7 Qualities of a Great Business Team

Individually we are one drop, but together we are an ocean (by Ryunosuke Satoro).

Together Everyone Achieves More

Teamwork divides the tasks and multiplies the success.

But not every team succeeds. So, what’s the difference between a team that realizes its potential and a team that falls short? When it comes to business, the difference is often management. Who you select for a team, how you define a team’s purpose, and how you lead a team can greatly influence what that team achieves? When it comes to the management of a business team, you should promote the following qualities.

A Clear Purpose

A team without a goal is just a gathering of people. The best teams begin with a specific purpose: launching a new product, developing a new employee manual, improving sales, etc. Additionally, the best teams have a clear understanding of how their specific purpose fits into the larger goals of the business. There’s never a question as to why they are a team.

Extensive Knowledge

While a team can be a great place for a new employee to learn the ropes, you want the majority of any team to be made up with people who are well-versed in the matter at hand. This doesn’t mean that each person has to know everything, just that the team’s collective knowledge and experience should be more than enough to achieve success.

Diverse Perspectives

When everyone on a team has similar backgrounds, experience, and interests, it can inhibit the team’s creative problem-solving. Including people with different perspectives can lead to a much wider variety of ideas. The team can then take these ideas and collaborate on a solution that’s more thorough and innovative than one a less diverse group is likely to develop. The strongest teams often include the most diversity.

A Competitive Spirit

There’s a reason why we use the word “team” to apply to both sports and business. Being on a team is about winning. While your business team may not be in direct competition with another team, your business is certainly competing against other businesses. For your business to get ahead, you need all the members of your team to want to perform at their very best.

The Ability to Think as Individuals

There’s no “I” in team, but neither is there anything wrong with team members thinking as individuals. “Group think” may be a clichéd phrase but it’s a real problem and can only be avoided if your team members are not afraid to share their differences of opinion. A good team embraces competing ideas and gives everyone the room they need to voice their personal opinion. You brought the team members together to collaborate. And collaboration begins with individual thought.

The Ability to Cooperate

While creating space for individual thought can lead to better ideas, there will come a point when the team must set aside personal preferences and agree on a path forward. For this cooperative phase to succeed, all team members must have respect for each other. How do you build respect? By embracing communication, responsibility, and accountability. Team members must clearly communicate their opinions, fulfill all their responsibilities to the team, and be willing to take accountability for their choices and the final decisions of the team. By creating an environment of respect, the team can cooperate fully and achieve success.

A Strong Leader

A good leader is vital to the success of any team. The best leaders can facilitate spirited debate, ensure all voices are included, delegate tasks appropriately, and guide the decision-making process to a solution all team members can embrace. To lead a team to success, you need to be a good communicator and a good facilitator, and you need to be capable of being demanding without being off-putting—all while staying focused on the overall goals of the team and the business.

How Can You Learn More About Managing Teams?

If you want to improve your skills as a manager, or if you want to put yourself in position for a career in management, you should consider earning an advanced business degree, specifically an Master of Business Administration (MBA). This master’s degree can provide you with the knowledge you need to successfully lead teams and manage departments and organizations.

Thanks to online education, earning a master’s degree is more convenient than ever before. When you enroll in an online graduate degree program, you can find the flexibility you need to complete your coursework while you continue to hold down a full-time job. It’s a great way to earn your MBA degree without having to take time off from your career. With an online master's in business administration, you can learn how to manage great business teams.

Walden University is an accredited institution offering an online Master of Business Administration. Expand your career options and earn your degree in a convenient, flexible format that fits your busy life.

Walden University is accredited by The Higher Learning Commission, www.hlcommission.org