Fueling organisational success with team’s shared vision, purpose
By Seun Johnson
To drive success and achieve the expected return on investment, an organization must prioritize team building with a shared vision and purpose. This was emphasized on Tuesday at the Team Spirit Conference 2024, an annual webinar organized by Team Building International.
With the theme “Leveraging Team Building for Sustainable Organizational Success,” the virtual summit brought together a diverse panel of corporate experts who unanimously posited that team building is more than just a workplace activity, it is a strategic tool that fosters a sense of belonging and connection among employees.
In her keynote address, Mrs. Oyeyimika Adeboye, Managing Director, Mondelez West Africa/Cadbury Nigeria Plc opined that the success of an entity depends on the success of the team in that entity. Citing a family set up as an instance, she defined a team as multiple parts that come together to form a body.
According to her, there are three things that are critical to a team which include common purpose, aligned goals and aligned outcome. She believes that there can never be a team without a common purpose. She also claimed that individuals in a team might not necessarily have the same goal but they must align with the central goal of the team.
“We should constantly remind ourselves that in a team, we are working with human and we should not expect perfection from them. We must learn to tolerate and appreciate one other. If a team is successful, it will reflect on the performance of the company,” she said.
On the team lead, Mrs Adeboye described a leader as an enabler in a team, saying he is someone who put himself on a position where he can recognise what others are doing and connect the dots. She advised every team lead to avoid a kitchen cabinet within the team. In her words, “We are all equal with different opinions. Calling some people to a side and discuss with them can kill a team. Don’t allow kitchen cabinet opinion to form your decision.”
Also on her part, Morayo Bakare-Sofidiya, Director of Recruitment Operations at HYT Consulting, asserted that a culture of connectivity can thrive in the workplace, even within the constraints of remote and hybrid work models.
According to her, the importance of team building has moved from a “nice to have” to an indispensable strategy for sustainable organizational success. She noted that strong and cohesive teams are not only thriving but also setting benchmarks in resilience, innovation, and employee retention.
She further highlighted the numerous benefits of team building, including enhanced collaboration and communication, reduced burnout, improved employee retention, more effective problem-solving, stronger team cohesion, increased trust, the cultivation of a positive workplace culture, and greater organizational resilience.
Concluding her presentation, Bakare-Sofidiya said, “Team building is not just a ‘nice to have’, but a critical driver of organisational success. It is what gives people a sense of belonging and purpose which are essential in a sustainable work culture. “In a hybrid world, our approach to team building needs to be thoughtful, innovative and frequent to build team resilient and connected teams. Let’s make sure our people know they are not just part of a team but part of a community.”
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