we all work as a team at some part of our lives, and the importance of teamwork is evident in each of them. If we don't get our work done on time, we realize on some level that we're pushing responsibilities onto other team members. However, the importance of teamwork goes beyond performing one's duties on others. An old African proverb about teamwork puts it this way:
“If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.”
Teamwork helps us grow as a person and do more than we could on our own. Without teamwork, we cannot build companies. So what exactly makes teamwork so important in the workplace? Teamwork helps us a lot. Without teamwork, many of our jobs will probably never get done. The following are just a few reasons highlighting the importance of teamwork.
1. Empathy and support from other team members
The emotional side of leadership is finally getting the attention it deserves. Executives found that while people might respect their "no-nonsense" boss, they couldn't be inspired by them. Empathy can make team members more loyal, engaged, happy, creative, and willing to work together. The team works closely together, you can see that each member contributes. Think about what this means: Through empathy, team members can report to each other, lend a helping hand, and speak up when someone needs a break. They depend on each other for success and real, personal communication, which is why they are much more likely to put themselves in someone else's shoes. My team uses a project management platform joint work to support each other and we have seen an improvement in the way we take care of each other. Having everyone on the same page about where the project stands, it makes it easier to understand where someone's mindset is when they're doing certain tasks.
2. Share of Responsibility
Like a football team, each member of the working group has their own specialty. Even if the right to decide dominates every game, this does not mean that the team is going to win. It takes each player to do their part and work together to win. Companies cannot hope to compete if only half of the team is racing to the finish line. If one player is on a bad day, the rest of the team must chip in - which keeps team members from having their own roles. This is how teams work: They make decisions that benefit the group, even if it means that some members have to sacrifice something. Group identity is what can inspire someone to go fight for their country or put in overtime in a project group. When you determine how to be part of a team, it causes a shift in YOU of purpose. You no longer need to think “what’s in it for me?” Do you think "what does this mean for us?” This motivates you to then strive towards the goals of the group, which makes the company stronger.
3. Build Bonds
We're probably all done on the "confidence drop" exercise. While this may be the most common team-building exercise, it's not the only way to help the team get together. Workplace teams spend time together and each member must be trusted to protect everyone's livelihood. A few ways to encourage them to build strong bonds and work better together:
Games and contests
Companies will be able to encourage their teams to build strong bonds through things like games and competitions. Games like waste basketball, ping pong, and two minute trivia can help break up the work day and try to get to know each other on a personal level in a fun, friendly environment.
Eating Together
What brings people together like food? Almost nothing. Encourage employees to eat together. Maybe that means a little more break or going out on Fridays. Enjoying happy hour and snacks after work is also a smart strategy.
Encouraging Personal Conversations During Downtime
You don't want your employees to goof off all the time, of course, but sometimes that goofy conversation can actually boost productivity and teamwork. Sharing photos of children and pets during downtime, or sharing hobbies and passions helps team members relate on a personal level. Which, in turn, strengthens the bonds that make them an effective team.
4. Improving the Quality of Service
Especially in industries that are not known for their customer service, teamwork can make a company shine. The book You Don't Have to Be Tough to Win by Jonathan Kaiser in particular encouraged me to be more selfless. Kaiser is leading a fast growing commercial real estate company that operates on the principle of selflessly serving others((Keyser: our culture)) in and around the team. Because the buy-in needs to be wide for a team to function, Keizer sees customers as part of that culture as well. Learning to serve others as a team can be challenging and challenging, but it can also be rewarding. Selfless service requires people to cooperate and go the extra mile. Relationships within a team must be built on trust and mutual respect for its members to act disinterestedly.
5. Promote a positive corporate culture
Not all employees prefer to work for a team rather than as individual members, but no one wants to work for a team that doesn't get along. Arguments and tension makes the job less fun for everyone involved. Good team players make good employees, which will ultimately create a good culture. We spend more time with our colleagues than with our own families, so it's important to enjoy being around. To make your work more enjoyable and productive, it's important to encourage employees to be a good team player. Team players will come together to get the job done, even if it means putting in a little more time than someone else.
6. Promote Psychological Safety
A few years ago, Google researchers latched on to the question companies have been trying to answer for centuries: what defines the perfect team? Google has discovered ((InoSMI: what Google has learned from its quest to build the perfect team)) that it's not about years of experience, personality alignment, or perks. It was the fact that ideal teams have psychological security. Essentially, good teams have the ability to fail, share opinions, and discuss ideas without worrying about being judged or ostracized. Psychological safety and teamwork complement each other. Teams that work well together learn to feel safe with each other. That security can help develop more creative, impactful ideas for the company as a whole. In Harvard Business Review interview ((Harvard Business Review: creation of psychological safety in the workplace)), Amy Edmondson, the researcher who first coined the term, explained that psychological safety is built structurally and behaviorally. The first is about building small groups whose members identify with each other; the second is from people who ask for feedback and be vulnerable.
7. Create Work-Life Balance
Work-life balance is a rarity in companies that don't recognize the importance of teamwork. When team members know that their peers have their backs, they feel free to close their laptops at the end of a long day or go on vacation and use their VET. Because they feel cared for, they are willing to go the extra mile when work needs to be done. If an employee needs time off for vacation or other personal time, everyone else on the team can come together to pick up the slack. We all deserve time off work. Having colleagues to help you, tell you to take time off, and hold you accountable in order to rest and relax helps make this happen.
8. Encourage innovation
Innovative companies know the importance of teamwork. Rarely, if ever, are innovations the result of a genius locked up in a lab, his or herself. Keith Ayers, Head of the Integro Leadership Institute, Breaks innovation into four roles((entrepreneur: teamwork innovation)): creation, promotion, processing, and implementation. Creators of the idea of people. They see opportunities even if those ideas don't work in practice. Price rises to propagate these ideas, ensuring they don't die in the bud. Refinements to do the job becomes to the meat of the idea: they ask “what if” questions to find their best iteration. Artists, of course, turn an idea from a concept to a concept into a real product. It will take a very precise person a lot of time to do it all on their own.
Final Thoughts
Teamwork isn't just a word your boss likes to toss around. The importance of teamwork can be seen in every Fortune 500 company, as well as in other aspects of life such as successful relationships with friends and family. Without teamwork, we probably didn't have safe roads to drive on, fresh food, complicated medical procedures, and more. Teamwork is what distinguishes companies that babble from those that succeed. What are you trying to achieve, use teamwork to help you go the distance.
Additional Chemistry Tips
- How Teamwork in the Workplace Uplifts Spirit and Produces Results
- 10 employee business ideas to improve teamwork
- The scientific power of teamwork