Teamwork: the key to success

First things first, what is teamwork?

‘Teamwork’ differs from ‘team at work’.

Both concepts go side by side, but have different meanings. A regular team at work involves the human group itself, whose abilities and skills help us achieve the final objective. A misaligned team with a lack of fellowship will not be as productive and hence won’t give optimal results.

In order to attain teamwork, all members must be well organized, have an open and dynamic mindset, aligned with the mission and vision of the company. Every team member must be dedicated to obtain best results, focus on the processes to achieve goals, integrate with colleagues, be creative when solving problems, take all colleagues into account and accept the differences, be tolerant. And, last but not least, ignore those discussions that divide the group, be efficient and more effective.

Now that we are all on the same page, we can ask ourselves: what is so important about teamwork?

Many companies’ success depends, to a large extent, on the rapport, communication and commitment that exist among their employees. When they work as a team, activities flow faster and more efficiently. However, it is not easy for all members of the same group to understand each other in order to reach a final conclusion. Each person thinks differently from one another and sometimes, it is believed that one’s opinion prevails over the one from your partner, so how do you reach a balance?

The key to success is precisely there, knowing how to cope with a group of people whose skills, ways of thinking and willingness to work sometimes differ from ours.

Additionally, teamwork brings several advantages to companies:

• Merge of talents. “Two heads” are better than one. One of the main advantages of teamwork is that people’s outstanding talent is empowered with others who also have specific skills, this gives the best possible results because of the feedback generated by the different people who make up the team. This occurs because the different roles that group members take are enhanced and complemented, considerably improving productivity.
• More flexibility, less routine. Group activities, whether work or recreational, help to get out of the routine, which in many cases ends up being the enemy of progress. By generating team building instances, the feeling of belonging and social relations within the company are fostered.
• Enhance social relationships. Continuing with the previous point, teamwork commits people to relate and this is beneficial, communication brings in empathy, conflict resolution and a better work environment, among many others.
• When facing a crisis, a team with strong cohesion is better off. Companies in which there is no culture of collaboration or team communication will face a crisis situation in a much more complicated way. They will not know how to deal with it, where to start, or how to organize themselves. When teamwork is already there, everything will be more fluid and better endured.
• More creativity. Teamwork stimulates creativity by sharing thoughts and brainstorming.
• More motivation. Some individuals are much more motivated when they work with more people. On the other hand, others prefer to work alone, but this does not mean that they do not benefit from teamwork instances.

Teamwork is established out of necessity, and it’s expected to produce better results. But it should not be assumed that your team’s productivity will automatically improve. The team must be supported. Employers must develop and manage the team by carrying out continuous improvement actions such as:

• Set clear and understandable goals.
• Build and maintain mutual trust between members.
• Encourage good internal communication.
• Maintain an adequate leadership: guide and support the team without controlling it. We must help them realize their full potential, increase their self-confidence and take advantage of their qualities.
• Offer a supportive work environment from all parts of the organization. Provide the team with appropriate training and necessary resources.

To sum up, teamwork is distinguished by its members cooperating with one another and by sharing thoughts. They confront differences and put aside personal interests for the good of all. The collective effort results in a performance that is greater than the sum of individual results. It is very beneficial and has many advantages. But, at the same time, it requires effort and commitment to carry it out correctly.

To see its results, support actions are necessary from all parts of the business. All members must have or develop precise attitudes to reach a successful objective.

Teamwork is a vital path through business today to elevate performance, it will reinforce existing structures without replacing them.

We conclude with a quote from one of the greatest names in teamwork, Michael Jordan:

‘Talent wins games but teamwork wins championships’.