machinery but by people, they are the main asset,» said Tatiana Grin, Marketing Manager of ANCOR.

According to the specialists at Begin Group, the notion of a team implies three main parts: the understanding of common goals, the freedom necessary for its achievement and interpersonal relations. Although one might find the following definition in a dictionary — the team as a group of people linked by a common purpose — a group does not necessarily in itself constitute a team.
The team needs building.

Business theorists at the end of the twentieth century popularized the concept of team building. «Team building» refers to the process of establishing and developing a greater sense of collaboration and trust between team members. It can be done in different ways — through the organization of leisure activities and events, team assessments and outdoor activities.
«Such events are useful because people can learn more about each other, communicate under informal conditions. But organizers should remember that people are sensitive to any insincerity that might arise. Rather than hold it in a formal manner, it's probably better not to hold it at all,» said Sagaida.

The development of corporate culture is an important stage in team building.

Almost 90 percent of western and half of Russian companies work on some form of corporate culture from the moment they are set up, according to Begin Group research.
«Corporate culture should always be maintained, and managers should be instrumental in encouraging it. It usually depends on the view of the director — if they entrust the process to another person, it will gradually get other features and reflect the ideas of that individual,» said Oleg Kubatko, the head of HRM department in Begin Group Company.

«Corporate culture is usually something discussed between employees of different companies, and it often has a great influence on the person's choice of workplace. A company's ‘climate' is very important,» said Grin.

«And employers not only look at professional skills but at the personal qualities of an employee, how they will get on with other staff,» she said.

The organization of leisure time and holidays also helps overcome the psychological barrier in communication. According to Begin Group research, 50 percent of companies only mark «standard» holidays such as New Year and company anniversaries.

Around 40 percent celebrate various events throughout the year like employees' birthdays, and the completion of projects, and only eight percent do not celebrate anything at all.
«Our company runs big corporate events twice a year: The New Year party and summer team building combined with the company's birthday, and every event has its own concept and scenario and the whole company takes part in it,» said Grin.

Most companies use firms that specialize in organizing such events, and even if the service is unsatisfactory, companies might refuse the provider but not the service.

And finally — there are team-building courses. A number of training courses have gained in popularity.

«These are trainings in the «shock» style, during which employees get professional skills in quite unusual situations,» said Peter de Jager, a Canadian management-consultant.
«According to Office Angels company research, 50 percent of employers are ready to organize trainings with «survival tasks» if they will bring successful results.»

Such trainings include outdoor competition with extreme activities.

«There is the principle of less words — more action,» said Sagaida.

«The main thing is to determine the aim of the training, the idea behind it, and then to combine it with the interests of employees, to find a suitable program, providers,» said Grin. «Team building is a great responsibility,» she added.

Team building in large, developing companies is often aimed at helping new people adapt to the team.

There are various activities, from «office-karaoke» to «assault courses.» But whatever you choose, the main thing, according to Paul Jackobs, an expert at Office Angels, is that the course should be «interactive, attractive and substantial,» and if possible without friction.
Although teambuilding is reasonably popular and widespread, not all companies have jumped on the bandwagon.

«Our company does not hold team building, maybe because in our profession team building happens by itself every day. When an employee has a problem, it is discussed by the whole team, everyone tries to help with the provision of information, contacts or just give advice. It gives us a daily feeling of team spirit,» said Sagaida.

In forming a team, one should be ready to face difficulties. There can be two ‘leader' personalities in one team or several leader teams; a close team might disagree with the boss's decisions and resign from the company; employees might not accept new ones. Often relations can become too friendly and it becomes difficult for the boss to treat employees in an appropriate fashion.