9 Ways Teamwork Is Good For You!
In today’s me-first business climate where the self-made millionaire is worshipped as a guru, it’s easy to think of teamwork as a needless roadblock to one’s own success. In many fields, people have been conditioned to keep information secret, refuse to help others, and even sabotage colleagues and coworkers to get ahead.
But this hypercompetitive approach is based on the false belief that success is possible without teamwork. The truth is that even the most successful individuals couldn’t have done it without their unheralded associates, co-workers, assistants, or family members helping them along the way.
Teamwork has been the driving force behind innovation, even since the early days of the human race, and although the capitalist myth of the self-made millionaire still has staying power, it’s time to rise to the challenges of the 21st century by setting aside greed in favor of collaboration. Whether we’re talking about a small business, a major corporation, a nonprofit, a city, or a country, teamwork is the key to growth and innovation in the future.
On the personal and organizational levels, here are some ways that teamwork can benefit you and your collaborators.
1. Teamwork increases efficiency:
Every individual has specialties, and collaboration allows each person to focus on what he or she does best. Although teams often need time to establish their working relationships before they reap the benefits, any group that perseveres through the early stages and finds a healthy team rhythm will achieve increased efficiency and productivity.
2. Teamwork improves performance:
When you’re able to focus on what you do best and don’t have to deal with tasks that are beyond your skills or capabilities, you produce higher-quality work.
3. Teamwork builds competency:
Although collaboration does enable team members to focus on their core competencies, it can also be broadly instructive. In collaborating with others, you inevitably learn more about what they do, and you gain a broader understanding of the system you’re a part of.
4. Teamwork builds trust:
Every strong team needs a solid foundation of trust, otherwise, morale can suffer. A strong team cultivates trust from top to bottom, maintains open lines of communication between all team members, and operates with transparency.
5. Teamwork reduces stress:
Trying to do everything yourself can have negative consequences on your productivity, not to mention your mental and physical health. Most of us can endure some pressure over short periods of time, but it’s nice to have teammates who can take some of the load off when things get too intense. This prevents burnout and helps you get much-needed time to unwind.
6. Teamwork lets management focus on the big picture:
An organization can’t have success if its leaders are forced to spend hours daily dealing with inconsequential administrative or operational matters. Having a solid team to handle these tasks allows a manager to guide the overall trajectory of the organization without getting lost in the details.
7. Teamwork leads to innovation:
We like to think that innovative ideas come in flashes of brilliance, but more often innovation comes from years of hard effort by a group of people rather than an individual. Most lasting innovations have multiple stages, starting with the creative process and moving through the development, refinement, execution, and revision phases. Over the course of this project, there is room for input from many different individuals.
8. Teamwork impresses:
On a more personal level, setting aside selfishness is a smart way to invest in your future. Teamwork is one of the top criteria that hiring managers consider, and having a reputation for strong teamwork skills can earn you jobs and promotions.
9. Teamwork improves service:
In any successful organization a strong team spirit comes across in interactions with its customers or supporters. When there is a sense of positive collaboration, every individual in the company will have a positive attitude and a strong sense of advocacy in favor of the company, and this will make them want to represent the company in a positive way.
But this hypercompetitive approach is based on the false belief that success is possible without teamwork. The truth is that even the most successful individuals couldn’t have done it without their unheralded associates, co-workers, assistants, or family members helping them along the way.
Teamwork has been the driving force behind innovation, even since the early days of the human race, and although the capitalist myth of the self-made millionaire still has staying power, it’s time to rise to the challenges of the 21st century by setting aside greed in favor of collaboration. Whether we’re talking about a small business, a major corporation, a nonprofit, a city, or a country, teamwork is the key to growth and innovation in the future.
On the personal and organizational levels, here are some ways that teamwork can benefit you and your collaborators.
1. Teamwork increases efficiency:
Every individual has specialties, and collaboration allows each person to focus on what he or she does best. Although teams often need time to establish their working relationships before they reap the benefits, any group that perseveres through the early stages and finds a healthy team rhythm will achieve increased efficiency and productivity.
2. Teamwork improves performance:
When you’re able to focus on what you do best and don’t have to deal with tasks that are beyond your skills or capabilities, you produce higher-quality work.
3. Teamwork builds competency:
Although collaboration does enable team members to focus on their core competencies, it can also be broadly instructive. In collaborating with others, you inevitably learn more about what they do, and you gain a broader understanding of the system you’re a part of.
4. Teamwork builds trust:
Every strong team needs a solid foundation of trust, otherwise, morale can suffer. A strong team cultivates trust from top to bottom, maintains open lines of communication between all team members, and operates with transparency.
5. Teamwork reduces stress:
Trying to do everything yourself can have negative consequences on your productivity, not to mention your mental and physical health. Most of us can endure some pressure over short periods of time, but it’s nice to have teammates who can take some of the load off when things get too intense. This prevents burnout and helps you get much-needed time to unwind.
6. Teamwork lets management focus on the big picture:
An organization can’t have success if its leaders are forced to spend hours daily dealing with inconsequential administrative or operational matters. Having a solid team to handle these tasks allows a manager to guide the overall trajectory of the organization without getting lost in the details.
7. Teamwork leads to innovation:
We like to think that innovative ideas come in flashes of brilliance, but more often innovation comes from years of hard effort by a group of people rather than an individual. Most lasting innovations have multiple stages, starting with the creative process and moving through the development, refinement, execution, and revision phases. Over the course of this project, there is room for input from many different individuals.
8. Teamwork impresses:
On a more personal level, setting aside selfishness is a smart way to invest in your future. Teamwork is one of the top criteria that hiring managers consider, and having a reputation for strong teamwork skills can earn you jobs and promotions.
9. Teamwork improves service:
In any successful organization a strong team spirit comes across in interactions with its customers or supporters. When there is a sense of positive collaboration, every individual in the company will have a positive attitude and a strong sense of advocacy in favor of the company, and this will make them want to represent the company in a positive way.
|
Source: Uvetica
|
Subscribe to our Coffee Break Newsletter |
Similar Mind Power Articles |