Have you ever undertaken a group task that seemed infeasible, only to realize later that it was not that hard after all?
It is often said “If you want to go quickly, go alone, but if you want to go far, go together.” The positive effect of teamwork is not big news for business world, with far-sighted companies spending millions on team building strategies for years, but the transforming post-pandemic corporate landscape requires an even bigger focus on soft skills development to enable cooperative individuals that can broaden their personal horizons for more efficient outcomes.
What is teamwork?
A team refers to a group of individuals who work together towards a common goal. Teamwork describes this collaborative effort of a group to achieve a common in the most effective and efficient way. In business, several productivity studies have shown that top-hierarchy employees need the help of a strong team in order to succeed, but building this strong team is not a simple task; there are several prerequisites for a team to work effectively:
- Communication: Clear communication between the members is vital for avoiding confusion or losing unnecessary time.
- Common goal: Having all members striving for the same objective will provide the necessary passion and energy for this to be achieved.
- Commitment: Teams can only progress and succeed when every team member accepts the common goal and stands behind it.
- Accountability: This does not mean that teammates start blaming each other if things do not go as planned or in time, but that each member takes their responsibility for their assigned tasks seriously.
3 reasons why working alone is not a good idea
- Limited perspective: When working alone, our viewpoint is typically restricted from our personal experiences, perspectives and beliefs. However, working with a team -even more a diverse team- can contribute different perspectives and ideas, that could lead to more efficient outcome or help the team achieve this outcome faster.
- Limited problem-solving: Looking at a challenge through one scope can leave you stuck in deadlocks for days, when only one word from another individual can trigger solutions and approached that you did not know there were in your head.
- Limited self-development: Ralph Waldo Emerson said the purpose of life is not to be happy; it is to be useful. Work is not only about having tasks done or getting a high salary; it is a big part of a person’s identity and self-appreciation. People in an office are growing together and improving their abilities by discovering new ways of doing things.
How teamwork enables productivity
The miracle of brainstorming: You have this task, assignment or project, that requires a creative, out-of-the box thinking and you feel stuck. Sitting down with your mates, you start randomly elaborating on the topic, and maybe throw seemingly indifferent or obvious ideas on the table. And before you ever know it, you have been on track. And the nothing becomes something. This is the power of brainstorming, a group creativity technique describing how a team can reach an outcome by gathering a list of ideas spontaneously contributed by its members. This method also enables them to find solutions by building on each other’s ideas like a pyramid puzzle.
Getting there faster: Every individual is more talented in specific tasks and finds difficulties in others. In a team, workload is shared among team members with different skill sets and expertise, which means that the team can leverage every member’s strengths for a better overall result. Similarly, certain team groups may undertake roles that are harder for the other teammates. This helps the team to reach its goal faster -in the intense Shippingland where time is never enough- by limiting each member’s personal struggles. Win-win.
Fostering creativity: Some companies use teams and teamwork to create a work environment which excels at creativity. Contrary to the conventional ladder (or hierarchy) approach, a lattice corporate structure gives employees equal responsibility and the opportunity to participate and contribute to development of new projects, moving laterally through the organization and changing positions so that they can gain knowledge about all aspects of operations. Using teams to full effect means that employees are free to start new teams as new ideas come to them.
Building bonding: A collateral effect of a team project is enhancing the people’s bonding as everyone is working towards the same goal, spending time together exchanging thoughts, supporting each other, building on each other’s ideas and eventually building trust and deeper relationships. In the long-term, this leads to bigger psychological safety and organizational identification of employees, as well as better work culture.
Increasing morale and motivation: Simply knowing you are part of a group that shares common purpose and depends on each member in order to succeed is enough to increase each member’s productivity. Working on a team boosts employees’ sense of belonging and of recognition, which helps them take more pride, not only in their work, but also their organization.
Making up highly productive teams:
- Create a clear goal
- Clearly assign tasks and responsibilities
- Promote active listening
- Don’t neglect teammates’ needs individually
- Take time to rest
- Give some flexibility
- Have some fun throughout the process!
Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence win championships. -Michael Jordan
Five team-bonding activities to improve teamwork
While many people consider team-bonding activities embarrassing or even, they are proven to be helpful to establish a strong team spirit within any organization, with team members coming closer and forging deeper relations. Here are 5 team-bonding activities suitable for every group:
1# Two truths and one lie
Each team member says three truths and one lie about himself. Team members have to guess the lie.
2# Abandoned island
In an imaginary plane crash, find 12 items from around the room/office that would be the most useful for survival.
3# Silent line-up
Players will have to line up in various orders (for example, by height, birthday, age) but without talking.
4# Pair up
The players will have to ask questions in order to guess the name that is written on their back.
5# Blind retriever
Players will be separated into teams and will have to give instruction to a blindfolded person to find a specific object in the room.
