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Humans naturally like working in teams - we are a cooperative species. Consequently, there is no need to "boost" team spirit: it will happen naturally.
When it doesn't happen naturally, that means something is getting in the way. All you have to do is identify and remove that obstacle. 3 common ones are:
- The team isn't really a team, just a group of people. The solution is to bring the team together. Some organisations do this by means of "team building exercises", which have their place but should always be approached with caution lest they fail altogether or unite the team in resenting the management for sending them on a stupid team building exercise.
- There is a structural problem. One example might be a sales team where the management style or reward system pits people against each other.
- There is a bad apple. Somebody in the team is creating a bad atmosphere. Sometimes this can be fixed, but sometimes the person or people at the root of the difficulty may have to be transferred or even fired.
