What is teamwork?
The definition of teamwork is when two or more people work together towards a common goal.
However, there can be significant differences in productivity, outcomes and satisfaction, depending on how effectively the team works together.
A well-functioning team in which employees collaborate to solve problems, support each other and share the load, inspire each other and respect others’ input is much more likely to succeed in meeting business goals as well as enjoy the work than a poorly functioning team in which employees work on their own, against each other or undermine each other.
For some employees, teamwork is a skill that comes naturally, but others can find it hard to develop.
Therefore, it can be up to managers and business leaders to ensure that the team is effective, whether it is taking care of logistics or developing employee relationships.
The benefits of good teamwork
There are many ways in which a cohesive, respectful, successful and positive workplace can be achieved through good teamwork.
Improves problem solving
Even team members who have similar backgrounds and experiences think differently, which can help when brainstorming solutions to problems.
For example, some workers may be creative, while others may be process-oriented. One worker may have great ideas while another may prefer to be assigned tasks that others have devised.
Consider how often great ideas come about from discussions that occur between colleagues during informal meetings, such as chatting while making their morning coffees in the kitchen. Even the act of talking through situations or challenges with another person can provide inspiration that leads to success.
Enhanced job satisfaction
When an employee feels as if they have all the load on their shoulders, pressure and tension builds and enjoyment falls. However, when they feel they have the help of their colleagues to achieve desired outcomes, the tension is eased and workers are happier. It also reduces burnout.
Happier workers are more satisfied in their jobs, which has flow-on effects for other parts of their role and the business, such as improved productivity and reduced turnover.
When employees feel that their opinion is being listened to and respected by others – even if their ideas are not the ones that are selected for a project or their suggestions are rejected for valid reasons – they feel as if they are a worthwhile contributor to the company, which also enhances job satisfaction.
It means next time, they will be willing to make another contribution which may be the best suggestion, instead of keeping their ideas to themselves for risk of rejection.
Encourages good risk
When success or failure lies with a team of people, rather than one individual, it can encourage people to be more forthcoming with ideas and trying new ways of working.
When the blame for failure falls on the shoulders of one person, they can feel restricted to raise new ways of thinking or implement changes, but if the group agrees with the idea, then there are more people who can share the blame if it fails.
A group setting can also provide an opportunity to develop the idea, such as exploring potential ways it can fail that can be addressed before it is implemented, which can improve the chances of success.
Conversely, a bad idea can be quickly rejected before time, money and effort is wasted on it.
Facilitates growth
The growth that teamwork can create can be personal as well as for the business.
Team members may learn from each other, as they unofficially receive mentoring by learning from others’ mistakes, or they may start to embody traits that they see in others, such as becoming a good listener or learning what to say to people in certain situations.
At its simplest level, teamwork provides more than one set of hands to get a job done, which can cause a business’s output to grow and productivity to increase. For example, two carpenters who help each other to lift wood and nail the frames of a house will achieve more in a day than each carpenter doing it alone.
Tips to improve teamwork
There are a range of tools and work methods that businesses can try to improve teamwork in their workplace but the following suggestions provide a good place to start.
Share drives, folders and documents
Technology is enabling better collaboration between colleagues who can all be working on the same document, no matter if they are working on different computers or work spaces, including working from home.
Various software companies and network providers have cloud-based programs that employees can use to store and access folders and documents that others can also access. Workers can even access and edit these simultaneously, preventing delays from occurring.
As well as enabling employees to complete tasks in their own time or when deadlines require them to, it also facilitates teamwork by enabling employees to see when their co-workers are accessing documents, so they know tasks have been acknowledged as well as when and by whom changes are being made.
Using comments and notes also can facilitate discussions between employees inside the document, making it easier to understand than by communicating via messages in other online tools.
Project management software
Computer programs that streamline and separate the communication process for projects are particularly handy for hybrid and remote working arrangements, but also are suitable for teams that in the office full time. They also can be useful when workers from more than one department are involved.
It keeps track of project stages and task completions, whether it is an individual item or a group achievement that is completed. For example, each employee can mark that they have completed their task, then when all tasks are completed by all employees, the project manager can mark that the next stage of the project has been completed and the next assignments can be issued.
Project management software can be more useful than a group chat because it keeps communication specific to a task and project and ensures that all employees can keep track of the project’s progress.
Buddy and mentoring initiatives
One of the best ways to facilitate the development of teamwork skills between employees is to match them with a buddy or a mentor.
The relationship can be between a junior and more experienced employee, or it can be between two employees at the same level.
By sharing information and helping each other in day-to-day tasks, buddies and mentors develop a trusting, respectful and unified relationship. By working one-on-one, it can form a stronger bond between the two workers than if they were working in a group with more than two employees as they can only rely on one another.
Recognition and feedback
Provide team members with the opportunity to provide recognition and feedback to each other, in addition to receiving it from the team leader.
For example, the team can vote for Employee of the Month or nominate colleagues for an award, which can build respect and trust in one another’s abilities and appreciation for another’s talents.
When the team has a win, recognise the individual efforts that helped it to succeed, such as highlighting the employee who made the initial suggestion, the employee who went above and beyond to get a task done, or the employee who used their creative skills to make the presentation visually exciting.
When a team feels it is working well together, it will be inspired to continue doing so.
By taking a few simple measures to foster good teamwork in an organisation, business leaders will soon experience the benefits and ensure that each important project or its operations in the long term are successful.
