February 2004 Focus on Customer Service

When a team of dedicated individuals makes a commitment to act as one, the sky's the limit. Your company's success and your own depends on people. With motivation, you'll see higher productivity, team spirit and goals surpassed.

The question is, then, how do companies build effective, motivated teams? Effective managers know that teams share four common similarities: communication, cooperation, a shared sense of mission and well defined goals. They also know that four styles of team players exist.

• The contributor focuses on the immediate task of the team, believes that information is critical, sets high performance standards and can be relied upon to deliver work assignments on time.
  
• The collaborator is a goal-directed member who sees the overall goal of the team as paramount. They are willing to pitch in and help others in order to reach the goal and support the strategy of the organization.
  
• The communicator helps with team process by facilitating, building a consensus and creating a supportive work environment.
  
• The challenger questions the goals, methods and actions of the team and pushes the team to take reasonable risks.