In a SME (Small and Medium Enterprise) teamwork is essential to the success of the company. The less people there are in the company, the more important it becomes to hire the right person so that will be a good fit in the company culture. The skills can be taught as they get used to the environment, but becoming an integrated member of the team can be difficult.
In a small organization, we have to take into consideration that there may not necessarily be an entire department where there’s a group of people completing similar tasks daily. In SMEs, everyone is doing something different, and if there’s a department, they’re probably pretty small. With this scenario, we must all work together hand in hand. There is a phenomenon called “professional culture clash”, when people with different professional background are not able to communicate properly, holding them back from completing a project. When everyone is doing something different, it can feel like a bunch of puzzle pieces, and it’s up to the leaders to be able to make everyone feel like they fit together and are working towards a common goal.
So whether you’re a software engineer or content marketer, there’s no avoiding each other. A way to make sure that teams are able to work with each other is good leadership. Below are some suggestions for how to make sure the team is seamless.
How to Improve Teamwork
Share a Meal
Sharing meals has always been a classic way of getting to know people. Make an effort to try and have team lunch or breakfast together in or out of the office. Try to make it a time to not talk about work, or make it a working lunch! Whatever your team needs, by being able to step out of everyone’s daily tasks to come together and converse, it will improve moral between coworkers and get to know them more on a personal level.
Learn Together
Learning new things together also can be a great way to bond, and grow together. Try to find something that everyone will have to learn. Not only is this a great opportunity for your employees to relax and take their minds off of work, but it’s a time that as an employer, you can show your appreciation for your employees.
Shadow for Half a Day
When we hear the word shadow, we think of interns or new employees following around an employee as part of their training. But what if, in order to learn more about what the other people in different roles do, we shadowed them? Even just half a day can give employees a little bit of insight into what their coworkers in other roles do. This will create more empathy and understanding between the different roles and it can be a great way to learn new things!
Teamwork Makes the Dream Work
Now that we’ve looked into 3 ways to improve teamwork in SMEs, reflect on your own organization and see if any of these tips may be worth trying out! Whether you’re a team o f 5 or 50, organizational culture is essential!
