Train Your Supervisors to Be Teambuilders

Recently, Ford Motor Company ended production of the Taurus. Over a 21-year run, some 7 million units were produced. It was a very popular car.

But the Taurus will also be remembered for another reason.

It marked the first time a major American manufacturer used teams to develop a key product. Designers, engineers, manufacturing people, and marketers all worked side by side, with workers and management both having a voice. The result was a quality product, created in record time, with a minimum of interdepartmental friction.

Since the Taurus, American business has embraced the team concept. There have been teams that worked well and teams that hardly worked at all. What are the criteria that make for effective teambuilding?

This question was recently addressed by BLR’s new program, Audio Click ’n Train: Teambuilding for Supervisors. The program identified these necessities for team success:

–Manageable size. More than 10-12 members, say the program’s authors, and participants will have problems getting to know and bonding with each other. Communication will also be more difficult.

–Diverse skills. This factor allows each member to add his or her own knowledge and perspective, to both check and balance, but also to build upon, the efforts of the group.

–Common goal. Regardless of their backgrounds, team members must share a common vision of what’s to be accomplished. A written mission statement is a valuable tool to that end.

–Open exchange of ideas/information. Whether it’s through formal meetings or water cooler chats, team members must share what they know and think, both about their own roles and those of others.

–Cooperation. Going hand in hand with open exchange of ideas is a desire to help one another over the rough spots. That comes from…

–Mutual respect. Even if they’re not friends socially, teammates need to always act professionally with one another and listen to all ideas. They must offer support when they agree and objective, constructive (not personal) criticism when they don’t.

–A resourceful leader. Without someone to point them in the right direction and keep them on track, teams can quickly dissolve in conflict and disagreement over what course to take.

Team Leadership in 25 Slides

Training supervisors to be that kind of leader is the objective of Audio Click ’n Train: Teambuilding for Supervisors. In 25 slides and about 30 minutes, and listening to a self-contained, professionally-recorded soundtrack, your supervisors will learn how to:

–Create a teamwork atmosphere
–Define and communicate goals
–Build team commitment and contribution
–Provide support for the team
–Promptly and positively resolve conflicts
–Establish links to the rest of the organization
–Monitor and report progress and recognize results.

Audio Click ’n Train programs are customizable so you can add your company-specific information. And they come with Speaker’s Notes, topic exercises, a reproducible handout, and a quick quiz with instant answers so your supervisors and you will know how much has been learned.

The program comes with BLR’s guarantee of satisfaction. Click the link below for more information.