T TEAM BUILDING: A MUST FOR HIGH- PERFORMING COMPANIES Keeping TeamMembersMotivated and Engaged Teamwork. It’s a fundamental part of a company’s performance and ongoing commitment to its goals and objectives. A cultural philosophy that must be engrained in the entire staff for it to be successful. According to experts on this topic, teamwork cannot simply be a company statement. High performing teams are the result of attitudes and actions taken by management that foster the teamwork culture within the company. Having team members engaged, motivated and committed to teamwork essentially comes “from the top.” According to the University of California Berkeley (UCB), to have successful teams, management has to “establish their teamwork leadership with each employee and be a harmonious influencer.” According to Hannah Price on Jostle Blog, “teamwork is highly rated by employees but sometimes hard to implement.” So what are the fundamental management approaches that should be used to build high-performance teams? How do you get team members engaged and motivated to commit to the teamwork principles of the company? Experts in the field have a wide variety of thoughts on this subject. The key principles common amongst most experts are: - building trust; - communicating clearly; and - co-operating with their fellow team members. These principles seem simple when you read them. As always, “the devil is in the details!” Let’s have a look at each of these. TRUST Trust is one of the leading principles of teamwork because of its effect on team members’ engagement in the process. To work effectively with fellow team members and management of the company, employees must trust that their thoughts will be heard and considered as part of the team’s work. Too often, trust is not developed 13 Spring/Summer 2019 CORPORATE MEETINGS & EVENTS