The first and most important of the three steps to creating a productive and fulfilling working environment is creating an atmosphere of trust in your workplace. Trust is essential between an employer and a person working in his/her workplace. Without trust, both the employer and the employee became at risk of being subjected to poor performance, harassment, poor quality work, and more. To create trust, communication is key. This means that if you are going to be working with other people, whether colleagues, or management from other teams, then you need to be able to communicate openly and freely with them, about everything that is going on, with no holds barred.
You should also encourage communication between team members. This means that you need to be able to engage them and get their feedback in order to keep everyone motivated. If you do not encourage feedback within your team, then you may find that some members begin to feel motivated to perform worse than they could if there were some form of support. Communication is one of the most fundamental building blocks for a productive team.
The next most crucial step to create a productive and fulfilling working environment is being able to plan ahead. You need to be able to work with your team in a fashion that allows for flexibility. For example, it is OK to have a weekly meeting to discuss the week's goals and strategies. If you hold these meetings regularly, then you will be able to adjust as the team works together towards its goals and objectives.
In addition, you need to make sure that your team has adequate time off. When people have the time to relax and decompress, then they are much more productive. The stress of a hectic schedule can take a toll on people. Sometimes people in teams begin to neglect their personal needs and may feel unmotivated to be productive in the workplace. This can lead to burnout or a general lack of motivation.
Finally, people need to feel comfortable in their working environment. This means that your desks should be clean, there should be enough space for multiple people to move around comfortably, and that there should be no distractions. Your coworkers should not be allowed to talk loudly or display their opinions in your face. Humor can be a great way to create an environment that is comfortable for everyone. If you cannot find any humor at your place of employment, you may be able to find similar humor elsewhere.
These steps are essential for creating a happy and productive team. When your team sees that you are willing to invest the time and energy necessary to create an environment where they can thrive, they will thrive as well. You need to be prepared to provide the environment that they need. However, you do not have to do it all on your own.