Module 14- Team Building

(I) Good Team and Its Ingredients

Teamwork plays such an important role because efficiency
and productivity are the result of a well-functioning team.
However, not all teams can claim this. The following are
some of the vital ingredients that make a team efficient and
productive.
1) Common vision:
• The vision creates the foundation to a team.
• To be successful, every team member must believe in
the vision.
• Group must have a reason for working together that
makes sense to the team members.
2) Developing a clear goal or objective:
• A clear goal provides a guiding light for the team.
• Clarity provides the understanding necessary to
participate fully within a team.
• Furthermore, team members are more likely to
support decisions and solutions.
• If objectives are established in the team’s formation
stage, then success is likely to occur.
3) Understanding of every team member’s role in the
group:
• Having a clear understanding of every one’s role in
the team prevents future disrespect.

1|Page MSME Lending- Advanced (Module 14)

 • Discovering the strengths and weakness of each
member, in the beginning, helps to clarify (his/her
role) and develops respect for every team player.
(II) The Magic of Teams “A Team’s Source of
Motivation Is One
Shared Dream. When
• Highly performing teams do you share a dream
wonders in producing results together, you become
a Team”
• Teams can turn companies around
• Teams manage crisis better than individuals
• Self-managing work teams are winning laurels
For a team to be wholesome, the following characteristics
trigger ideas for action in One’s team:
1. The team is clear about what it wants to achieve –
• There is a clear vision. The values associated with the
vision are clearly shaped by the members of the team.
• Aspirations are uniformly high amongst all members.
• The purpose is unified and noble. The strength of a
common purpose and enabling vision creates a
focused energy.
• The team members share a common struggle and
journey, and this gives them a sense of meaning and
purpose.
2. There is strong partnership in the team and members who
show support for each other–
• There is a high level of openness and trust.
• The mutual understanding, love and respect that are
shared in a good team create an emotional support,
which helps the team to persevere in the face of
challenges.

2|Page MSME Lending- Advanced (Module 14)

 • Within the community of a high performing team,
individuals feel safe to explore new ideas and try out
new ways of expressing themselves.
• They are, thus, encouraged to reach into their deeper
reserves of talent, strength, and confidence.
3. Roles are clearly defined –
• All members know how their work fits in with the big picture
- every member does real work.
• The experience, talents, knowledge, skills, contacts,
spiritual and emotional strengths of all members
combine and synergize into something far beyond the
individual parts.
4. Collaboration and harmonizing differences
• These two are used to get the best results.
• Differences are opportunities for creative thinking
and growth. Issues are always confronted and dealt
with openly.
5. Presence of - Sound, well-understood procedures,
and a set of agreed norms
Jungle jingle
In a jungle, the three most disliked creatures were the snake, the
tortoise, and the rat. The snake, being too sensitive, would reply to
the slightest touch with a sting; the tortoise was too self-centered
that he would withdraw into his shell, unconcerned about his
surroundings and the rat was too inquisitive, nosing and bumping
into others.
One day, the three gathered and discovered that if each one of them
learnt the qualities of the other two, they could become more
sociable. With this, the snake taught his two friends to be sensitive
to others; the tortoise taught how to be within oneself, and that rat
taught curiosity.

3|Page MSME Lending- Advanced (Module 14)

Now each of them, with all the three qualities, had become a more
desirable character, and soon all the three were part of the jungle’s
social life.
• People follow on their own.
• A common working approach is defined.
• Problem solving and decision-making procedures are
clear.
6. Relationships with other groups and teams are
sound
• The team is well integrated with its environment.
7. A strong “can do” prevailing team spirit and high
commitment to team goals
• It has powerful bias for inspired action.
• It focuses on its strengths and collectively looks at
how it can create something of high value, which
could contribute to the satisfaction of customers.
• Such teams set high standards and motivate
themselves to ‘walk their talk’.
• Since their actions come from the collective strength
of the members, the total active contribution by the
team is high.
8. Individual and team development needs are
regularly looked at and planned for.
• Further, the group’s positive influence and the
example of one or more people in the team create
conditions for others to do their best.
• Each person is thus stretched to excel and supersede
herself.
9. Team regularly reviews its progress

4|Page MSME Lending- Advanced (Module 14)

 • Review will be made on the tasks against agreed
performance standards and how it is functioning as a
team.
• Regular reflection on experiences and conscious
learning is a way of life.
10.People hold themselves mutually accountable for
results
• This is evident in high performing teams
• There is an atmosphere of joy and fun along with
focus on the work at hand.
11.A good team is held together by spirit
• It is the central dominion of the heart, in the
individual and collective life of the team, which gives
it the magical quality of a high performing team.

5|Page MSME Lending- Advanced (Module 14)