How Employees Become Team Players
While management may understand the roles of all the players in each department, the average employee normally is confined to his own departmental procedures. Does accounting know or understand the function of marketing and sales? You could apply this concept down the line to your legal, human resources, IT and other departments. While it might not be essential for employees to know how to perform duties in other departments, a basic understanding of each department's function within the company is key to the company's overall functioning together as a unit.
As a part of any new employee orientation program, the employee should be introduced to the duties of the various departments within the company. This is more than just a brief handshake and a "welcome to the company" speech. If possible, let the new employee spend a few hours within each department seeing how they function and work together and inter-relate with other departments. After spending some time getting to know the inter-workings of the different departments, he will better understand his own role in the overall scheme of company operations.
Consider having an inter-departmental training course or perhaps a "day-in-the-life" series where an administrative assistant could spend a day with the sales manager and find out what her workday entails. Not only will this improve inter-departmental relationships, it will also boost company morale by giving employees an activity outside of the scope of their normal duties to enjoy. It is almost like taking a walk in the sunshine when you have been sitting behind a desk all day!
The more your departments interact with each other, the most cohesive your company team will become.
More from this contributor:
Tips on How to Stay Motivated at Work
The Top Ten Attributes of a Good Employee
How Social Networking Can Grow Your Business
Published by Janet Hunt - Featured Contributor in Business & Finance
Janet Hunt is a freelance writing professional specializing in business and finance. She has published articles for such online publication sites as Demand Studios, Associated Content, and various other onli... View profile
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23 Comments
Post a CommentVery practical tips to get people to understand where they come from. Good work, Janet - siva
With such expert knowledge in business I could see you as a business consultant extraordinaire.
I love it when employees of other departments interact. It really helps when we all understand the job of everyone we work with.
Good advice!
"Consider having an inter-departmental training course or perhaps a "day-in-the-life" not a bad idea at all Janet! Really on the ball Toots!
Excellent advice, Janet, because in order to know what your contribution is to your place of employment, you have to know how all of the components work together and how each employee contributes to the overall success of the entire workplace.
Great topic and article. Never under estimate the importance of team players.
Team playing is key to the survival of a business. Nice insight on this, Janet.
There always seemed to be one that would throw a monkey wrench into the procedures. Grrr. Great suggestions!
Well done!