For the last few decades, teams and teamwork have taken on a larger and much more important role in the working world. Employers and upper management have come to realize that value is added in productiveness and, therefore, in profitability, if employees can work in teams.

Among the most important, but most often neglected skill-sets that new entrepreneurs need to acquire are people skills. Many people are not aware of interpersonal boundaries or how to set them, but learning how to do so can protect the entrepreneur from negative, time-wasting, energy-sapping customers and colleagues, and save precious time and energy for business building.

Motivating staff can be approached in many ways, but rather than take a firm hand to force creativity and productivity, it is better to encourage individuals to explore skills through team building. Communication, organisation and creative thinking can all be fine tuned in such a way that they can be adapted to improve working relationships and increase productivity.

"Performance Management" refers to the way in which a business involves its employees and encourages those employees to help the business grow and improve. Here are a variety of methods of implementing this system and why it is important to the overall success of your business.

There is little doubt that great teamwork delivers better results than a group of competent individuals working independently. But what is it that makes a great team and how does a team leader go about developing a great team?

Kids aren't the only ones who respond well to reward systems and fun activities. If you want to form stronger teams in your organization, see what a couple of games can do for them. Read more to learn about the benefits of team building games.

Recruitment standards are a critical component of assembling a strong management team to fit your company's needs. Maintaining recruitment standards ensures you are getting qualified people, who fit well into the mechanics of your business. Why is this important and anyway, what can you do about it? Read on...

Succession planning is the process by which a company, in effect "hires from within." It refers to the way a company identifies employees and prepares them for moving up within the company confines. Here's more...

Team building reduces inhibitions and allows a group of people to mix in a way that benefits every aspect of their personality, whether that is through finding hidden talents or highlighting problem areas. The purpose of team building is to encourage people to reach their potential and discover their strengths, and this is achieved through many different ways.

I've learned over the years that a breakdown means that something very valuable is happening - I have new insight into how I can improve my process, my attitude, or my belief so that problem never happens again. Here are six sanity-saving scenarios that can turn that breakdown into a breakthrough.