Everyone knows that being a good team member is an important skill in today’s office, but what if the team is rather inefficient and hard to work with? Whether you are a business owner, a manager or an excellent member of this team, it’s a lot you can do to boost its efficiency and finally see the results you have been looking for.

Here are a couple of ways to do exactly this, improve the teamwork and, ultimately, increase the overall productivity of the entire business. One small step in the right direction can easily be what you need to prosper, in the long run, as long as you’ve got the rest of the team on your side. So pull up your sleeves, launch that group chat, and get to work once and for all.

Ensure proper communication

The problem with teams is that, even if everyone wants it to be a success ever so badly. it’s not going to be smooth ride unless you’re able to communicate with one another. That might be easier said than done, though; if your team is not connected or aligned around a common goal, it doesn’t even matter if you have all the right communication tools in order.

A set of team norms might help you a bit along the way and it’s a great reason for attending a few of those team meeting – just make sure they actually have a purpose, though, otherwise it will just be yet another timewaster.

To communicate efficiently, it is important to implement rules and standards that guide team members as to how they are expected to communicate and, most importantly, what they are expected to do. No interruptions, speaking politely, and implementing a productive document culture may help you steer them toward the goal and hopefully improve the communication once and for all.

Eliminate motivation drains

If you have successfully connected with the employees and feel confident that they’ll have your back in all of this, you should be able to identify motivation triggers – and killers. There could be many of these, and they’re not confined to either technology or people.

It’s vital to be able to identify this to create a healthy environment, so consider hiring business intelligence consultants if your team is large or if you don’t have time to observe the office properly. Read up on how other successful leaders have done it as well, by the way, such as Michael A Peck, MAPA so that you have a better understanding of how things can be done.

After carefully watching the office dynamics, you might notice that certain hours of the day are slower than others, that certain people drain the motivation of their team, or that your communication systems are holding you back. All of this could deeply frustrate your employees and add to the lack of productivity in the office.

Infographic created by Insperity, an employee benefits outsourcing company