How do you act to achieve a common goal? Think not only for work life, but for every situation: with your family and friends, in a game or on a trip… You act in harmony, know your responsibilities to reach goals, and support others. But this requires alignment. Even though teams are made up of a wide variety of characters, alignment brings them together. One of the most important prerequisites of employee engagement is the belief that the individual is a valuable part of the whole.
What is the alignment of teams, why is it necessary
Alignment refers to the unity of attitude of all employees, teams and senior managers of an organization towards a common goal. The whole purpose of this union is naturally for the company to succeed.
An aligned team unites in a single vision, uses the same clear language of communication, and moves in the same direction.
Being aligned brings transparency and cooperation between team members, ensures employee engagement and with the formation of other conditions carries the company to the targeted point: productivity and business performance.
With a successful alignment;
- It is ensured that team members understand each other
- Coordination and communication improve
- Sense of confidence develops
- Morale rate rises
- Innovative thinking and creativity boost
- Productivity increases
You can identify aligned and unaligned teams with the following examples:
Projects are delivered on time and within the required scope ➤ Deadlines are missed, not complying with the scope
Team and company goals are achieved ➤ Goals are revised frequently
Work runs efficiently ➤ Repeated mistakes abound
Problems are solved through communication ➤ Complaints are many
Tools and communication channels are clear ➤ Email and message traffic becomes overwhelming.
There is high employee engagement ➤ Low employee engagement is inevitable
Top 6 key steps to align teams
- Uniting in purpose
Just as human beings question existence, teams in their collective subconscious question why they are together and what they do together, what they serve. It is important for a new employee to understand this common purpose from the first day of employment. Alignment is possible in an environment where everyone understands, feels and lives the common purpose.
- Correct role allocation
Teams are made up of individual members, and they need to understand their roles. In order for your teams to perform at their best, they should be assigned roles that match their skills. The right roles accelerate the achievement of personal goals. When team members accomplish their personal goals, they can focus on the team’s goals as needed.
- Transforming communication and transparency into corporate values
Alignment depends on the ability to transmit information at all levels of your organization. Especially in a remote working environment where everyone works in their own physical and digital space, information exchange is crucial. The more transparent you are about information sharing and communication, the more aligned your team will be.
- Planning and managing processes correctly
You must establish and maintain effective processes and communication methods to ensure that teams are aligned and cohesive. First, analyse the system you are executing. Identify its strengths and weaknesses and then rebuild the process. Gather feedback frequently, find out where individuals and teams are experiencing bottlenecks, and take action.
- Enjoying and celebrating success
Recognizing individual and team achievements encourages employees and shows that you value their efforts.
While appreciating their individual and team achievements, also express their impact on the company’s purpose and let them see themselves in the big picture.
- Taking the pulse of both individuals and teams
You may be good at communication, but keeping a pulse is a slightly different requirement. Touch your people and through them the teams, try to learn their ideas and feelings. You may not always be able to improve everything, but by providing people with their most important need, you take a big step: making them feel valued.