Teamwork is the collaborative effort of a team to achieve a common goal or to complete a task in the most effective and efficient way. The value of teamwork is regularly seen in sports, to be honest, teams don’t work without teamwork. Many employers consider teamwork very important among staff, but the fact remains that a lot of workforces suffer from poor communication, lack of trust, power struggle etc. all of which erode the chances of teamwork in the workplace.
According to mother Teresa of blessed memory “None of us, including me, ever do great things. But we can all do small things, with great love, and together we can do something wonderful”
If nurturing a healthy team culture is important to your workplace, here are some tips to consider:-
- Establish team rules to keep team members on the same page.
- Learn to celebrate your success as a team to build close relationship and boost happiness.
- Consider every team member’s idea valuable.
- Clarity of purpose is mandatory for all team members.
- Get feedbacks from all team members.
- Establish effective communication.
- Encourage listening and brainstorming among team members.
- Ensure quick resolution of conflicts.
- Leadership team should lead by showing good teamwork examples.
BENEFITS OF TEAMWORK AT THE WORKPLACE
- IT BOOSTS PRODUCTIVITY
With more hands on deck, productivity increases as tasks are completed faster and more efficiently.
- PROMOTES BONDING AMONG STAFF
Strong relationships among team members enable them communicate more freely, resulting into less conflicts among colleagues.
- IMPROVES QUALITY OF SERVICE RENDERED
A Team with strong work ethics and team spirit work well together. When there is unity among team members, there is high tendency to provide improved services that meet the needs of their customers.
- IT ENCOURAGES INNOVATION
Teams are better able to produce more creative and innovative ideas, than someone working alone.
- PROVIDES SUPPORT NETWORK
Working as a team helps you rely on each other for support, encouragement and guidance; especially during difficult and challenging times.
- CAREER ADVANCEMENT
Being part of a team exposes you to other team member’s skills. It also provides you with a prospect of building your professional network plus it could lead you to better opportunities along your career path.
- IT ALLOWS FLEXIBILITY
Having good relationship with your colleagues promotes collaboration, which allows flexible work schedule as cross-trained team members can easily cover for each other’s absence.
- IT PROMOTES CONFLICT RESOLUTION
Clashes with colleagues once in a while are expected but constant disagreements at the workplace could have great effect on productivity. Thus team members working towards a common goal learn to resolve conflicts timely on their own, for the sake of the project, their team and the organization at large.
Teamwork is a core skill required by everyone in the workplace; it should be encouraged by all means among team members. Just like Helen Keller said “Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much”.
Sources: 12 easy ways to improve workplace teamwork by Hannah Price
10 benefits of teamwork in the workplace by Chris Leitch