By Gabe Scorgie
16 min read
We’ve all heard the phrase “teamwork makes the dream work!” – and it’s true in any situation where people come together to work towards a common goal. Whether you’re an elite athlete or working on a project at work or school, bringing diverse minds and skills together enhances and advances the cause—and often makes lighter work for everyone.
But what is teamwork? And why is it important?
While most of us understand the general concept of teamwork, it merits a more in-depth discussion to get to the heart of the matter. It might surprise you to know that teamwork is just as beneficial to the individual as it is to the team and the company, and those are just a few of the concepts we’ll explore today.
Read on as we dive deeply into teamwork, the characteristics of a high-performing team, and the benefits of teamwork for employers and employees. We’ll also identify the challenges and barriers to effective teamwork and introduce strategies, tools, resources, and team-building ideas to keep the dream alive.
The basic definition of teamwork is the collaborative effort of a group to achieve a common goal, but that’s just a broad stroke in what is, ultimately, a highly complex tapestry.
Successful teams are built on strong relationships and shared purpose. While members are encouraged to bring independent thinking into the mix, they are also expected to work with others to plan, develop, and execute plans and projects.
No matter the context, high-performing teams have many common traits, including good communication and decision-making, a sense of responsibility, and a healthy respect for others’ opinions and ideas.
Employers and hiring managers actively seek out individuals who excel in a team environment as they know that effective teams improve efficiency, productivity, innovation, and overall employee happiness. Companies prioritizing teamwork enjoy greater agility, motivation, creativity, problem-solving, morale, and a more robust internal culture.
For the employee, the ability to work within a team is an essential skill to cultivate at any career stage. Aside from being a notable attribute on one’s CV, working within a group helps individuals become more resourceful as, over time, they will gain knowledge from their teammates and become better equipped to face challenges in every aspect of their lives.
And there’s a historical context as well. The value of teams in the workplace was discovered in the early 20th century. Team building emerged in mid-century times, marked by intentional interaction between managers and workers. Team-building methods began to evolve along with societal trends in later years and continue to grow, prioritizing communication and collaboration as the primary drivers of high-performing teams.
Finally, the pandemic ushered in a new era of teamwork. Technology evolved to support remote and asynchronous work, offering new capabilities to enhance the modern work environment.
Today, it’s hard to imagine how we’d get along without tools like Slack, Zoom, Teams, and employee success platforms like Jostle. Each of these tools—and others like them—has transported us into a new age of teamwork, one in which we’re only starting to realize the remarkable potential.
So, let’s jump into some of the main attributes of effective teamwork. In other words, these are the nuts and bolts of a high-performing team and something all have in common.
Clearly defined goals and objectives are essential to instill a sense of purpose. When all team members understand what’s expected of them and how it contributes to the project and company mission, work is more efficient and focused, reducing wasted time and effort.
Further, set goals must be achievable. When people feel their objectives are unreachable, communication will fall by the wayside, enthusiasm will wane, and negativity will impact team morale.
A well-defined team structure and hierarchy is essential to effective teamwork. Understanding roles accelerates decision-making and helps to resolve conflicts quickly. But defining roles and responsibilities isn’t just about the individual knowing what’s expected of them; it’s also about understanding others’ roles and how each person’s contribution fits into the bigger picture. When these aspects are well-defined, work is more efficient, and delays are mitigated. People know what they’re responsible for and who they can turn to when they need help.
Each team member should have the tools and freedom to communicate openly with other teammates. As many companies today support remote teams, good communication skills and comfort with technology are a must, especially in written communication. The more open, clear, concise, and consistent team members are with each other, the less they’ll face conflict and misunderstanding, which can negatively impact the team dynamic. Further to that, members must feel open to expressing their opinions and ideas and be open to those of others—honesty and transparency support better coordination, conflict resolution, and success in achieving team goals.
Respect, trust, honesty, and accountability go hand in hand where teams are concerned. For a team to achieve its fullest potential, all members must trust each other to do what they say they’ll do and take responsibility for their actions. Failure to do so sows seeds of distrust, undermining team progress. When mistakes are made, team members must own them so the team can work together to find a solution. On that note, empathy should be mentioned, as it is another trait that falls into this category. We are all human and are bound to fail occasionally, but a little understanding goes a long way to building trust and ensuring continuous improvement.
There is much data to prove that diverse teams outperform homogeneous ones in almost any workplace environment. Astute leaders compose their teams from people of varied ages, genders, cultural backgrounds, and skill sets. Doing so invites out-of-the-box thinking, taking team efforts far beyond what they’d be capable of individually or as part of an undiversified group. Research shows that diverse teams are 87% better decision-makers, 70% more likely to succeed in new markets, and generally more innovative, as diverse viewpoints tend to make for more marketable products and services.
In the previous section, we touched on how various team attributes benefit companies, teams, and individual employees. Let’s now dive a little deeper into how these characteristics translate into tangible benefits. Here are just a few:
Teams frequently make decisions and must overcome barriers to achieving their goals. When you apply multiple people to a problem, multiple ideas will be presented, initiating discussions around which direction is best. Expedient problem-solving and decision-making are facilitated by teamwork as people come together to apply unique perspectives to the challenge. Welcoming diverse and varied skills and viewpoints contributes to better, more sustainable solutions that align with group goals and the company’s mission.
Unique ideas often come to light when diverse individuals collaborate on a project or task. Considering new viewpoints enhances creativity, which can benefit the organization, resulting in unique products and services that differentiate it from others in its industry. Collective innovation encourages employees to get excited about their work and apply themselves to their tasks. As the team dynamic evolves, it may also increase risk-taking, leading to incredible results for the organization.
Teams can often achieve more together than individuals working alone. Teamwork enables tasks to be split fairly and evenly among members, making the goals more manageable and accelerating completion timelines. This approach allows employees to focus on their specialty areas and leave tasks outside their expertise to others.
Working as part of a supportive team can improve job satisfaction and morale. Being part of a winning team is energizing. Employees enjoy better relationships with their coworkers, feel free to be more productive, and can capitalize on the strengths of others to make their own work shine. Teamwork also encourages departments to work together, improving relationships and collaboration across the organization.
Teamwork helps individuals develop new skills and gain new experiences. Teams sometimes divide tasks by skill level to maximize efficiency, and working with an expert is the surest way to gain insight into new skills an employee might want to build. Team relationships also foster a better understanding of how projects come together and establish a dynamic where people are open to giving and receiving feedback. The benefits of these types of relationships extend to all areas of life, including time spent outside work, as they increase confidence, encourage openness, and open doors to new opportunities.
Understanding what makes a winning team doesn’t mean there won’t be challenges. Team dynamics can be complex, particularly when the team is comprised of ambitious, opinionated professionals. Understanding the main reasons why teamwork breaks down can inform solutions that may help to prevent a worst-case scenario.
Poor communication can derail teamwork quickly. This is especially true in remote or distributed work environments where some team members rarely see their coworkers face-to-face (or ever). It’s essential to establish protocols and tenets for inter-team communication and to provide the tools needed to ensure it’s possible. Teams must be connected to each other and the resources they need to accomplish their tasks. It’s also vital for people to know there’s always someone there to help when needed and to connect regularly, whether through weekly scrums, productivity tools like Slack, or town halls that allow everyone to share.
Conflicts in teams arise for myriad reasons: conflicting opinions, negative attitudes, lack of information, unclear goals, lack of accountability, poor leadership, personality clashes—you get the picture. We are all human, and even the most sympatico teams will come to loggerheads occasionally. Whatever the issue is, it’s vital to address and resolve it quickly as trust issues may arise, communication will erode, and you’ll undoubtedly witness a domino effect as everything you’ve built comes tumbling down. Identify and address the problem immediately and communicate openly throughout the resolution process. While there may not be a cut-and-dried solution, you may be able to agree on a compromise that allows everyone to get back on track.
Groupthink is when every team member agrees without giving the issue much thought. On the surface, this may seem advantageous as it may allow for faster decision-making and consensus—but it also reduces critical thinking and may impede innovation. Groupthink may cause some people to hold back if they have misgivings, assuming the group knows best. Teams that develop groupthink also tend to distrust those outside their group, which may inhibit learning and prevent people from considering the negative consequences of their actions. Other contributing factors to groupthink include authoritarian leadership, lack of knowledge within the group, and extreme stress, such as when the team is handed an impossible task.
Social loafing is the tendency of some team members to put in less effort—a common occurrence that can have severe consequences on productivity. However, the causes of social loafing might not always rest with the individual. Protocols and structures can be established to mitigate the tendency, but knowing what leads to it is important, too. For example, if team members feel others are slacking, they might also slack off. Ill-defined goals, lack of consequences for not contributing, no critical feedback, no positive feedback, or a generally non-cohesive or disconnected group are all potential causal factors. In the latter case, people who haven’t established strong relationships with teammates will be less concerned about letting others down.
Inadequate leadership can lead to many issues within a team, including low morale, high turnover, lost productivity, and, in a broader sense, reputational damage for the company. Leadership issues come in many stripes and can take the form of authoritarianism, poor communication, micromanagement, and a failure to lead by example. Fortunately, most of these challenges can be addressed through leadership development and training, coaching, setting clear expectations from the top down, and establishing feedback mechanisms so team members have an avenue to report the behavior.
Now that we know what teamwork is, its benefits for employees and the organization, and the possible challenges companies may face when promoting a team culture, let’s discuss ways to encourage, foster, and promote teamwork.
The following points, suggestions, and ideas can be used at any stage of team development to strengthen and improve inter-team relationships and keep people and teams connected to company goals.
Team building activities are excellent for members to develop and strengthen interpersonal relationships outside work. Finding and choosing activities your team will enjoy is probably the biggest challenge, but it’s essential to cultivating a thriving and connected team culture.
Activities are usually gamified and often conducted off-premises to get some separation from daily work. The best activities encourage people to work together, trust each other, and be creative in finding solutions—all helpful in a team environment.
The difference between team-building activities and their daily work is that it’s usually fun, low-stakes, and lets people let loose and show their personalities. The better your teams know each other personally, the more they’ll trust each other at work—or at least, that’s the general idea. Whether you choose an escape room, team sports, volunteering at a local charity, or organizing a fun run, everyone will come away with a fresh attitude about their coworkers. It’s a win-win.
Employee training and development is a significant driver of value and performance in the workplace as it engages employees, elevates in-house talent, improves business performance, reduces turnover, and expands individual skills to meet market demands. Plus, training and development contribute to job satisfaction in a big way as employees feel valued, useful, and supported and have more opportunities for career advancement.
From a team standpoint, when workers feel valued and resourced, they are likelier to engage with their colleagues, communicate more, and demonstrate a strong desire to excel in their roles. Gaining recognition from the employer and teammates reinforces a sense of worth and strengthens trust as employees feel they are a part of the company’s success.
Constructive feedback is essential to team success as it validates the work people do and the progress they’ve made along the way. Feedback is also helpful in mitigating issues that may impact teamwork, like poor time management, inadequate communication, frequent conflict, or lack of initiative. However, feedback doesn’t always have to be negative. Positive reinforcement, recognizing outstanding work, or providing expertise on refining a process are all excellent ways feedback can be applied to keep the team connected and on track. A team culture that welcomes feedback supports open, trusting relationships and establishes a solid basis for advancement.
Having clarity around goals, roles, and responsibilities is critical to ensure a functional team. Clear goals and objectives set the tone and help teams stay on course as they drive toward the finish line. However, goals are not just about the end result. When each team member understands their role and how their input fits in with what others do and contributes to the big picture, it frees the group to work as a unified force and makes it easier to overcome obstacles when they arise.
Communicating clearly, meeting regularly, staying connected, and using productivity tools like Slack to stay on track are just a few strategies to ensure everyone understands expectations.
Maintaining and promoting a positive and collaborative team culture is the foundation of effective teamwork and has many benefits to the individual as well as the group. Team collaboration boosts productivity, innovation, and problem-solving as members feel free to share ideas and come together to find solutions when needed. A collaborative culture encourages employees to leverage each others’ strengths and strive to achieve something that’s greater than the sum of its parts. Other benefits include accelerated project completion, improved accountability, more efficient use of resources and knowledge, and being able to distribute tasks based on an employee’s strengths or area of specialty. Collaborative teams also demonstrate a greater sense of ownership as they actively participate in decision-making and are more invested in the result.
Evidence of successful teamwork is everywhere you look.
There are many examples in sports, including the Boston Red Sox’ incredible comeback in 2004 to beat the Yankees after an 86-year “curse” and an astonishing Premier League title win for Leicester City in 2016, where the team went in with 5000-1 odds and beat the sport’s traditional favorites. Neither feat could claim luck—they applied strategy, trained hard, worked together, and came out on top.
Or how about the historic Woodstock concert in 1969, organized by four people who could not have possibly expected or prepared for the half-million people that descended on that field in Bethel, NY? It could have been a complete disaster, but for a miracle of teamwork that ultimately manifested the peace and love they were promoting.
Community gardens are yet another example of teamwork; neighbors come together to revitalize unused space and grow food for themselves and others who cannot afford it. In such cases, more significant community issues can be solved through group effort, cultivating human connection in the process.
So, what lessons can be gleaned from the above scenarios? For starters, anything is possible when you’re working as one. The objectives were clear, the people were motivated, and they devised strategies to get them to the finish line, resulting in something stronger and more successful than they could have imagined.
Teamwork requires effort, but the right tools and resources make the process much easier. Here are a few suggestions to help you support and enhance teamwork in your organization.
Technology helps fill many gaps when team members work in separate locations. Tools like Slack help to manage conversations around topics and projects so everybody stays on the same page. Here are a few recommendations, all of which integrate with Jostle.
Books, ebooks, and podcasts are excellent sources of insight into teamwork and trends to drive team success. Here are a few recommended reads:
The 17 Indisputable Laws of Teamwork, author John C. Maxwell shares vital team-building principles.
The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni has sold more than five million copies and is a must-read for any team leader.
Help the Helper: Building a Culture of Extreme Teamwork, by John Pritchard and Jon Eliot, is an excellent book focusing on how to put world-class teamwork into motion in your business.
In choosing an enrichment strategy, consider your teams’ strengths and interests and offer flexible options that fit their dynamic. Here are a few ideas to get you thinking.
Based on our discussion today, there’s no question that teamwork is an essential skill to cultivate and develop. Employers place high value on employees and candidates who work well in team environments, and job seekers would do well to develop those skills.
Companies with a strong team culture tend to be more productive and perform better than those that don’t. We hope these tips and insights have been enlightening and will serve you well on your teamwork journey. With the right tools, resources, training, and support, everyone wins.
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Gabe Scorgie
Jostle’s employee success platform is where everyone connects, communicates, and celebrates at work. Find out more at jostle.me. © 2009–2024 Jostle Corporation. All rights reserved.
