It is often said that a team is only as strong as its weakest member and, while it could be true on many occasions, it should read that a business is only as successful as its team. Everyone in your business or organisation should be able to seamlessly work together to create a successful and sustainable business that benefits them all. From your human resources and payroll departments to your benefits, pensions, even your recruiting department, everyone should be on the same page and focus on becoming more efficient and increasing productivity.
With that in mind, there are many ways that a business can improve its team's efficiency and productivity. From the most vital team member to the newest and least experienced, there are some things that everyone can do to become a well-oiled machine. We are going to take a look at some of them now.
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Bottlenecks are risky for businesses. You create a single point of failure if you have a group of people with specific skills. If they choose to leave, you will scramble to backfill that role or ask someone else on the team to step in who doesn’t have the right experience.
By diversifying the skills across your team, you give them the ability to learn and do more, increasing productivity. For example, if one area of your business is falling behind, other staff can jump in and give them a hand getting back on track.
Levelling up your team with new skills shows investment in your employees, fostering a positive culture and engaged, empowered employees.
Be Authentic And Vulnerable.
Authenticity and vulnerability start at the leadership level. Leaders must lead by example and create the behaviours and attitudes they wish to see from their employees. When employees trust management, they are more prone to become more productive and put in the extra effort to get projects done sooner.
Clarify Each Person's Role.
Transparency of ownership and responsibility can also address bottlenecks. When assumptions are made on task ownership, things can be missed or done twice, which is inefficient. Each employee’s tasks and time spent must be well understood to drive efficiency and team productivity. It is easier for team members to know who to go to for questions and identify where a process breaks down or thrives. Define roles, review them broadly, provide updates on tasks, and you’ll have a much clearer picture of efficiency across the team.
Transparency of ownership and responsibility can also address bottlenecks. When assumptions are made on task ownership, things can be missed or done twice, which is inefficient. Each employee’s tasks and time spent must be well understood to drive efficiency and team productivity. It is easier for team members to know who to go to for questions and identify where a process breaks down or thrives. Define roles, review them broadly, provide updates on tasks, and you’ll have a much clearer picture of efficiency across the team.
Prioritise.
Distractions are everywhere. It can be tough to prioritise when there are conflicting number one priorities, emergencies arise, or impromptu questions don’t cease. However, all teams should strive towards shared goals and metrics to keep everyone focused.
Some methods can help the prioritisation process. Some take a data-driven approach, and others balance value vs technology. Whatever you choose, everyone has to buy in, so everyone strives towards the same team goals.
Transparency is key here. Communication between teams and a shared understanding of goals will make prioritisation decisions easier, thus improving productivity across groups.
Communicate With Context.
One of the biggest hurdles all teams face is effective communication. Not everyone learns the same way. There are distractions, especially in a remote setting. One-time communication is usually not enough; it must be reinforced and constant. But it’s also essential to think about your audience and what you’re presenting. For example, if you’re communicating critical company-wide changes on a call, follow up with an email and have the manager reinforce the message in meetings. If you are training on a new process or software, could there be a hands-on element so employees can try the method themselves to reinforce the steps.
All communication must be easy to understand and provide context for the project or role of the individual. Transparency and simplicity in communication help the information stick, limiting questions and confusion.
Use Automation Software.
Teams often get bogged down with mundane tasks that can take hours when done manually, from research to analysis to data entry. Automation software can complete these tasks in seconds, leaving your team to focus on much more critical aspects of the business.
Let’s look at the HR department, for example. Using physical paperwork when hiring new employees takes time and material resources. It’s much more efficient to use eSignature software. It’s faster and automatically stored. Onboarding a new employee is also much quicker with software that proactively triggers tasks than asking teams to refer to a spreadsheet.
Feedback Meetings.
An essential aspect of any team-oriented work environment is feedback. Giving and receiving feedback can help align everyone's direction and give them a clearer picture of the organisation's vision. Feedback can be both positive and negative, but it must be constructive, and it should come along with solutions to any issues that could affect the efficiency of the team. Individuals who understand their unique strengths and weaknesses have a better opportunity to contribute to the overall team performance and company goals.
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