Collaboration Foundation for Teamwork

It is one thing to say that you have a collaborative work environment. It is completely another to actually achieve that kind of working environment.
 
It is all well and good to say that you want your sales persons to work together on team sales initiatives but if your reward and recognition system is based on individual performance, you probably won’t get much team-like behaviour.
 
If collaborative selling is a worthwhile goal, if you can serve your markets more effectively, get larger and more repeat orders, then working hard at achieving effective collaborative and team-oriented behaviour is worth the time invested. Trouble is, too many managers have the Jean-Luc Picard syndrome. They think that uttering the words, “Make it so!” will actually result in more teamwork. Not on your life!

To really achieve collaborative behaviour, in the sales field or in any other team situation for that matter, there are several key things you must do and do well:
 
First, the reward system must be aligned to the goal of cooperative behaviour. If the reward system is based only on individual performance then you haven’t a hope of getting people to collaborate on account work. Change the reward system to reflect achievement based on both individual and team performance. Be careful about the weight you give to each element as that will send signals as to what behaviour is really valued. If, for example, the individual’s personal performance is the basis for 90% of their incentive, then you can bet that that’s what will be emphasized. If, however, 50% of the incentive is for teamwork, you are more likely to see that kind of behaviour emerge.
 
Second, the recognition system, which is a part of the reward system, must be changed.  You have to send many positive signals to the group by noting and publicizing instances of collaborative behaviour. For example, if two or three people work together to secure an important account, congratulate them publicly; write their achievement up in the company news bulletin. There is certainly lots of opportunity to encourage collaborative behaviour.
 
A third important variable is the organization structure of the company. Individual offices, working from home, and similar arrangements offer little opportunity for joint interaction except at social gatherings. These work arrangements are all signals that send the message, “work as individuals not as a team.”  So, create opportunities to interact by developing a shared office environment; by holding briefing meetings, team updates and sessions that just ask “How are we doing as a team and how can we do better.”
 
Fourth, consider staff training as an area for collaboration. If all the staff have been trained to sell (or work, or whatever) as individuals, it will be hard to get them to share. So re-train everyone in collaborative work techniques. Sit down and discuss the advantages and disadvantages of working together as a team.
 
Managers with a strong value system will do more than “Make it so.” They know the value of Bratton’s Law of Team Behaviour, “The team that works together, works” and the corollary of that law that says “The team that plays together, stays together.”