Teamwork

At work, do you work in a team or in multiple teams? If so, teamwork is an essential skill for you. Do you find that your team works better when you behave in a certain way towards them? That is why teamwork is important in an office.

What is teamwork?

Teamwork is working well with a team in various settings to efficiently and effectively complete a project. Most companies will look for team players because this is a crucial skill in today’s world.

How to do teamwork and be a team player

You should firstly be able to work with others through empathy and respect. We cannot live in society without being aware that other people have different opinions and views that also deserve our respect. In an office, we are constantly moving with others and we have to be mindful of their opinions and experiences.

Through this understanding, we can progress to working with a team. We need to set boundaries for what is discussed and what is tolerated in the team meetings, and respect should be a main component of what is expected from each member. Hate speech, bullying, harassment, and disrespect should not be accepted in any form.

Elements of teamwork

• Clear direction: Have a vision for the team that meets the goals of the project.
• Communication: A team cannot function without good communication. If it does not know what it has to do, how can it do it?
• Define what each person has to do: Well-defined roles help the team know what they must do and who is responsible for each item to be done.
• Delegation: Not everyone has to be in every single task, and no one has to do everything. So, delegate to the person most able to do it and see the team thrive.
• Setting goals: Having well-defined and common goals will help the team both in the short-term and the long-term.
• Efficiency through good rapport: Having a good rapport with the team and within the team is important if you want the team to be efficient and effective in its work.
• Brainstorm: All good projects come out of a good brainstorming session. Let the team hash out all their ideas until the best one emerges.
• Support: Support the team when it decides what it wants to do so that they can do what they intend to do.
• Encourage: Whether it is differences of opinion that lead to great ideas or a team mate that needs to be appreciated, a team leader and all other team members must learn to encourage each other.
• Trust: Build trust in the team to gain the most out of it.

Teamwork can be great fun when done right, and you (whatever your role in it is), can be the deciding factor in whether the team succeeds or fails. Always keep a positive attitude and support your team mates and you will find that your team is great fun to work with.