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Building team spirit when a project is flagging

However enthusiastic a team may be when they are on the brink of starting a new project, a little further down the line if the project begins to flag, team members may begin to lose motivation and become less productive, you may even lose staff all together. As a project manager, it is your job to boost morale and build your team back up in order to motivate them through to the deadline.

 

There are a number of ways of building your team spirit and most of these ways revolve around making each person feel valued both as an individual and as an essential member of the team. According to Parallel Project Training experts, using some of these team building approaches can help to boost morale:

 

●Taking time out to socialise or attend team building events is often a good way to bring a team back together if relations have started to break down. Spending the time and money on employees helps to show them that they are valued and that you see them as more than just spokes in a wheel of your project. This could be anything from staff drinks right through silly scavenger hunts or even fun games like go karting. Activities which encourage team members to work together outside of the work environment can help to build relationships of trust and respect which then transfer back into the workplace.

●Once you feel that your team have bonded again, it is crucial to keep the lines of communication open. Encourage an environment where open communication is used. Having an open door policy yourself, where members of the team can come and talk to you at any time is crucial. When they do approach you, be sure to actively listen to what they have to say. Active listening is a key skill for a project manager, and is one of the early lessons learnt during a project management apprenticeship. Having daily standups to allow people to share their achievements and air any concerns keeps everybody up to date on the progress of the project and can be a good way of getting it back on track.

●Make the objectives clear. If a project has lost its way then it can be difficult for team members to achieve clarity about what is expected of them. Laying out clear objectives on a weekly or even daily basis can foster greater feelings of motivation and increase productivity.

●Consider flexible working. If the atmosphere in the office is quite stressed then it is not necessarily conducive to a good working environment. Having people work from home for some of the week does not necessarily erode team spirit. These days there are many ways to keep in touch digitally and it can be more beneficial to bring people together following a few good days of efficient working from home to share fresh ideas, rather than working in each other's space all the time.

●Be sure to recognise and acknowledge achievements. This helps to build a positive work culture. Celebrating success makes individuals feel good and encourages others to reach higher to create their own achievements.

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