Studies have shown that teams of up to three, four or five outperform their individual counterparts, highlighting the importance of teamwork. If companies wish to flourish and maximise growth, then teams should be encouraged in the workplace. Teams allow for individuals to lean on other people for support. They can offer their knowledge and skills, allowing them to learn from others wisdom. Even offering wisdom about past mistakes they may have made and how to avoid them in the future. Teamwork allows for individuals in the team to take a deep dive into their chosen field helping to contribute to the team, specialising in certain areas or expanding to new roles.
Why is Teamwork so Important
Teamwork is only beneficial when it is healthy, coherent, and collaborative. If the team do not work well together due to miscommunications, improper leadership, or delegation, then it is a missed opportunity for companies to grow each individual and nurture the wider team.
Teamwork may be something that we always relate to the corporate world. However, we have been taking part in teams for years. Even back in our primal days we would often set out hunting for food in small groups because we knew that we held more power as a group than we did as individuals. As kids most of us played team sports or worked collaboratively in school. We have been developing teamwork skills for years by the time we enter the corporate workplace. In corporate teams’ teamwork is important as it can increase staff morale and satisfaction, help individuals to develop more teamwork skills that can benefit themselves and the company. We discuss the importance of teamwork below with some skills to work on.
Team Building Skills
Leadership/Delegation
Some believe that teams do not require a leader. While this may be the case for some very capable teams, it is not the case for everyone. Negative effects can also occur when leaders have too much control. It can be counter intuitive to the success of the team and create unnecessary hurdles. Have you ever tried to get your work approved but your leader, but they struggle to approve it in a timely fashion? Making it difficult to create content that is time specific? Or has your leader or manager ever made you start something again from scratch because they didn’t explain it properly the first time? This is the result of poor leadership and a lack of team building skills.
A good leader will provide accurate and clear instruction to their team. Each person will have an assigned role and a task list that they must complete for the team to succeed. The team can then work individually on their tasks. However, throughout their work they come back together to brainstorm ideas and share knowledge throughout their journey as a team.
Communication/Collaboration
Collaborating is the most important part of teamwork and team building skills. What would teamwork be without collaboration? Well, it wouldn’t be teamwork at all. Communication is the essential medium that teams use to collaborate. In this post-covid world many teams are now communicating through less traditional means like online Zoom or MS Teams. Some might say that this will hinder collaboration and communication. But if each member of the team feels as if they can rely on the others then there are no limitations on collaborating. Team building skills such as communication and collaboration are at the heart of teamwork. Without it your team will not reach their full potential.
Problem Solving Skills
The importance of teamwork is represented through the problem-solving ability of your team. If your team is unable to solve problems quickly and effectively, they will not be able to move forward to get the real work done. Problem solving skills are a team building skill as it helps teams to reach decisions. If the team can workshop through ideas and methods and come to an informed decision, which is an essential part of working as a team. They have successfully implemented problem solving skills into their teamwork.
Empathy
Each individual in the team is a person, who has friends, family, feelings emotions and experiences that dictate how they interact, communicate and think. Empathy is when you are able to understand the feelings and emotions of another person. This is an essential team building skill. Teams need to be able to understand each person’s background or at least how they operate in a team to be able to resolve conflict when it arises. Conflict is common in most teams. It is a rare day if a team has no conflict to resolve. Empathy is a useful tool that individuals can use to help them understand where the other team member is coming from.
For example, a colleague may want to use an online platform to schedule tasks to each member of the team. You don’t believe that it is necessary and that everyone should just be able to stay on top of their goals. However, if you apply empathy, you will be able to understand that maybe this platform allows that team member to follow instructions and roles more clearly and allows them to keep track of others in a non-evasive way as well. You have also never tried this platform before so you decide you will give it a trial run or this campaign. Without taking a step back and empathising with your team mate the conflict may have hindered future collaboration.
Creativity
Thinking outside the box is a necessary team building skill. When faced with a task that they can’t work out as they normally would, teams are forced to use alternative innovative and creative thinking. These new ways of thinking open new pathways for problem solving, not only for the challenge at hand, but for future challenges as well. It also enhances how to collaborate and work together as a team when trying totally new things. Having common purpose and achieving new highs within a team is shown to have many benefits for team building skills. For example, if it took an entire team to solve an IQ challenge, they will have furthered their connection with the team, creatively thought and learnt new team building skills.
It is essential that you apply team building skills with your team every so often, so you ensure creative thinking, empathy, trust, communication, and problem solving are developed within your team.