How to Build a Positive Team Culture from Scratch
Imagine a team full of people who are always smiling. They produce at a very high level, and the process is fun and easy. That’s a reality you can create with the following best practices for building a positive team culture where production and morale are high.
Create Opportunities for Connectivity
Tear down cubicle walls and let everyone see each other. Create opportunities for everyone on the team to meet others in the organization, not just those with the same job title.
Have upper management regularly spend time with employees further down the corporate ladder.
This fosters a sense of teamwork and can help an employee learn best practices from a seasoned worker. It makes team members feel more positive about their contributions and can make them more productive.
Celebrate Collective Successes
Encourage teamwork and collaboration. How do you do that? You recognize and reward groups of team members that produce great results. This boosts employee morale and can positively affect team members who are not involved in the celebration.
They see that working together leads to high productivity and great rewards. That motivates them to work with other team members so their collaboration will be the next one that gets rewarded.
Take Notice of Workers
Every team member should receive a smile from their manager and upper-level executives. Leaders should take notice of workers and get to know something about them.
Be sincere in your interest in an employee’s family and hobbies. Nobody wants to feel like a faceless, nameless cog in a machine. Simply checking in with team members to see how they’re doing can go a long way to creating loyalty and a positive work experience.
Host Development Days
Get to know the strengths and weaknesses of each team member. Host a development day once a month or on some other schedule where a team member shares a particular strength or best practice with everyone.
This can rapidly improve productivity. It shows that you have taken the time to recognize what people have to offer. That is a positive workplace experience a lot of people never receive.
Encourage Casual Clothing Days
Pick one day a week or every couple of weeks, and let your team members dress down. Allow for personal expression through the clothing they wear. Little things like this can have a big, positive impact on your team members.
These are just a few ways to foster a positive team culture. Start putting them into practice today. The best time to plant a tree was years ago, and the second is now.
You may have already built a team. You can’t go back in time and change that. You can start today creating a team environment that is upbeat, positive, and productive.
