What’s the difference between a group of individuals working on a project and a team?

A group is focused on their individual sections and making sure their portion is done. A team is focused on the collective achievement of each team member. They are responsible for their own project, but are invested in helping those around them succeed as well.

Every leader strives to have a good team and develop teamwork among the different members. Doing that is often more difficult than expected. So, why do we need team building and how do we do it?

Why Do We Need It?

Your event planning committee needs team building opportunities because it allows your team members to communicate better with each other. It has also been found that team building can not only help communication between employees, but also with their supervisor. This increased communication and trust allows teams to increase their professional relationships, understand, and cooperation, which in turn increases the quality of work. The University of California San Francisco found that team building can lead to higher levels of job satisfaction and commitment, and clearer work objectives.

How Do We Build It?

Many leaders are already doing some team building activities without even knowing it. Some do an employee sponsored recognition programs where coworkers can nominate and give rewards to other employees who are doing a good job. It’s great to have your boss recognize the great work you’re doing, but it’s also nice when your coworkers see it as well.

The first step to building a great team starts at the hiring stage. While there are different things that you’re looking at when interviewing a person, one of those should be how they would fit on your team. Make sure that they will be able to contribute to the team, bring new skills, and raise the team to a new level. Can they help you bring together the major donor event you’re planning at the end of the year? Or, do they have some recommendations of things that your team hasn’t tried that could help. This doesn’t mean that they have to be exactly like you, in fact hiring someone who is different can help prevent “groupthink”.

There are several simple activities that you can do to improve your event planning team. One simple idea is a team lunch. You can go out for lunch or bring it in, nobody really cares as long as they get some free lunch. You may want to start small and ease your team into it by doing some simple team building games.  Or, if you’re looking for a more immersive experience you can try a team building seminar to learn cutting-edge practices. Either way do activities that will  develop and expand your respect, trust, and commitment for each other.

Developing a strong team not only helps you, but helps the people that you work with. The benefits of increased communication, higher job satisfaction, and less stress are great motivators for anyone to want a stronger team. Are you willing to give it a shot?

Annabelle Smyth is a freelance writer who covers everything from HR to technology and leadership skills. She most recently worked with BambooHR and CMOE. She enjoys learning more about how to make leaders & businesses successful.