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The Secrets of Great Teamwork

• Martine Haas
• Mark Mortensen

Over the years, as teams have grown more diverse, dispersed, digital, and dynamic, collaboration has become more complex. But though teams face new challenges, their success still depends on a core set of fundamentals. As J. Richard Hackman, who began researching teams in the 1970s, discovered, what matters most isn’t the personalities or behavior of the team members; it’s whether a team has a compelling direction, a strong structure, and a supportive context. In their own research, Haas and Mortensen have found that teams need those three “enabling conditions” now more than ever. But their work also revealed that today’s teams are especially prone to two corrosive problems: “us versus them” thinking and incomplete information. Overcoming those pitfalls requires a new enabling condition: a shared mindset.

This article details what team leaders should do to establish the four foundations for success. For instance, to promote a shared mindset, leaders should foster a common identity and common understanding among team members, with techniques such as “structured unstructured time.” The authors also describe how to evaluate a team’s effectiveness, providing an assessment leaders can take to see what’s working and where there’s room for improvement.

Collaboration has become more complex, but success still depends on the fundamentals.

Idea in Brief

The problem.

Teams are more diverse, dispersed, digital, and dynamic than ever before. These qualities make collaboration especially challenging.

The Analysis

Mixing new insights with a focus on the fundamentals of team effectiveness identified by organizational-behavior pioneer J. Richard Hackman, managers should work to establish the conditions that will enable teams to thrive.

The Solution

The right conditions are

• a compelling direction
• a strong structure
• a supportive context, and
• a shared mindset

Weaknesses in these areas make teams vulnerable to problems.

Today’s teams are different from the teams of the past: They’re far more diverse, dispersed, digital, and dynamic (with frequent changes in membership). But while teams face new hurdles, their success still hinges on a core set of fundamentals for group collaboration.

• Martine Haas is the Lauder Chair Professor of Management at the Wharton School and Director of the Lauder Institute for Management & International Studies at the University of Pennsylvania. She holds a PhD from Harvard University. Her research focuses on collaboration and teamwork in global organizations.
• Mark Mortensen is a professor of organizational behavior at INSEAD and for over 20 years has studied and consulted on collaboration and organization design, with a focus on hybrid, virtual, and globally distributed work. Mark publishes regularly in Harvard Business Review , MIT Sloan Management Review , and INSEAD Knowledge, and is a regular fixture in popular press outlets like the BBC, the Economist , the Financial Times , and Fortune .

Partner Center

Cover Story

What makes teams work?

Psychologists are pinpointing the factors that make teams gel—research that has far-reaching implications for health care, education, research, industry and more

By Kirsten Weir

September 2018, Vol 49, No. 8

Print version: page 46

15 min read

• Healthy Workplaces

The lone wolf is becoming an endangered species. In fields from health care to hospitality, startups to big business, teamwork has become the favored way to get things done. "The world is so complex, no one person has the skills or knowledge to accomplish all that we want to accomplish," says Susan McDaniel, PhD, a psychologist at the University of Rochester Medical Center and 2016 APA president known for her dedication to team-based work. "Interdisciplinary teams are the way to make that happen."

While humans have always joined forces with one another to achieve shared goals, psychologists are zeroing in on the methods and processes that make those collaborations more efficient and successful. "What's changing is the understanding and appreciation that there is a science behind how to manage teams," says Suzanne Bell, PhD, an associate professor of industrial/organizational (I/O) psychology at DePaul University in Chicago.

Now, a special issue of American Psychologist (Vol. 73, No. 4, 2018) details what psychologists have learned—and need to learn—about working in teams. "The Science of Teamwork," co-edited by McDaniel and colleague Eduardo Salas, PhD, of Rice University in Houston, in cooperation with American Psychologist editor-in-chief Anne E. Kazak, PhD, offers 21 articles that delve into the theory, research and applications of team science.

Here, we look at some of the most significant findings in the special issue, particularly the ways that team processes matter for psychologists, whether they're working in health care, research, industry, the military or education.

Building a dream team

Sometimes teams seem to click without too much effort, working together seamlessly and producing great work as a result. Other collaborations crash and burn. A team's success often depends on its composition, as Bell and her co-authors describe in their contribution to the special issue.

Surface-level attributes of individual team members—such as age, gender and reputation—can be important to the team's overall function, but they aren't necessarily the factors that matter most, Bell says. Instead, it's the "deep-level" factors you can't see at a glance, such as the members' personality traits, values and abilities, that tend to have a much bigger impact on work teams, studies suggest.

Those deep-level factors shape what researchers call the ABCs of teamwork: the attitudes, behaviors and cognitive states that collectively influence whether a team achieves its goals. Those elements depend to some degree on the context and on the team's objectives, Bell says. If the goal is to design an innovative new digital device, it's a good idea to build a team with diverse thinkers who bring a range of knowledge, skills and abilities to the project. But if a team's goal is to be more efficient, diverse attitudes might be less critical.

Team success also hinges on some basic tenets of team composition, say Bell and her co-authors. One person's mood and outlook can spread within a team, so a pessimistic team member could negatively influence the way the whole group views its goals. Individuals who value working in groups tend to be both more confident and more cooperative in a team setting. When team members are high in conscientiousness, they are better at self-regulating their teamwork. And groups composed of high-ability members who are able to learn, reason, adapt and solve problems are more likely to work well together.

Researchers are working to design algorithms that help organizations create effective teams for specific goals. In a project with NASA, for instance, Bell and colleagues are developing algorithms to identify crew members suited to working together on long-distance space missions.

Ultimately, such tools can help organizations create the best possible teams from the outset and tailor interventions for the unique needs of a team with a specific composition. "Teams are complex systems," Bell says. "The more you can manage them using a scientific basis, the better your teams will be."

The secret sauce: Cooperation in the military

Using scientific methods to understand teams isn't a new trend. Military researchers have been studying teamwork systematically for more than half a century, as Gerald F. Goodwin, PhD, of the U.S. Army Research Institute for the Behavioral and Social Sciences, and colleagues describe in an article in the special issue. "The military has been really central in supporting and executing research on teams since the 1950s," he says. "That support has been critical to moving this science forward."

That distinction might seem obvious, says Goodwin, but understanding the elements that allow teams to function well—team cohesion and shared mental models, for example—is important for training teams as well as evaluating their performance. "How well people work together may be more important than how well they work on the tasks," he says. "The secret sauce comes from the teamwork."

Research from military settings has also clarified the importance of team cognition—what teams think, how they think together and how well synchronized their beliefs and perceptions are. Team cognition is what allows team members to understand intuitively how their teammates will think and act, whether on the battlefield, in a surgical suite or on a basketball court. "Team cognition is really important for teams that have to quickly adapt to dynamic circumstances without having the opportunity to communicate a lot," Goodwin says.

Many of the empirical findings from military research apply to civilian teams as well. From the earliest studies, military and civilian researchers have openly shared findings and worked together to grow the science of teamwork, Goodwin says. The military, for instance, has made use of results from team research in aviation. Meanwhile, findings from military-funded research have informed processes in many industries, health care in particular.

Teaming up for better health

Teams in the military and in health care share an important commonality: They can be operating in situations in which team coordination can be a matter of life or death. Some of the earlier research on health-care teams focused on hospital settings, where teamwork failures can lead to patient harms such as misdiagnoses, medication mistakes, surgical errors and hospital-acquired infections. In a paper for the special issue, Michael Rosen, PhD, an associate professor of anesthesiology and critical care medicine at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, and colleagues describe how medical team coordination affects patient safety and the quality of patient care.

Unlike teams in a business setting that might collaborate with one another for months at a time, health-care teams are often fluid, especially in hospitals. Medical personnel including physicians, nurses, surgical assistants and pharmacists might have to jump into a new care team at each shift change or for each new patient. The fundamentals of good collaboration are the same no matter how transient the team, Rosen says: "It's about having clear roles, clear goals and a clear plan of care."

Teams are also becoming increasingly important in primary-care settings. "I think the industry is recognizing that we don't have a choice. Health care has become too complex, and the current model isn't working very well," says Kevin Fiscella, MD, a professor of family medicine at the University of Rochester Medical Center who co-authored a special issue article with McDaniel on the science of primary-care teams. "It's not a question of whether we adopt teamwork [in primary care], but how we do it—and how we begin addressing the barriers to teams."

Unfortunately, those barriers are not insignificant, Fiscella adds. One challenge is simply changing the way that many physicians think about primary care. "I graduated from medical school in 1980, and our whole training was that care is about me and the patient, and everybody else is there to support that relationship," he says. While that mentality is changing, it's not dead yet. "That unfortunate mental model of what it means to provide primary care can make it difficult" to move toward team thinking, he adds.

Systemic challenges also make collaboration difficult in primary-care settings. Clinicians such as family physicians, specialists and mental health professionals might be spread out in different locations. "It makes it harder to support other team members who are making important contributions," Fiscella says.

The traditional fee-for-service payment model also makes it difficult for medical professionals to prioritize teamwork, Fiscella and McDaniel add. Research has shown, for example, that when primary-care teams have short "huddles" before a visit to coordinate their care plans, they routinely report better teamwork and more supportive practice climates. Similarly, short team debriefings at the end of the day to hash out what worked and what didn't can boost learning and performance among team members and improve outcomes for patients.

Yet due to scheduling challenges, it can be tough for primary-care teams to find even a few minutes to come together for huddles or debriefings. "Time is money. If you take time out for a team meeting, that's lost revenue," Fiscella says.

Teamwork in the lab

Academia is famous for its departmental silos, but that, too, is changing as multidisciplinary research becomes the norm across all fields of science. Team science is gaining momentum for good reason, says Kara Hall, PhD, director of the Science of Team Science Team at the National Cancer Institute and co-author of a special issue article about collaboration in science.

Globalization and technology have made the pressing problems of society ever more complex, Hall says. Take the public health problem of reducing tobacco use, for instance. To address that challenge, you need an understanding of the genetic, neural, psychological and behavioral factors related to tobacco dependence, not to mention related social forces and the public policy context. "If you want to solve an applied global health problem, you need people who can bring their specialized knowledge to bear," she says. "Multidisciplinary teams can really [create] movement on these big problems."

Research on team science has found that collaborating across organizational and geographic boundaries increases productivity and scientific impact. And cross-disciplinary teams produce more academic publications and publish in more diverse outlets, Hall and her colleagues report.

Despite proven benefits, it can be hard for a researcher to wrap his or her head around team science. Most scientists were trained in an apprenticeship model, learning the ropes from a single mentor. "Historically, our scientists haven't been trained to work in teams or to lead teams," Hall says.

Even if scientists are prepared to take the leap to team-based research, their institutions might not be. Tenure and promotion are usually based on outputs such as academic publications, with more weight given to a paper's lead author and to articles published in journals in a researcher's own discipline. That model rewards competition, with the potential for tension as team members hash out who should be credited as first author. Team science is built instead on interdisciplinary cooperation—but so far, only a few academic institutions reward those cooperative efforts.

Because of the lack of team training and the institutional hurdles, Hall says, a research project may be technically and scientifically well-conceived yet fail to yield anticipated outcomes. If a cross-disciplinary team fails to meet its goals, was it because the topic was better suited to intradisciplinary science? Was it a problem with the way the team was composed? Or could the team have succeeded if members had received more institutional support and training?

Still, some early patterns are emerging to guide the way toward improved science teams, Hall and her co-authors report. Some studies have found that small teams are best for generating ideas that shake up the status quo, for instance, while larger teams are better at further developing those big ideas. And while cultural diversity can increase a science team's impact, diverse teams might benefit from more team science principles to head off challenges such as miscommunication.

Multicutural questions

The role of diversity in teamwork is a topic that needs a lot more attention, not just for scientific teams but in all areas of teamwork, says Jennifer Feitosa, PhD, an assistant professor of I/O psychology at the City University of New York, Brooklyn College. In the special issue, Feitosa and her co-authors describe the ways in which multicultural teams may function differently from teams in which all members share the same cultural background.

Yet it can take longer for a diverse team to find its groove than a team with similar backgrounds and mindsets. Individuals in multicultural teams are more likely to have different ways of doing things and might not understand where their fellow team members are coming from. "If you take a snapshot of a multicultural team at the beginning, it doesn't look so promising. They often need more time to all get on the same page," Feitosa says.

In both multicultural teams and more homogenous teams, trust is a key component for effective collaboration, Feitosa and her colleagues reported. But because of their differences, members of multicultural teams might have difficulty trusting each other at first.

"Focusing on shared goals can really help to develop that trust," she says.

In other ways, diverse teams operate quite differently from teams with cultural similarities. In the general teamwork literature, for example, research suggests that it's important to address and manage team conflict head-on. But when team members come from cultures that emphasize harmony and avoid conflict, calling out the elephant in the room can make people extremely uncomfortable and interfere with the teamwork dynamic, Feitosa says.

Differences in leadership style can also hinder multicultural teams. In North America, organizations are moving toward giving individuals greater autonomy and opportunities for self-management, Feitosa notes. "In very collectivistic and high power-distance cultures, people might rely more heavily on direction from team leaders and might rather be told what to do."

Fortunately, teams can prevent cultural differences from becoming obstacles by creating a "hybrid" culture, the authors report. "It's about establishing team norms that aren't entirely your culture or entirely my culture, but a little bit of everyone's," Feitosa says.

The research on multicultural teams can guide those looking to create collaborations that are both diverse and high-functioning. But to fully harness the value of cross-cultural perspectives and talents, Feitosa and her colleagues conclude, much more needs to be done to integrate findings from research on single-culture teams and multicultural teams. "Teamwork is a complex phenomenon, so we need to get more creative in how we look at this," she says.

Intervening to improve teamwork

Although researchers have more work to do to fully understand team processes, especially in multicultural contexts, it's not too early to apply what we know, Salas says. For the special issue, Salas and colleagues described evidence-based approaches for improving teamwork.

Organizations are clamoring for tools to make their teams more effective. "Team building is probably the No. 1 human resources intervention in the world," Salas says. Yet the results of such programs are mixed. If you send a group of executives into the wilderness for two days, they might have fun and learn something about one another—but it doesn't mean they'll magically develop new teamwork skills.

Put them into evidence-based team trainings, however, and the story is different. "Team training works," Salas says. "We know how to design, develop and evaluate it."

In particular, Salas and his colleagues describe four types of team development interventions that have been shown to benefit team performance: team training, team building, leadership training and debriefing.

Team training describes formalized learning experiences that aim to improve specific team skills or competencies. Structured team training has been shown to improve teamwork functioning and outcomes in industries such as education, engineering and health care. A prime example is TeamSTEPPS , an intervention to reduce medical errors by improving communication and teamwork skills among health-care professionals (see sidebar). Team-building interventions, meanwhile, aim to better teams by improving interpersonal relationships, clarifying roles and improving problem-solving. Such interventions might focus on increasing trust or setting challenging yet specific goals, for example. Leadership training targets a team leader's knowledge, skills and abilities, and improvements to these areas have been shown to support effective overall team processes. When leaders are trained in occupational safety, for instance, their teams exhibit safer behaviors on the job. Finally, team debriefings of the sort used in primary-care settings have been shown to improve performance in a variety of settings, including aviation and military teams.

There's power in numbers, and high-performing teams can be more than the sum of their parts. It's fortunate, then, that teamwork processes can be measured and improved with targeted interventions. But to keep sharpening the science, psychologists must continue exploring the conditions that allow teams to succeed, Salas says.

There's certainly no shortage of demand, he adds. "There's a tremendous amount of interest in trying to understand collaboration and teamwork—in health care, aviation, academia, the military, space exploration, the corporate world. I hope this special issue will inspire people to improve their teams, and to look for new ways of motivating their teams using psychological science."

To read the full American Psychologist special issue on teamwork, go to http://psycnet.apa.org/PsycARTICLES/journal/amp/73/4 .

Further resources

APA: A Curriculum for an Interprofessional Seminar on Integrated Primary Care www.apa.org/education/grad/curriculum-seminar

National Cancer Institute: Team Science Toolkit www.teamsciencetoolkit.cancer.gov

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• Team building in health care

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• 11 Benefits of teamwork in the workplac ...

11 Benefits of teamwork in the workplace (with examples)

Teamwork is one of the most important tools when it comes to organizational efficiency. Though we can all agree that teamwork is important, not everyone realizes just how impactful it is in the workplace. Teamwork in the workplace is when a group of individuals work together toward a collective goal in an efficient manner. When multiple people work together toward a common goal, your business can flourish. 

We’ve rounded up 11 top benefits of teamwork in the workplace, with examples throughout to help you better understand just how important teamwork is. Ready to work on teamwork? Let’s dive in.

What is teamwork?

Teamwork is the process of working collaboratively with a group of people to achieve a specific goal. It involves the combined efforts of individual members who bring their unique knowledge and skills to the table. Effective teamwork in the workplace relies on key components such as active listening and open communication, and ensures each person's input contributes towards reaching the team's goals.

Why is teamwork important?

Teamwork in the workplace is important because it supports an organization's operational efficiency. Strong team dynamics enable individual members to divide complex projects into manageable tasks, which enhance productivity and enable an organization to function more effectively. Moreover, successful teamwork creates a supportive network that can significantly enhance job satisfaction and employee morale.

Benefits of teamwork in the workplace

1. teamwork cultivates effective communication.

Effective teamwork in the workplace starts with solid communication . In order to work together—whether when ideating or working on a new project—you need to communicate to create cohesion and clear goals.

Communication starts by building camaraderie and team synergy . A great way to do this is by organizing team building activities. This could be a quick icebreaker at the beginning of a meeting or a whole day spent solving fictional problems with teammates. 

A successful team that demonstrates clear communication is more efficient and productive. Not to mention it creates an enjoyable work environment. 

Communication example: Daniella and Kabir are working on a project task together. Kabir is confused when reviewing the project notes so he messages Daniella to ask for help. They hop on a quick call and work through the problem together. By working as a team, they effectively communicated and were able to complete the task the same day. 

Tip: Take communication one step further by keeping tasks and collaboration in a shared digital space. That way, everyone can stay on the same page, no matter where they are.

 2. Teamwork improves brainstorming

Brainstorming is a powerful method that helps teams think outside of the box. It involves individuals working together by communicating ideas for a number of initiatives. These could include projects, processes, products, and services. 

Good teamwork means your team communicates and feels comfortable sharing their thoughts and ideas. Without teamwork, your brainstorming sessions could suffer, and, in turn, so could your team’s quality and performance. 

Ultimately, the success of brainstorming sessions relies on solid teamwork in the workplace. By investing time to foster trust and open communication, every individual’s potential can be maximized, benefiting the whole team. You can do this by connecting in a one on one setting regularly and encouraging team members to share their insights. 

Brainstorming example: Kat needs to come up with three design ideas for a new landing page. Instead of ideating by herself, she asks the team to join in on a brainstorming session. Since there are many team members sharing ideas, Kat receives more than enough ideas to get started. 

Tip: Check out 29 brainstorming techniques to help spark creativity within your team. 

3. Teamwork encourages a common goal

Having a common goal in mind is essential when it comes to prioritizing projects and new initiatives. With multiple team members working on individual tasks, a project goal helps keep deliverables aligned and ensures objectives are met. 

There are a number of ways you can communicate a goal in a way that both encourages teamwork in the workplace and promotes collaboration. These include:

Business case : A business case is a document that details the value of a project or initiative. This ensures each team member has the same starting point before diving into a project.

Team meeting: Meetings are a great way to get your team in one place to communicate expectations and work together. Having an initial meeting—as well as a post mortem meeting once the project is over—can help determine deliverables and ensure objectives were met. 

Timeline software : Timeline tools can help your team visualize the work you need to complete and how you’ll hit your project goals. Clarifying task due dates and dependencies unlocks teamwork and allows team members to thrive. 

Goal-oriented example: Kat is leading a meeting on a new process that’s being put into place. Kabir asks what the purpose of the process is. Kat explains that they’ll be adding a new tool to their scheduling process to automate some of the team’s work, like tedious and time consuming tasks. Now, the team understands the underlying goal.

Tip: Align tasks to goals using goal-setting software that helps you achieve progress and keeps team members on the right track every step of the way.

4. Teamwork in the workplace improves problem solving skills

Problems can be difficult to solve on your own. That’s why working together as a team can offer quicker and often more effective solutions. 

Not only does this help create an efficient process for problem solving, but using teamwork creates shared goals.

Problem solving example: Project manager Kat finds out there is an issue with image implementation that’s postponing the project launch date. Instead of trying to solve it alone, she enlists her team in a brainstorming session to come up with solutions. Because she asked her team for help, she was able to co-create a solution in just an hour, as opposed to what could have taken days by herself. 

Tip: Practice problem solving as a group by using team building activites to motivate your team members to feel confident in their solutions. 

5. Teamwork helps build trust

Trust in the workplace is something that is built over time. It takes transparent communication, one-on-one sessions, and support to build that trust with team members. 

A team that trusts each other feels comfortable communicating ideas, collaborating in the workplace , and growing individual strength. Not just that, but they also feel a sense of belonging within the group. 

The absence of teamwork in the workplace can lead to a breakdown in trust. This can result in team members feeling isolated and turning competitive, focusing on individual achievements over team success, which can undermine both morale and performance. 

Trust example: Ray has a task that’s overdue. His manager, Kabir, offers to sit down with him and offer support. Afterward, Ray feels relieved and has the confidence to complete the task. Next time he has an issue, he knows he can reach out to Kabir for support. 

Tip: Building teamwork in the workplace goes beyond the daily tasks; it's about connecting with your team members on a personal level. Figuring out what makes them unique is a great way to build trust over time. 

6. Teamwork improves company culture

Most companies strive for a good organizational culture , but it’s not as easy as having chats at the water cooler or a monthly pizza party. Company culture involves making your team members feel heard and empowered to do their best work while offering them work-life balance and an overall enjoyable work environment. 

To build culture, encourage camaraderie and teamwork in the workplace. Spending time with one another can help build this bond and, in turn, improve working relationships and the culture around the (virtual) office. 

Culture example: Kabir’s team has a huddle every Monday where they share what they did over the weekend and any upcoming projects for the week. Since they get to talk about both personal and work-related topics, the team enjoys their Monday meeting. In fact, communication and overall culture have improved since the team began meeting on Mondays. 

Tip: Build shared values by giving team members the opportunity to share the values they think are important. 

7. Teamwork creates efficiency

From communicating effectively to improving company culture, teamwork drives many benefits, including creating team efficiency . An efficient team works together to quickly manage problems and daily tasks. As a result, efficient teams use resources more effectively and reach their deliverables faster. When it comes to organizational growth, few strategies are as impactful as cultivating streamlined efficiency through teamwork in the workplace. Such cohesion is instrumental in fostering innovative solutions while maintaining consistent quality.

Efficiency example: There’s a new project on the horizon for Ray and his team. Ray’s first instinct was to ask Kat, his senior specialist, to tackle it since she’s the best fit to handle the task. After analyzing the difficulty of the project, he decides to have his entire team tackle it together. To his surprise, they completed the project in just half the initial timeline.

Tip: To encourage efficiency across projects, align your team using one work management tool. That way, everyone can clearly see the goals you’re working towards, the timeline for that work, and who's responsible for what.

8. Teamwork increases employee engagement

A little known secret to fostering long-term happiness and engagement is to nurture teamwork in the workplace. When team members feel part of a supportive group, they're more likely to be content and involved, which naturally boosts their work satisfaction over time. 

To increase employee engagement, encourage teamwork inside and outside of work. Schedule time for your team to connect about more than just work. Your team will feel more open when working in a group, which leads to a higher retention rate. 

Engagement example: Kat’s team has been working hard on a top priority project. Unfortunately, issues arose and now they have to stay late to finish the project before the weekend. Kat knows that she needs to do something to keep the team’s spirits and energy up. She decides to start the evening with a team building activity. This immediately engages the team and gets everyone excited to put their heads together and finish the project off strong.

Tip: Make your virtual meetings more engaging by starting them off with a quick ice breaker question to lighten up the mood. 

9. Teamwork motivates high performing teams

Accountability is a powerful motivator, and teamwork in the workplace is a surefire way to instill this sense of responsibility. It spurs team members not just to meet expectations, but to exceed them and willingly contribute their best ideas to the group's endeavors. The higher performing each team member is, the higher performing your overall team will be, meaning you can create high quality work more efficiently. Not only is a high performing team good for your company, but it also helps job satisfaction, as doing well will motivate individuals to continue growing their skillset.

High performing example: It’s team review time and Kat gets a shoutout at all hands for implementing a new process to increase productivity. Kabir, a new team member, feels empowered to work hard and will receive a superb review next quarter. 

Tip: High performing teams are usually made up of individuals who seek motivation from within, otherwise known as intrinsic motivation . 

10. Teamwork in the workplace develops individual strengths

Teamwork isn’t just about team success—it also supports individual development as well. Team members who grow their individual knowledge can then share that with others during future projects. 

The result: Individual team members grow their own strengths as well as the strengths of the team. These could include your ability to problem solve, effectively communicate , and combat procrastination—all of which are important skill sets to develop in the workplace. 

Individual strengths teamwork example: Kabir is new to the team and working on his first task. He’s a little stuck so he reaches out to a team member for help. Kat shares her tips on how she works on a similar task. She even shares a tool that Kabir didn’t know about. This helps him complete the task more efficiently.

Tip: If a team member can complete a task just as well as you could, delegate it without intervening. This allows your team members to grow their individual strengths and skills. 

11. Teamwork improves decision making skills

While problem solving and decision making sound similar, decision making skills are all encompassing. To be good at decision making, you need the confidence to make quick decisions based on the knowledge you’ve gathered in your role. 

Teamwork in the workplace is invaluable for improving decision-making abilities. It creates an environment where team members are encouraged to tackle questions and make decisions promptly, which is essential for real-time problem-solving.

Decision making teamwork example: Kabir is leading his first team meeting for a new project. As he’s explaining the upcoming timeline and deliverables, an executive asks who will be working on the project. Kabir is quick to answer confidently, as he’s already brainstormed with his team on who will tackle what. 

Tip: Encourage teamwork in the workplace by inviting team members to actively participate in important meetings, such as by presenting their solutions. This gets them used to explaining their thought process in front of other team members. 

How to improve teamwork in the workplace

Improving teamwork in the workplace is about fostering an environment that values the contributions of all team members and encourages collaborative efforts towards shared goals . It involves enhancing teamwork skills across the board. Here are seven steps you can take to foster great teamwork.

Clarify roles and responsibilities. Assign clear goals based on desired outcomes, allowing employees to understand their objectives. For instance, a designer might be tasked with improving user experience, as measured by customer feedback, rather than just completing a set number of designs.

Establish outcome-based expectations. Shift the focus from processes to results, which urges team members to think strategically about accomplishing their objectives. For example, this method could lead a sales team to prioritize closing deals that align with long-term business strategy over merely hitting short-term numbers.

Set standards of excellence. Define what high-quality work looks like for each position and establish performance benchmarks. A customer service rep, for example, would aim for swift resolution times and high satisfaction ratings, setting a clear target to strive towards.

Provide time for self-reflection. Allocate time for individuals to assess their strengths and passions. A software engineer might discover their knack for algorithm optimization, steering them towards new learning opportunities.

Align strengths with tasks. Give individual team members roles that capitalize on their strongest skills. When a marketing analyst with a talent for data visualization is tasked with creating campaign performance reports, their skill set directly enhances the value of the work produced.

Foster an atmosphere of trust and openness. Cultivate an environment that values teamwork in the workplace through sharing and open communication between colleagues. By establishing regular "open floor" meetings, team members can freely exchange innovative ideas and feedback, bolstering team performance.

Encourage continuous improvement. Establish a routine of constructive feedback, supporting personal and professional growth. This approach might involve quarterly performance discussions that not only review past achievements but also set actionable objectives for skills and career development.

Teamwork in the workplace FAQ

What are the benefits of working in teams .

Working in teams is beneficial because it allows for the division of difficult tasks, making complex projects more manageable and enabling solutions that leverage diverse skill sets. Teamwork in the workplace fosters a collaborative environment where each person contributes different perspectives, which can lead to more innovative solutions and shared success.

How do you demonstrate teamwork skills at work? 

Demonstrating teamwork skills at work involves actively listening to colleagues, contributing ideas, and showing reliability. Being part of a team means collaborating effectively, whether in person or virtually, and supporting others in achieving shared goals. Teamwork in the workplace is about being adaptable, communicative, and committed to the team’s success.

What makes a good team? 

A good team operates with a strong sense of unity and shared purpose. Its members possess complementary skills, and there's a balance of roles that ensures all necessary tasks are handled efficiently. Strong teamwork in the workplace embraces open communication, respects each other's contributions, and is focused on achieving collective goals.

Why is teamwork important in business? 

Teamwork is important in business because it brings together different viewpoints and improves problem-solving capabilities. It fosters efficiency and productivity, as tasks are completed faster with collaborative effort. The importance of teamwork in the workplace is also evident in driving innovation, as employees are encouraged to brainstorm and contribute ideas in a supportive setting. Plus, when teamwork is strong, it can lead to improved employee morale and job satisfaction.

Drive teamwork through communication

Teamwork is a valuable tool to use in the workplace that comes with a multitude of benefits. From building trust to encouraging problem solving skills, teamwork brings your team together and creates clear communication. 

If you want to encourage teamwork in the workplace, try work management software. Make working on common goals easier and keep communication streamlined.

Related resources

10 tips to improve nonverbal communication

Scaling clinical trial management software with PM solutions

How to build your critical thinking skills in 7 steps (with examples)

4 ways to establish roles and responsibilities for team success

The Psychology of Teamwork: 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teams

These are the outcomes of working as a team, whether in business or on the sports field. Yet teamwork comes with its own set of challenges.

Would you like to know how to leverage the many benefits of teamwork?

Yet avoid its pitfalls, such as lack of communication, poor trust, and personality clashes among team members?

Then this article is for you, as we explore the psychology of teamwork and share actionable habits that can build highly effective teams.

Before you continue, we thought you might like to download our three Work & Career Coaching Exercises for free . These detailed, science-based exercises will help you or your clients identify opportunities for professional growth and create a more meaningful career.

This Article Contains:

The psychology of teamwork: what makes an effective team, 7 habits of highly effective teams, 2 real-life examples of effective teamwork, 10 barriers to teamwork, 10 team-building skills for successful teams, resources from positivepsychology.com, a take-home message.

Psychological theory, research, and models provide valuable insights and guidance into effective team building and maintenance in various workplace settings, including schools, hospitals, corporate offices, oil rigs, power plants, and the military (Salas et al., 2018).

Psychology has come a long way in understanding such complex groups—as recognized by a special issue on the “ Science of Teamwork ” in the American Psychological Association’s flagship journal American Psychologist in 2018.

Teams are vital and commonplace. Because of their prevalence and impact, “our safety, security, comfort, and innovation depend on good teamwork and collaboration” (Salas et al., 2018, p. 593).

Innovation is often the result of constant communication and side-by-side work and takes place “when collaboration translates each person’s creativity into group genius” and conflict is avoided (Sawyer, 2007, p. 13).

But then, what are teams exactly, and how do we define them?

Teamwork definition

We must begin by understanding what defines a “group.” Within an organization, a group is more than simply a collection of people. Members recognize themselves as a social entity that (Davenport, 2009):

• Interacts with each of its members
• Is psychologically aware of each of its members
• Perceives itself as a group

And yet, teams go further. They share a common goal. With the modern workplace demanding successful partnering across functional and geographical divides, fostering collaborative team working cultures becomes increasingly vital (Davenport, 2009).

Therefore, an effective team has the following attributes (Davenport, 2009):

• Clear understanding of the team’s objectives and goals
• Range of skills and know-how among team members to handle tasks effectively
• Variety of personality types and strengths among its team members
• High degree of respect and trust, both individually and for each other’s contributions to team performance
• An effective recognition and reward system

The points above are helpful because they enable us to distinguish between people working together in groups and those forming effective teams.

When considered together, it’s possible to arrive at the following teamwork definition: “Teamwork can be defined as the ability of team members to work together, communicate effectively, anticipate and meet each other’s demands, and inspire confidence, resulting in a coordinated collective action” (Salas & Cannon-Bowers, 2001, extract).

And a definition of team building might arise as follows:

“Team building is an ongoing process that helps a work group evolve into a cohesive unit. The team members not only share expectations for accomplishing group tasks, but trust and support one another and respect one another’s individual differences” (Team building: Introduction, n.d., para. 1).

Understanding the psychology of group dynamics

“We know what effective teams do, think, and feel. We know what influences team dynamics, and some interventions that help develop teamwork” (Salas et al., 2018, p. 593).

Psychological research has confirmed that the following elements are the minimum prerequisites for an effective team:

• Strong team leadership
• Role clarity
• Mutual trust
• Sound information exchange protocols
• A compelling reason to be a team

Team psychology in the workplace

Several psychological and organizational models and frameworks have grown out of the need to understand and explain how teams form, grow, develop, maintain, and change in the workplace.

The following three early models are valuable for our current understanding of how effective teams evolve (Davenport, 2009).

Bass and Ryterband’s model

Bass and Ryterband’s (1979) model of team development includes four stages and areas of focus:

• First stage: Building trust among team members
• Second stage: Open communication, problem-solving, and decision-making
• Third stage: Motivation and productivity of the team
• Fourth stage: Control and organization where members can work independently

Woodcock’s model

Woodcock’s (1979) model of team development also has four stages:

• The undeveloped team: Unclear objectives, established policies, and a lack of shared understanding prevail. Mistakes are used to blame others.
• The experimenting team: The team is willing to take risks and includes more active listening and short periods of group introspection.
• The consolidating team: The team adopts a systematic approach. Rules and procedures are agreed upon, and improved relationships and methods from the previous stage are maintained.
• The mature team: The team achieves high flexibility and appropriate leadership for different situations, and prioritizes development for continued success. Trust, openness, honesty, cooperation, confrontation, and reviewing results become the norm.

Tuckman’s model

Tuckman’s (1965) model of team development includes five stages:

• Forming During the initial stage, team members come together. They may be anxious and unsure, and there are few rules.
• Storming This is the stage of disagreement, including frustration and potential confrontation, where team members are more confident to express themselves and challenge each other.
• Norming This is when group identity, guidelines, and norms are established. Emotions are expressed constructively.
• Performing The team has created structure and cohesiveness to work effectively and can now concentrate on achieving its objectives.
• Adjourning In this final stage, the team reflects on their time together and may disband.

Sports psychology

As with individuals, team performance in sports can benefit from time spent building psychological capital , which comprises four key elements (Luthans et al., 2015):

• Self-efficacy

Furthermore, according to positive psychology consultant and performance coach John Yeager, sports teams collectively benefit from coaching focused on each element to build the psychological capital required to boost their combined performance.

Once achieved, they “maintain a healthy culture and find an effective balance between holding athletes accountable and supporting each other” (Yeager, 2021, p. 223).

Recommended read: Positive Psychology in the Workplace

Keith Sawyer (2007, p. 13), a psychologist at Washington University, says that his research shows “the secret to understanding what makes a collaboration successful lies inside the box, in moment-to-moment interactional dynamics.”

This understanding led him to rethink group innovation and creativity, identifying the following seven key characteristics (or habits) of effective, creative teams along with suggested actions for moving innovation forward (Sawyer, 2007):

• Innovation emerges over time. Successful innovation requires its members to combine the right ideas in an appropriate structure, bit by bit.

ACTION: Encourage team members to take time each day/week to brainstorm and share new ideas and establish a structure for combining and building on those ideas over time .

• Successful collaborative teams practice deep listening. Team members often spend too much time planning what they will say and how to respond in meetings and too little time listening to and observing others.

ACTION: Prioritize active listening and observation during team meetings and discussions. And provide opportunities for team members to practice deep listening skills .

• Team members build on their collaborators’ ideas. Through deep listening, team members take on and evolve each idea further.

ACTION: Recognize the potential of other team members’ ideas and accept the importance of collective ownership to drive forward problem-solving .

• Only afterward does the meaning of each idea become clear. While it’s tempting to attribute an idea to one person, its full importance results from being taken up, reinterpreted, and applied by the whole team. “Participants are willing to allow other people to give their action meaning by building on it later” (Sawyer, 2007, p. 15).

ACTION: Emphasize the importance of evolving and adapting ideas as a team, rather than attributing them to one individual .

• Surprising questions emerge. “The most transformative creativity results when a group either thinks of a new way to frame a problem or finds a new problem that no one has noticed before” (Sawyer, 2007, p. 16).

ACTION: Encourage team members to question assumptions and think outside the box by regularly posing surprising or unconventional questions during meetings and discussions .

• Innovation is inefficient. Improvised innovation will make more mistakes, but it can be phenomenal when the team gets a hit.

ACTION: Recognize that innovation can be inefficient and messy but emphasize the potential for breakthroughs .

• Innovation emerges from the bottom up. Teams start with the detail, improvise innovation, then work up to the big picture.

ACTION: Foster a bottom-up approach to innovation, starting with small details and building toward the bigger picture .

While all seven are characteristics of an effective team, they are also actionable tasks within the process where team members play off each other (Sawyer, 2007).

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The following are two high-profile examples of the immense potential of effective teamwork, especially when the stakes are high (Keup, 2022; Allen, 2022).

One giant leap for humankind

The Apollo 11 mission in 1969 is a prime example of teamwork at its finest.

While the world celebrated the achievement of Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins, the success of the mission resulted from the efforts of a much larger team.

The mission planners, scientists, engineers, and technicians, numbering around 400,000, worked tirelessly for years to make the moon landing a reality. The team’s cohesion was strengthened by the astronauts’ close collaboration with these groups, emphasizing the importance of human connection in any team.

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“The best positive psychology resource out there!” — Emiliya Zhivotovskaya , Flourishing Center CEO

Wikipedia is the epitome of teamwork in the digital age. It’s a collaborative engine of knowledge that is constantly evolving, thanks to the efforts of an army of volunteer writers and editors.

Unlike traditional encyclopedias, Wikipedia is constantly updated and open to debate and challenge, making it a dynamic and accurate source of information.

While the scale of this teamwork is almost incomprehensible, the site runs smoothly, with errors quickly discovered and corrected. Everyone who has landed on the site is considered a part of the team, making Wikipedia a perfect example of how teamwork can achieve great things in the digital age.

5 Traits of high performing teams

Understanding what stops or limits individual and group performance can help us build and maintain motivated, resilient, and highly effective teams.

The following 10 barriers can present themselves in real-world team environments (Haas & Mortensen, 2016):

• Poor understanding of roles and responsibilities Team members may not fully understand their roles and responsibilities, leading to confusion and lack of accountability.
• Insufficiently defined goals and objectives Team members may not clearly identify what they are working toward, leading to uncertainty and lack of motivation.
• Poor decision-making processes Teams may lack effective decision-making techniques and strategies, leading to delays and suboptimal outcomes.
• Resistance to change Team members may resist change, leading to a lack of flexibility and stagnation.
• Lack of accountability and ownership Team members may not feel accountable for their work and the team’s success.
• Lack of resources or support Teams may not have the necessary resources and support from leadership to achieve their goals effectively.
• Inadequate leadership Teams may not have effective leadership, leading to a lack of direction and guidance.
• Groupthink Team members may be reluctant to challenge the opinions and ideas of others, leading to poor decision-making and an absence of creative thinking.
• Lack of trust and psychological safety among team members Team members may be hesitant to share their ideas and concerns due to a lack of trust in their colleagues or fear of being judged and rejected.
• Inadequate communication Team members may not be effectively communicating with each other, leading to misunderstandings and conflicting priorities.

• Clear communication Encourage team members to speak openly and honestly and actively listen to one another’s ideas and perspectives. Provide training and resources to help team members improve their communication skills.
• Trust and accountability Create an environment where team members feel safe to take risks and be vulnerable with one another. Hold team members accountable for their actions and decisions and provide them with the support and resources they need to succeed.
• Adaptability and flexibility Encourage team members to be open to new ideas and ways of working. Be willing to pivot and change course when necessary.
• Emotional intelligence Provide training and resources to help team members better understand and manage their own emotions and those of others.
• Active listening Encourage team members to fully engage, pay attention to what others are saying, and respond thoughtfully.
• Conflict resolution Teach team members how to navigate and resolve conflicts constructively and effectively.
• Goal alignment Ensure that individual goals align with the team’s overall objectives and that everyone works toward a common purpose.
• Delegation Teach team members how to assign tasks and responsibilities to one another effectively to maximize their strengths and capabilities.
• Problem-solving Teach team members how to identify problems and develop practical solutions.
• Empowerment and autonomy Give team members the freedom and support they need to take ownership of their work and make decisions. Provide regular feedback and coaching to help them improve their skills and advance in their careers.

We have many practical resources for you as a manager or leader supporting your team as they form, develop, and attempt to avoid some challenges of group dynamics.

Our free resources include the following:

• GROW model Use the power of the GROW model to define team goals and boost motivation and cohesion.
• Do the Hula In this novel and fun exercise , the group learns the value of team cooperation.
• Stepping Forward Use this activity to begin and end team building by clarifying expectations for the day.

Our Emotional Intelligence Masterclass© helps boost teamwork by teaching staff to handle emotions better. The training improves communication, relationships, decision-making, job satisfaction, motivation, and overall wellbeing. It also enhances the emotional intelligence of the coach, making them better equipped to lead teams.

The Positive Relationships Masterclass© strengthens teamwork using the “Six Pillars of Positive Relationships.” It offers practical techniques to enhance communication and maintain healthy relationships, leading to improved coaching skills and a thriving workplace.

You will learn the key aspects of positive relationships and explore science-based ways to categorize the different types of positive network members and grow social capital.

Not only that, but we also have specific articles that delve into team-building topics; for example:

• 15 Communication Exercises and Games for the Workplace
• Active Listening: The Art of Empathetic Conversation
• The Importance, Benefits, and Value of Goal Setting

And lastly, if you’re looking for more science-based ways to help your team develop their strengths, check out this collection of 17 strength-finding tools . Use them to help others better understand and harness their strengths in life-enhancing ways.

Research in the psychology of teamwork has shown that effective collaboration can lead to improved productivity, creativity, and job satisfaction among team members (Sawyer, 2007; Salas et al., 2018).

When teams experience a sense of belonging and purpose in their work, they are more likely to achieve their goals and be motivated to perform at their best. It can also lead to improved organizational outcomes, such as achieving goals, making better decisions, and providing higher levels of customer service.

Great teamwork relies on successful team building—the process of creating a cohesive, high-performing team capable of working together successfully. Effective team building can reduce conflicts, turnover, and absenteeism among its members by fostering a positive culture and improving overall morale.

As a manager, you can encourage the best out of your teams by creating a supportive and inclusive environment, encouraging clear communication, and promoting trust, accountability, and active listening.

Additionally, you can provide training and resources to help team members develop the skills they need to work well together, such as problem-solving, conflict resolution , and emotional intelligence. In our resources section, we provide a recommended selection of free and paid resources—all well worth it to build your own highly effective team.

We hope you enjoyed reading this article. Don’t forget to download our three Work & Career Coaching Exercises for free .

• Allen, V. (2022). Teams that changed the world . WorkStyle. Retrieved January 20, 2023, from https://www.workstyle.io/top-performing-team-case-studies.
• Bass, B. M., & Ryterband, E. C. (1979). Organizational psychology (2nd ed.). Allyn & Bacon.
• Boogaard, K. (2022). 7 essential teamwork skills . Work Life by Atlassian. Retrieved January 23, 2023, from https://www.atlassian.com/blog/teamwork/teamwork-skills-accelerate-career/amp
• Davenport, H. (2009). Groups and teams. In I. Brooks (Ed.), Organisational behaviour: Individuals, groups and organisation (pp. 111–155). Essay, Pearson.
• Haas, M., & Mortensen, M. (2016). The secrets of great teamwork . Harvard Business Review. Retrieved January 20, 2023, from https://hbr.org/2016/06/the-secrets-of-great-teamwork.
• Keup, M. (2022). 9 inspirational teamwork examples . ProjectManager. Retrieved January 20, 2023, from https://www.projectmanager.com/blog/teamwork-examples.
• Luthans, F., Youssef, C. M., & Avolio, B. J. (2015). Psychological capital and beyond . Oxford University Press.
• Sawyer, K. (2007). Group genius . Basic Books.
• Salas, E., & Cannon-Bowers, J. A. (2001). Teamwork and team training. In N. J. Smelser & P. B. Baltes (Eds.), International encyclopedia of the social & behavioral sciences (pp. 15487–15492). Elsevier.
• Salas, E., Reyes, D. L., & McDaniel, S. H. (2018). The science of teamwork: Progress, reflections, and the road ahead. American Psychologist , 73 (4), 593–600.
• Steps to building an effective team. (n.d.). Retrieved January 23, 2023, from https://hr.berkeley.edu/hr-network/central-guide-managing-hr/managing-hr/interaction/team-building/steps.
• Team building: Introduction. (n.d.). Retrieved January 24, 2023, from https://hr.berkeley.edu/hr-network/central-guide-managing-hr/managing-hr/interaction/team-building/introduction.
• Tuckman, B. W. (1965.) Development sequence in small groups. Psychological Bulletin , 63, 384–399.
• Woodcock, M. (1979). Team development manual . Gower.
• Yeager, J. (2021). The coaching zone: Next level leadership in sports . Yeager Leadership Press.

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interesting and well organized food for thought

Some practical examples of effective teams- Love the 7 habits links

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Work Life is Atlassian’s flagship publication dedicated to unleashing the potential of every team through real-life advice, inspiring stories, and thoughtful perspectives from leaders around the world.

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Better together: 8 essential teamwork skills to master

Use these strategies to align expectations, streamline communication, and crush your goals.

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5-second summary

• Building “soft skills,” such as effective communication and collaboration skills, are vital components of a team’s success. 
• Making sure everyone is aligned on goals and responsibilities may seem like a no-brainer, but research shows that team members do not always have the clarity that leadership assumes they do. 
• Using formal procedures to make decisions and solve problems can help ensure that teams don’t get sidetracked by predictable bottlenecks. 

Teamwork is powerful. Tapping into people’s individual strengths and collecting diverse perspectives and ideas helps you get projects across the finish line more efficiently – full stop.

Here’s the catch: those perks only pan out if your team works together effectively. And most of us have seen firsthand that successful teamwork doesn’t just happen . Leaders are required to make strategic decisions, encourage positive behaviors, and cultivate an environment where people can get their best work done – not just individually, but as a unit.

That all starts with ensuring your team has mastered the most essential teamwork skills.

What are teamwork skills?

Teamwork skills are the traits and competencies you tap into when working with other people toward a common goal. Knowing how to work well with others isn’t an inherent trait – it’s a malleable skill (and an important one, ranking as one of the most in-demand soft skills employers look for).

When you focus on improving your ability to work on a team, what you’re really doing is strengthening the critical skills that fuel successful teamwork. Whether you want to better yourself or help your direct reports master working together as a unit, let’s take a closer look at eight skills to focus on. 

1. Communication

“We never listen when we are eager to speak.” – Francois de la Rochefoucauld 

A large portion of team or project failures (just take the untimely explosion of NASA’s Mars Climate Orbiter , as one example) arise from miscommunication. So, for teams to work well together, it’s non-negotiable that they know how to share information and get on the same page. 

The ability to openly convey a message, align expectations, and offer feedback is essential in the workplace. However, improving communication skills isn’t only about talking – listening plays an equally important role. Active listening in particular enhances shared understanding and helps teams avoid crossed wires. 

Help your team communicate:

• The extroverts on your team are more than willing to jump in with suggestions and opinions, but that can mean steamrolling their colleagues. To make sure everyone’s voice is heard, send an agenda to all participants beforehand so people have time to gather their thoughts. Then, be sure to check in with each person during the meeting to make sure they’ve had a chance to speak. For in-depth guidance, run the inclusive meetings play to make sure that everybody’s input is considered when your team meets.
• Communication isn’t one size fits all, and your team will be better equipped to communicate information and ideas if they know other people’s communication styles . Having each member of the team create a user manual gives them a low-pressure way to share their ideal conditions for getting work done – from their favorite communication channels to how they prefer to receive feedback.
• Schedule a regular team stand-up to avoid siloed information your team. This is a short, dedicated huddle where you can discuss team goals, progress, and obstacles to keep everybody in the loop and aligned.

2. Collaboration

“Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much. – Helen Keller

Collaboration and teamwork are more or less synonyms, so it makes sense that you’d see this skill high on the list. But simply throwing a group of people together and giving them a task doesn’t inherently lead to effective collaboration , no matter how talented those individuals may be.

Rather, clarity needs to take priority. Team members should understand their unique roles, responsibilities, and deadlines, as well as how their individual tasks impact the project as a whole. That broader focus increases accountability and empowers people to find answers or proactively solve problems themselves.

Help your team collaborate: 

• Who does what shouldn’t be a mystery on your team, however, people may not always have visibility into what tasks their coworkers have to do. Try creating a shared document that details everyone’s regular tasks and current projects. You can also run the roles and responsibilities play so there’s no doubt or confusion about what’s on each person’s plate.
• There are certain norms that play out on your team on a daily basis – like muting yourself on Zoom when you aren’t talking or using bullet points in emails – despite the fact that they might never be formally discussed. Consider creating a shared doc that spells out the “rules of the road” for your team. Encourage people to add to it regularly. It’s a great way to help newbies on the team get up to speed quickly. Running the working agreements play can help your team iron out a list of those previously unspoken expectations and avoid misunderstandings.

3. Goal setting

How to write SMART goals

“If you don’t know where you are going, you will probably end up somewhere else.” – Lawrence J. Peter

Teamwork is all about working your way toward a finish line together – but first, you need to agree on where that finish line actually is . While managers might like to think their goals are obvious and widely accepted, team members may disagree: 72% of employees admit they don’t fully understand their company’s strategy. That’s why this particular teamwork skill is so important.

In order to reap the benefits of effective teamwork, team leaders need to not only explain team- and company-level goals, but also actively involve employees in the process of setting those objectives so that they can take ownership of the outcomes.

How to help your team set goals: 

• Boost clarity and accountability by setting SMART goals , which are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound. 
• Use a defined goal-setting system like objectives and key results (OKRs) or goals, signals, and measures so everybody understands what success looks like.
• Make juicy, long-term targets feel more manageable by setting smaller short-term goals along the way.
• Store your team goals somewhere centralized and accessible in the workplace (like Confluence ) so that everybody on the team can refer back to them when needed.

4. Decision making

“Once you make a decision, the universe conspires to make it happen.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

Teamwork is often at its most frustrating when you feel pressure to make a speedy decision. With so many perspectives to manage, reaching a consensus can be slow. That’s why decision-making is a skill that’s vital in a team environment, especially in collaborative cultures where the manager isn’t always the one with the last word. 

To get their best work done, people should be able to listen to other opinions and suggestions with an open mind, then come together collectively to choose the best way forward.

Help your team make decisions: 

• Default to a standard decision-making process to give your team a straightforward framework to rely on as you make choices together. 
• Sometimes a consensus isn’t possible. In those cases, who has the final say on a project? Who’s contributing but not necessarily a key decision-maker? Those roles can get murky. Use the DACI framework so your team knows who fits where and can make more efficient group decisions.
• Does your team suffer from major decision delays? Try setting a deadline for your team to make a choice. Psychology says that while deadlines can be stressful, they also tend to increase focus.
• Be mindful of common phenomena that stand in the way of decisiveness, like analysis paralysis and decision fatigue , and take steps to address them when you see them creep in.

5. Problem solving

“If I had an hour to solve a problem I’d spend 55 minutes thinking about the problem and five minutes thinking about solutions.” – Albert Einstein 

Whether it’s a project that’s running off the rails or a conflict between a couple of colleagues, you and your team are bound to run into your fair share of roadblocks. In those moments, your team’s problem-solving skills are what will carry you through. 

Successful problem-solving isn’t about slapping on a quick-fix band-aid. Some stumbling blocks can be deceptively complex. To truly address and prevent issues, start by digging deep and understanding all of the factors at play using critical thinking skills and problem-solving abilities.

How to help your team solve problems: 

• Use problem framing to step back and understand the who, what, why, and where of a problem before jumping into solutions.
• The 5 Whys Analysis is simple on the surface – it essentially involves asking, “Why did this happen?” five times in a row. This exercise helps your team uncover the root causes of a problem rather than acting on assumptions and surface-level symptoms.
• The first possible solution to a problem isn’t always the best one, and that’s one of the many benefits of a team: everybody has access to an assortment of ideas and experiences to find the most suitable answer. Sparring helps your team get quick, honest feedback from each other in a way that feels structured and approachable.

6. Interpersonal skills

Beyond the buzzwords: Why interpersonal skills matter at work

“Emotions can get in the way or get you on the way.” – Mavis Mazhura 

The thing about teamwork is that you’re working with other people – and everyone has their own feelings, perceptions, experiences, preferences, and more. That’s what makes working as part of a team so enriching (and challenging). 

It’s also why interpersonal skills are so critical. They’re the soft skills that you use when working, communicating, and interacting with other people (and plenty of the teamwork skills we’ve already covered also fall under the “interpersonal skills” category). From emotional intelligence to negotiation, these competencies help you work alongside others with less conflict and fewer hiccups.

How to help your team work well together:

• Participate in a team personality assessment like Johari Window so team members can uncover traits they may not see in themselves.
• Provide training or other opportunities for team members to build their conflict resolution skills to better handle disputes and disagreements when they come up.
• People can’t always control their emotions, but they can control and improve their reactions and behaviors. Unfortunately, emotions can easily become confused with personalities. Try to model and encourage people to switch from “I am…” language to “I feel…” language to keep those lines clear. For example, “I am anxious about this deadline” becomes “I feel anxious about this deadline.” It’s a small but significant shift in how your message comes across.

7. Time management

Time is really the only capital that any human being has, and the only thing he can’t afford to lose. Thomas Edison

There’s often a lot to get done and that’s another perk of being part of a team: there are more people to chip in on all of the work that needs doing. But without effective time management skills, teams are setting themselves up for conflict, chaos, and frustration. Bottlenecks halt progress, deadlines become suggestions, and the team’s entire plan runs off the rails. 

By focusing on improving time management – both individually and as a unit – people can get their work done without the frantic and frustrating dash to the finish line. 

How to help your team manage their time:

• Use one (or several) tried-and-tested time management strategies to help your team prioritize and focus.
• Team collaboration falls apart when people don’t have a grasp on dependencies. For example, Team Member A might not think missing a deadline by a few days is a big deal – until they realize that it means Team Member B can’t start their assigned tasks. Dependency mapping gives you and your entire team a better sense of how things fit together, so you can proactively manage bottlenecks and other issues.

8. Growth mindset  

“Success is the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm.” – Winston Churchill

All teams encounter rough seas from time to time, and a growth mindset is what helps them power through obstacles and find creative solutions. 

Put simply, a growth mindset is a teamwork skill that frames problems as opportunities – chances to reflect, learn, and improve. A growth mindset helps your team use past experiences to drive better collaborations – and it also means they won’t bristle at perceived failures or criticisms.

How to help your team have a growth mindset: 

• Run a retrospective regularly or at the end of project milestones so that your team can honestly discuss what worked, what didn’t, why, and how you’ll use that information moving forward.
• Prioritize regular and frequent constructive feedback for all team members. These candid conversations help them understand how they can improve themselves – which, in turn, helps them improve the entire team.

Advice, stories, and expertise about work life today.

Teamwork Skills: Being an Effective Group Member

For groups to function effectively, it's important for students to think critically about the climate within their group and the process by which they accomplish their tasks. Although students can gain many of the skills described below through ad hoc interactions, instructors play a key role in making them explicit protocols.

To hone these skills, students need opportunities to practice and to receive regular feedback. Consider sharing the information below with your students, structure activities for them, and incorporate three components of feedback into your plan: instructor comments (oral and/or written); reflective group discussions and/or peer assessment; and self-reflection (see the reflection prompts in Appendix A for ideas). 

Communication skills 

To function successfully in a group, students need to be able to communicate clearly on intellectual and emotional levels. Effective communicators should be able to: 

• Explain their own ideas; 
• Express their feelings in an open but non-threatening way; 
• Listen carefully to others; 
• Ask questions to clarify others’ ideas and emotions; 
• Sense how others feel based on their nonverbal communication (e.g., facial expressions, tone of voice, diminished participation);
• Initiate conversations about the group climate or process if they sense tensions brewing; 
• Reflect on their group's activities and interactions and encourage other group members to do so. 

Regular open communication, in which group members share their thoughts, ideas, and feelings, is key for successful group work. Unspoken assumptions and issues can be harmful to productive group functioning. Students’ ability to communicate openly with one another can help foster a healthy group climate and process. 

Skills for a healthy group climate 

To work together successfully, group members must demonstrate a sense of cohesion. cohesion emerges as group members: .

• Get to know one another, particularly those with different interests and backgrounds. They are open to innovative ideas and diverse viewpoints. They also listen to others and elicit their ideas. They know how to balance the need for cohesion within a group with the need for individual expression. 
• Trust one another enough to share their own ideas and feelings. A sense of mutual trust develops only to the extent that everyone is willing to self-disclose and be honest yet respectful. Trust also grows as group members demonstrate personal accountability for the tasks they have been assigned. 
• Demonstrate support for one another as they accomplish their goals. They cheer on the group and support members individually. They view one another not as competitors but as collaborators: everyone in the group can and should have a role by which they contribute.
• Communicate their opinions in a way that respects others, focusing on “What can we learn?” rather than “Who is to blame?” 

As an instructor, you can use several strategies to encourage students to develop a healthy group climate: 

• Randomize group membership to increase the chances of students encountering peers with diverse backgrounds and interests. 
• Design icebreaker activities that promote awareness and appreciation of inherent differences within a group. 
• Walk students through effective strategies for identifying and overcoming group conflict.  
• Encourage students to participate actively and pose questions to their peers. To encourage listening skills and ensure that everyone in the group speaks, try the “circle of voices” exercise. See the CTE Teaching Tip: Group Work in the Classroom: Types of Small Groups . 
• Devote class time to help students reflect on their group dynamic and overall functioning. You can provide them with prompt questions to consider and/or facilitate a conversation driven by student insights, questions, and concerns. 

Skills for an effective group process 

In addition to knowing how to develop a healthy group climate, students need to exercise key skills to contribute to an effective group process. This process emerges when students: 

• Agree on what needs to be done and by whom. Each student then determines what they need to do and takes responsibility to complete the task(s). They can be held accountable for their tasks, and they hold others accountable for theirs. 
• Give and receive feedback about group ideas. Giving constructive feedback requires focusing on ideas and behaviours instead of individuals and offering suggestions for improvement. Receiving feedback requires the ability to listen well, ask for clarification if the comment is unclear, and being open to change and to other ideas. 
• Help the group to develop and use central strategies to move toward their group goals. As such, they can facilitate group decision making and manage group conflict in a productive way, rather than approaching the instructor for guidance as the first step.  
• Know how to plan and manage a task, how to manage their time, and how to run a meeting. For example, they ensure meeting goals are set, an agenda is created and followed, and everyone can participate. They stay focused on the task and help others to do so, too. 
• Know which roles can be filled within a group (e.g., facilitator, idea-generator, summarizer, evaluator, mediator, encourager, recorder) and are aware of which role(s) they and others are best suited for. They are also willing to rotate roles to maximize their own and others’ group learning experience. 

As an instructor, use some of these strategies to help students develop an effective process within their groups: 

• Design the group task so that the students must rely on one another to produce their best work. Group members will be more motivated and committed to working together if they are given a group mark. If you choose to evaluate in this way, be sure to make your expectations extremely clear. See the CTE Teaching Tip: Methods for Assessing Group Work for additional ideas. 
• Invite students to develop a group contract in which they articulate ground rules and group goals. See the CTE Teaching Tip Making Group Contracts for details. Be sure that groups discuss how they will respond to various scenarios such as absent or late group members and those who do not complete their assigned tasks. 
• Distribute a list of decision-making methods and strategies for conflict resolution and facilitate a conversation with students about these resources in class. The CTE Teaching Tip: Group Decision Making is a good place to start. You may also want to offer yourself as an impartial arbitrator in emergency situations but encourage students to work out problems among themselves. 
• Provide students with guidelines for running a meeting, such as setting and following an agenda, specifying time limits, and monitoring progress on the agenda. Consult CTE Teaching Tip: Meeting Strategies to Help Prepare Students for Group Work for additional suggestions. 
• Teach students effective methods for giving and receiving feedback and explain the purpose of feedback in your course. For sample methods, see CTE Teaching Tip: Receiving and Giving Effective Feedback . Create an assignment that involves them giving feedback to group members and make it part of their final grade. 
• Help students recognize and make the most of their own and one another’s preferred roles. Outline with them a list of team roles (see the CTE Teaching Tip: Group Roles for examples), have them determine which role(s) suits them best, and give them time to discuss how their role(s) will complement those of other group members. Asking students to rotate their roles helps them to expand their skillset. 

Appendix A: Encouraging self-awareness and reflection in group work 

One of the most important things you can do as an instructor is to have students reflect regularly on their group experiences. Their self-reflection will reinforce and further develop critical teamwork skills. Based on your objectives for the group project, create a set of prompts using the questions below. Have students use these prompts to journal about their reactions to group climate and process. The journals encourage self-reflection and can help students see teamwork issues in new ways and create ideas for resolution. They can also provide a good basis from which students can choose comments to share with their group members in debriefing sessions.

If students submit their journals periodically throughout the term, give them feedback orally or in writing, and to the extent appropriate, discuss any trends that you have identified through observation or in the journals (remember to reassure students that other groups may be facing similar challenges). Also, requiring all students to submit a final reflective report after the group project can help them to see the value of the teamwork expertise they have developed through practice. 

• What have you enjoyed the most/the least about getting to know your group members? 
• How is your attitude towards your group members demonstrated in how you function within the group? 
• How do you demonstrate trust and openness towards the other members and their ideas? 
• How much do you feel you can rely on your group members to complete the required task(s)? 
• How do you make sure that group members feel supported, encouraged, and appreciated for their work? 
• How does the team ensure that all voices are heard? 
• Do you participate willingly in discussions? If not, why not? 
• Do others appear to understand your ideas? If not, why not? 
• What do you do if another person’s ideas are unclear? 
• What do you focus on when others speak? How could you improve your listening skills? 
• How do you respond to others’ ideas? How do they respond to yours? What could be improved? 
• What are your group’s ground rules and goals? What changes to these rules and goals might improve the functioning of your group? 
• How is everyone encouraged to stay accountable for the tasks they have been assigned? 
• To what extent do you and others follow the feedback methods laid out in class? How could you and your group members improve the way you give and receive feedback? 
• To what extent does your group reflect on how well its goals are being achieved? How would more (or less) discussion about goals help or hinder your group’s functioning? 
• How are decisions made in your group? Who is involved and in which ways? What has been effective about the processes you have used? How could your decision-making processes be improved? 
• What happens if a group member is unhappy or uncomfortable with a decision made by the group? 
• What conflicts have arisen within your group? How (if at all) have the conflicts been resolved? What role do you play in resolving these conflicts? What could you (or others) do to improve your group’s ability to deal productively with conflict? 
• How do your meetings typically proceed? What do you accomplish and in how much time? What is effective about your group functioning during meetings? What changes would improve your meetings? 
• Who has emerged as the leader in your group? Which other roles do you see team members playing? Which role(s) do you play? Which role do you prefer and why? 

If you would like support applying these tips to your own teaching, CTE staff members are here to help. View the  CTE Support  page to find the most relevant staff member to contact. 

References 

• Bosworth, K. (1994). Developing Collaborative Skills in College Students. New Directions for Teaching and Learning, 59. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. pp. 25-31. 
• Breslow, L. (1998). Teaching Teamwork Skills, Part 2. Teach Talk, X, 5.  
• Burke, A. (2011). Group work: How to use groups effectively. The Journal of Effective Teaching, 11(2), 87-95. 
• Hills, H. (2001). Team-Based Learning. Burlington, VT: Gower. 
• Lang, J. M. (2022, June 17). Why students hate group projects (and how to change that). The Chronicle of Higher Education. https://www.chronicle.com/article/why-students-hate-group-projects-and-how-to-change-that   
• Shier, M. (2020). Student Success. Victoria, BC: BCcampus. Retrieved from https://opentextbc.ca/studentsuccess/  
• UWaterloo’s  Student Success Office  
• UWaterloo’s  Office of Academic Integrity  

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Teamwork Essay

Teamwork is an essential part of workplace success. Every team member has a specific role to play in accomplishing team tasks. Organisations look for people who not only know how to work well with others but who understand which team member can perform which task perfectly. When everyone in the team works together to accomplish goals, everyone achieves more. Successful teams are characterised by a team spirit based on trust, mutual respect, helpfulness and friendliness. This teamwork essay will help students understand the importance of working as a team and how effective teamwork is. Also, it has been explained with the help of a short story.

Students can go through the list of CBSE essays comprising different topics to practise essay writing. Doing so will help them to score higher marks in the writing section. Moreover, they will be able to participate in essay writing competitions conducted at their schools.

500+ Words Essay on Teamwork

Teamwork means the ability of people to work together. It occurs when the members of a team work together and utilise their individual skills to achieve a common goal. It is a cooperative process that allows ordinary people to achieve extraordinary results. A team has a common goal or purpose where team members can develop effective, mutual relationships to achieve team goals.

Successful teamwork relies upon synergism existing between all team members. Team members create an environment where they are all willing to contribute and promote and nurture a positive, effective team environment. Team members are flexible enough to adapt to cooperative working environments. The goals are achieved through collaboration and social interdependence rather than individualised, competitive goals.

Importance of Teamwork

It is rare that a piece of work is successfully completed by a single individual working alone without interacting with anyone. With teamwork, the work gets done more quickly and with higher quality. Teamwork helps to promote deep learning, which occurs through interaction, problem-solving, dialogue, cooperation and collaboration. Shared goals can easily be achieved by working together and pooling experience and expertise.

Teamwork has emerged in recent years as one of the most important ways of organising work. Many organisations have realised that teamwork enables employees to perform better, hence resulting in good organisational performance. Teamwork has the potential to improve the performance of individual employees and the organisation. Teamwork helps in developing the skills and perspectives of the employees through positive opinions, feedback, experiences and viewpoints. Teamwork is an important tool that is used to carry out varied functions accurately and efficiently. The core value of teamwork is the reduction of workload, which helps the employees perform better without any kind of work pressure because the tasks are distributed equally among all the members.

The Magic of Teamwork

Here is a short story that will help you to understand the importance of teamwork. Once upon a time, in a jungle, there was a monkey and an elephant who were good friends. One day an unusual quarrel happened between the two about who was better. Each one thinks of himself to be better than the other. While the elephant advocated it was better to be strong, the monkey was adamant that being fast and agile was better.

Unable to resolve the matter, they headed to the wise owl and posed the same question to him. The owl promised to answer the question provided they had to take a challenge. They had to go far away across the river, where a golden fruit was hung on a tall tree. Whosoever will bring the fruit will be the best.

So, the monkey and the elephant set out on their journey to bring the fruit to the wise owl. When the monkey reached the banks of the river, he realised that the river was too deep for him and the currents too strong. The elephant saw his friend and asked the monkey to climb on his back, and together they crossed the river. When they reached the tree, the elephant tried to push the tree. But the tree was huge and wouldn’t budge. So the monkey climbed up the tree and plucked the fruit. He climbed down, sat on the elephant’s back, and they reached the wise owl.

The owl then asked, “Of the two of you, who brings this fruit to me?” The monkey said he did because he plucked the fruit from the tree and the elephant said he did because he helped the monkey get onto the other side of the river. At this point, the wise owl stopped the argument and said, “Each one of us has unique abilities and strengths. Collectively as a team, we can achieve the impossible. All because we used your strength at the right time to do the right thing.”

Teamwork is the collective effort made by each member of a team to achieve the team goal. Individually, we all have certain skills, and we are good in one area. If all of us come together and use our strength and expertise in the right direction, then it will give the best result. Also, it gives an opportunity to each member to learn something new from each other.

Students must have found this teamwork essay useful for improving their essay-writing skills. They can get the study material and the latest updates on CBSE/ICSE/State Board/Competitive Exams at BYJU’S.

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Project management

Leadership and teamwork: 10 ways leaders can help their teams

“Ultimately, leadership is not about glorious crowning acts. It’s about keeping your team focused on a goal and motivated to do their best to achieve it, especially when the stakes are high and the consequences really matter. It is about laying the groundwork for others’ success, and then standing back and letting them shine.” ~ Chris Hadfield, astronaut and former Commander of the International Space Station

What makes a great leader?

When Chris Hadfield was commanding the International Space Station, he learned that it’s not about seeking out individual greatness to make yourself look good. 

Instead, he found that excellent leadership is about building up the people around you: trusting them, empowering them, and ultimately, enabling them to contribute their expertise so that the team can become more than the sum of its parts. 

In other words, effective leadership and cultivating a culture of effective teamwork go hand in hand.

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• The importance of teamwork and leadership

Why are teamwork and leadership important? Together they provide clarity for your team and directly impact your company vision.

But what do those outcomes look like in practice? And more importantly, what actions can you take every day to help your team succeed?

Today we’re looking at the top characteristics of a good leader, followed by 10 ways you can help your team work together better and more cohesively.

Characteristics of a good leader

Cultivating an environment of teamwork starts by building trust and rapport; by being the kind of leader that teams want to follow. The best leaders share the following characteristics — no matter their leadership style or personality.

Strong communicator

Being a leader is inherently about people. Yes, there are KPIs and products to deliver, but you don’t lead KPIs: You lead people.

With that in mind, perhaps no characteristic is as valuable to a leader as effective communication skills. Every single day, you’ll be communicating: to motivate, instruct, correct, and a hundred other things.

If you’re a positional leader (or leading from a non-leadership role ) who lacks confidence in this area, consider investing in training or practices that will help you improve and gain confidence.

Emotional intelligence (EQ)

Speaking of working with people: Leaders must be able to understand and adjust to the emotions of others, including nonverbal and contextual signals. Great leaders go beyond merely identifying emotions in others — they have the soft skills to help others manage their way through strong emotional responses and to push teams and individuals toward the right outcomes.

This is emotional intelligence , or EQ — a crucial skill for anyone who works with others, especially leaders , and it’s essential when leading a team through the five stages of team development . You’ll use these skills throughout, most of all in the “storming” stage.

Strong leaders also tend to demonstrate strong analytical skills. An analytical leader can take stock of a situation, consider possible paths and likely outcomes, and chart the course most likely to succeed. This skill set provides value no matter your role, and it becomes increasingly valuable the more authority a person has.

• 10 ways leaders can help manage their teams

Beyond these characteristics or traits of effective leaders, every leader can take actionable steps to lead teams better and encourage greater teamwork. Consider implementing one or more of these 10 ideas over the course of the next week.

1) Foster open and honest communication

Create an environment where openness and honesty in all aspects of communication are encouraged. Ask people to share their views and talk about the obstacles in their way. Ask for (and listen to) feedback. Don’t be afraid to ask questions yourself. (Here are five you should add to your regular practice, in fact.) Most of all, ensure your team members have a clear path to your door if they need it.

Related: Try these 5 quick wins to make your team more transparent.

Helpful communication tools

Slack or Teams: Channel-based open asynchronous communication and business chat

Teamwork.com: A project management platform that helps teams understand and communicate about work and workflows

2) Create collaborative goals

At the outset, goals should be clearly set and defined. Getting this right at the start may take a little extra time and planning, but it pays major dividends. For the best outcomes:

The team needs to buy into the goals (so plan them together).

Everyone involved needs to be aligned on what success looks like (so outline detailed KPIs right at the beginning).

Leaders need to acknowledge and support the team throughout the process (so check in frequently and offer guidance where needed).

Related: Set your goals the right way with this cheat sheet , or read our ebook .

The importance of KPIs and OKRs

As you go about goal-setting with your teams, it helps to place those goals in a framework and base them on real metrics and data. OKRs (objectives and key results) provide that framework, while tracking the appropriate key performance indicators (KPIs) gives you the metrics and data for what your team is currently accomplishing.

OKRs are by nature collaborative, which fosters team involvement and increases buy-in. They also define success well: The key results lead toward the objective or act as milestones along the way.

3) Celebrate their success

Good job, team! Never forget to laud good team efforts, ideas, or targets met. Share your team’s successes with the company at large and champion them to leadership. You can even organize a lunch or dinner for big wins where every team member can share the achievement. However you choose to mark the moment, do it together.

Related: How to express gratitude to your team

Fun ways to celebrate successes

Celebrate a successful project with an outing (on the company).

Distributed or virtual teams can’t go out, but they can enjoy activities such as a virtual escape room.

Use digital recognition or praise tools (such as in Microsoft Teams).

Recognize outstanding contributors with a tangible award (badge, trophy, etc.) — get creative here by creating a “trophy” that’s both meaningful and lighthearted.

For smaller successes with in-house teams, food is always an option.

4) Allow team members to problem solve

Instead of imposing solutions, encourage team members to brainstorm and develop their own suggestions. By giving your team space (physical, metaphorical, or even virtual with Teamwork Spaces ) to find the right solution and propose their ideas, you can empower them to think creatively, develop their confidence, and foster a sense of ownership.

Related: 6 ways to better manage high-performance teams

Helpful problem-solving tips

Before anyone starts problem-solving, be sure they can accurately restate the problem.

Listen more than you think is necessary.

Give space for all parties to share and advocate for their position.

Encourage the team to come to a shared decision on their own.

If that fails, as a leader, you should calmly and firmly make a choice — and explain the reasoning behind your decision-making.

5) Provide adequate resources and training

A great leader doesn’t just help their team members to do their current jobs. Great leaders help them identify room for advancement to develop their skills and progress their careers. Support your team by giving them the resources they need to excel and reach the next level.

Related: More tips on how you can retain your best talent.

Onboarding tools for seamless transitions

Work with human resources to create onboarding templates and programs, so the process is consistent between managers.

BambooHR Onboarding organizes and automates the process.

Wistia is a great platform for creating branded video content (for video training and onboarding).

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6) Keep yourself accountable

In your time as a leader, things won’t always go perfectly smoothly. You might even make a few bad calls. (Hey, you’re only human.) When things go wrong — when a project goes off track, when the scope suddenly changes , when the unexpected happens — you need to face it head on. Take responsibility and work with your team to address the issues and get back on target.

Accountability tips

Demonstrate effective time management skills by completing your own tasks on time. Doing so demonstrates strong leadership skills and shows your whole team that you practice what you preach.

Apologize when appropriate — whether to individual team members or to a larger group of people, an apology from a leader demonstrates vulnerability and transparency. You’ll show that you’re still working on your own competencies and weaknesses, and you’re willing to admit when you’re wrong.

Focus on outcomes, not just task completion. You can check every box on your to-do list, but if your team doesn’t reach the appropriate outcome, the whole team — and you — share in the blame. “I did my part” shows a task-oriented mentality. “How can we do better” or “How can I help” shows a focus on outcomes.

7) Keep your eye on the big picture

As a leader, you need to strike a balance between zooming in on the details and zooming out to see the big picture. In other words, you must ensure your team is accomplishing the day-to-day tasks without losing sight of the overarching goals you’re working toward and how the team contributes to those goals.

It’s a balancing act, but it’s one that any great leader needs to learn how to do.

Why keeping big picture thinking is important

Like staying focused on outcomes, big-picture thinking doesn’t spend all day chasing rabbits or putting out fires. Yes, fires need to be put out, but someone has to be responsible for refocusing the team as soon as the smoke clears. If you can keep the right focus, you’ll stabilize your team and help them find synergy.

8) Show some empathy

"Most people think that empathy is something you have only with friends and family, but in reality, it is also a priority in business." ~ Satya Nadella , CEO of Microsoft

According to inspirational leadership author Simon Sinek, empathy “is the most important instrument in a leader’s toolbox .” Simply asking, “Is everything okay?” demonstrates you care about the team member and helps build relationships .

Related: More lessons we’ve learned about working with people

Examples of empathetic approaches

If an employee starts crying in your office (or over Zoom), whatever was at the top of the agenda takes a back seat. Soften your tone and ask what you can do to help.

When performance issues arise (say, consistent late starts to work), ask questions before you jump to consequences. We’re not suggesting being laissez-faire about misconduct. But we are suggesting asking an employee about the factors contributing to the lateness.

When team members are frustrated, don’t jump straight to solutions. First, enter into the frustration — find out the root cause and validate that frustration. Then you’re ready to apply solutions.

9) Build strong one-on-one relationships

One-on-one meetings are a great way for a team leader to build relationships. They also allow each team member to put their case forward for personal improvement or raise issues blocking them from performing better. Listen to what your team members say and do your best to support them.

Related: How to turn tough feedback into actionable advice (and build relationships with your team even when you’re remote ).

Relationship-building tips

Coffee with the boss: Take team members out for coffee (usually two at a time feels more natural than one-on-one). Don’t talk about work. Ask about their dogs, their kids, their hobbies, and tell them about yours. (Virtual teams = virtual coffee break, sanctioned “unproductive” time with the boss.)

Unstructured meeting starts: Don’t jump into team or department meetings too quickly. Intentionally leave a few minutes at the start for unstructured conversation, which can result in impromptu team building. These unstructured starts work naturally in person — people begin to talk, and relationships grow. For virtual teams, you may need to prompt with some questions (“Anyone do anything exciting this weekend?”).

10) Build respect

Great leaders demonstrate respect for team members in many ways, particularly by being engaged with the team and working with them. Great leaders aren’t afraid to admit mistakes or take risks. They understand that respect is earned through empathy, compassion, and trust.

Why mutual respect is important in an organization

Teams generally will not trust or willingly follow a leader they do not respect. They’ll follow begrudgingly when threatened into it, but that’s no way to build a positive culture. Earning that respect is key to earning trust and willing followers.

On the other side of the coin, team members who know they have their manager’s respect are motivated and empowered to do more and work with more autonomy.

• Lead your team to success with Teamwork.com

Being a leader presents constant new challenges, especially in our increasingly remote-first world. But armed with these 10 strategies, you now have a roadmap toward better teamwork, communication, and trust.

Another component of trust and teamwork is visibility. When it’s crystal clear who’s doing what and why, teams can move forward with grace and speed. Teamwork.com provides this visibility into projects, clearing up the mystery and allowing all members of the team to work together toward a common goal.

See more of what Teamwork.com can do for your business now - get started now for free, view our comprehensive pricing plans , or book a demo today.

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Learn how Teamwork.com helps you drive business efficiency, grow profits, and scale confidently.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• Foster open and honest communication
• Create collaborative goals
• Celebrate their success
• Allow team members to problem solve
• Provide adequate resources and training
• Keep yourself accountable
• Keep your eye on the big picture
• Show some empathy
• Build strong one-on-one relationships
• Build respect

Ben is a Senior Content Marketing Specialist at Teamwork.com. Having held content roles at agencies and SaaS companies for the past 8 years, Ben loves writing about the latest tech trends and work hacks in the agency space.

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• Career Planning
• Finding a Job
• Interview Strategies

Tips for Sharing Examples of Teamwork at an Interview

Using the STAR Interview Method to Share Teamwork Examples

What the Interviewer Wants to Know

• "Give Us Examples of Your Teamwork Skills"

Examples of the Best Answers

• Examples for Student Job Seekers
• Tips for Answer Questions About Teamwork

What Not to Say

Possible follow-up questions.

Maddy Price / The Balance

You should always expect job interview questions about teamwork when interviewing for almost any job. That's because few jobs can be done in isolation. From an entry-level assistant to a retail worker or management-level employee, a person in any role needs to be able to collaborate productively with others.

A typical interview question about teamwork is, "Give us some examples of your teamwork," or "Please share details of your team-building experience." However it's asked, these tips will help you give the strongest response to a question about teamwork.

An employer will ask this question to learn how you have worked with other personnel in the past. This will give the hiring manager an idea of how you might get along with colleagues at his or her company. Employers want to hire people who are team players, so respond in a way that will show the hiring manager you're able to work well with others.

How to Answer "Give Us Examples of Your Teamwork Skills"

Use the STAR interview technique.  The question "Give us some examples of your teamwork" is a  behavioral interview question . Employers are asking you to reflect on your past experiences to show how you might act at the new job.

When answering a behavioral interview question, your best bet is to use the  STAR interview response technique :

• Situation:  Provide a bit of context about the experience. You want to let the interviewer know a bit about the team. You can mention the number of people on the team, your specific role, and so on. While you do not need to go into a great deal of detail, providing a bit of background information is helpful.
• Task:  Explain the team's goals – in particular, what project you were working on. If there was a specific challenge that your group faced (and overcame), explain that problem.
• Action:  Explain the steps taken (including your own) to meet the team's goals. Perhaps you were all very good at delegating specific tasks and accomplishing them. Maybe you all had strong  communication skills and avoided conflict by expressing any concerns quickly. If you mention a problem the group faced, explain how the team solved the problem. This will demonstrate your effective  problem-solving  within a collaborative work setting.
• Result:  Conclude by explaining the results of the team's actions. Emphasize what your team ultimately achieved. Did you meet or even surpass your goal? Did you complete the assignment ahead of time?

Don't focus too much on yourself.  While you might mention an action you took to solve a problem or help the group, don't focus too much on your own achievements. Emphasize how the group worked together as a whole. You want to demonstrate your ability to work with others, and that includes sharing your success with the group.

Express confidence and positivity.  You want to convey that you do well working with others and enjoy it. Therefore, try to sound positive during your answer, especially when you discuss your successes. Similarly, avoid anything that might sound negative about your team—don't place blame on others or complain about another person's failure.

Review examples of the best ways to answer interview questions about your teamwork skills.

Example Answer #1

In my last position, I was part of a software implementation team. We all worked together to plan and manage the implementation schedule, provide customer training, and ensure a smooth transition for our customers. Our team always completed our projects ahead of schedule with very positive reviews from our clients. Our ability to communicate effectively was what made us such a good team. People expressed concerns clearly and openly, so we resolved issues as soon as they arose.

Why It Works: This response establishes the project, along with the positive outcomes (completing ahead of schedule and receiving positive feedback) and the reason the team worked together smoothly. 

Example Answer #2

I was part of a team responsible for evaluating and selecting a new vendor for our office equipment and supplies. The inter-departmental team reviewed options, compared pricing and service, and chose a vendor. We once had to implement the transition to a new vendor, which was difficult because each team member suggested a different vendor. However, we held a brief meeting where each member made a pitch for his or her suggested vendor. Everyone thoughtfully listened, and we ultimately voted on a vendor. That vendor has now been working successfully with the company for years.

Why It Works: This candidate establishes a common challenging aspect of teamwork, along with how team members were able to move past it. 

Example Answer #3

In my current position, I'm part of the team that coordinates the company's lunch-and-learn sessions. Each week, we meet to brainstorm who will be our upcoming guest speaker. We all work together to ensure a diverse mix of speakers, aiming to appeal to a wide swath of people in the company. Because everyone on the team comes from different areas within the company, we've all learned so much about big ideas, from marketing to tech.

Why It Works: Often, people struggle to work with others in different departments. In this response, it's clear that the candidate can work smoothly with people from other teams. 

Example Answer #4

As part of a software development team with tight project schedules, there were always fires that needed to be put out. Perhaps the greatest challenge we faced together as a team was when our project lead was suddenly hospitalized ten days before our final rollout. Even in her absence, we overcame this challenge by working overtime and making an extra effort to ensure that all team members were "in the loop" regarding daily project statuses. The release went off without a hitch.

Why It Works: This response has a clearly stated challenge, along with the steps taken to overcome it.

Examples of Answers for Student Job Seekers

Here are sample answers for student interviewees who don't have a lot of formal work experience.

In high school, I enjoyed playing soccer and performing with the marching band. Each required a different kind of team play, but the overall goal of learning to be a member of a group was invaluable. In college, I continued to grow as a team member while on an intramural basketball team, and through my advanced marketing class where we had numerous team assignments. In particular, I have learned the value of recognizing and celebrating each team member's strengths. This allows the team to more easily delegate tasks to the appropriate people.

Why It Works: As this candidate deftly demonstrates, experience playing team sports is a good stand-in for on-the-job collaborative work. 

I have had many experiences working with a team as a member of my high school athletic program. As a member of my sports team, I understand what it means to be a part of something bigger than myself. Team sports have taught me how to work with a group to accomplish a shared goal.

Why It Works: Companies want to hire candidates who are interested not just in personal glory but in working toward something bigger—this mention of the big picture is quite appealing to interviewers. 

As captain of my debate team, I acquired many different team-building skills. I have learned how critical it is to make every member of the team feel important, included, and motivated to be the best that they can be.

Why It Works: In this response, the candidate can show off important leadership skills, as well as an understanding of the factors necessary for a smoothly functioning team. 

Over the summer, I interned at Just Practicing Law Firm in downtown Detroit, and six of us teamed up to research a particularly difficult case. We decided to split up the research and meet twice a week, and then pool our research results. I discovered I could never have completed the work on my own, but working together we got the job done. I enjoyed the shared experience in which each of us used our best skills and talents to produce one cohesive result.

Why It Works: This response walks through many of the advantages of teamwork in a personal and thoughtful manner. 

Tips for Answering Questions About Teamwork

• Prepare for this interview question by reflecting. Think about times you have worked as part of a team in a work situation. Try to think of at least two examples from your recent work history (ideally, from the past couple of years). If possible, think of examples that relate to the type of teamwork you would be doing at the new job. For example, if you know the job requires a lot of team project work, mention some examples of successful team projects you have completed in the past.
• Turn to school projects, volunteer work, or extracurricular activities to find examples  if you are an entry-level employee. 
• Keep it positive.  Don't include any experiences that ended in conflict or experiences where the team failed to complete its goals.

Think of at least one example where your team met and overcame a challenge. This will help show your ability to solve problems with a team.

• Negative results. Did the team fall apart in conflict or fail to deliver? These can be powerful learning opportunities, but during an interview, you're better off focusing on something positive. 
• Long, rambling responses.  It can be hard not to get bogged down in the nitty-gritty details of a project. But in your response, try to give the background, and any results, in broad strokes. Avoid talking too long, using company-specific jargon, or getting lost in your storytelling. 
• How do you feel about working in a team environment?
• Tell me about a rewarding experience on a team.
• Describe a time you worked with a team, and the project did not go as planned.

Key Takeaways

You can share examples that didn't occur at work.  Look to volunteer work and extracurricular activities if you do not have on-the-job experience. 

Just about every job will require teamwork and collaboration.  Even roles that seem solitary (such as an artist) require a person to interact and collaborate successfully with others. 

Use the STAR technique.  Avoid rambling and frame your answer effectively with this tactic. 

22 innovative ways to improve teamwork in the workplace

There’s no one-size-fits-all approach when it comes to how to improve teamwork in the workplace. Read on for our ideas to try out.

For business leaders, having a strong team is essential for the success of their organization, especially if your teams are dispersed, deskless or remote. But how can you ensure that your team is performing at their best, wherever and however they work? How can you truly improve teamwork in the modern workplace?

The truth is, there’s no one-size-fits-all approach when it comes to how to improve teamwork in the workplace. The best thing you can do is experiment with many different methods until you figure out what works for your workers’ needs. That’s why we created a list of strategies for you to choose from.

So, how can you improve workplace teamwork? 

This post covers 22 creative ideas to consider, plus discusses the differences in improving teamwork for frontline teams.

Improving teamwork in frontline teams vs desk-based teams

It's important to acknowledge that there are key differences in ways of improving teamwork depending on whether your team is desk-based or on the frontline.

With desk-based teams, developing better teamwork skills might involve setting clear goals, implementing agile project management techniques, and creating an inclusive work culture. You’re likely going to be able to have regular and easy face-to-face meetings to keep team members engaged and up to date on team projects. Your tactics for improving teamwork, therefore, become a little more straightforward and almost naturally occur. 

Frontline employees, on the other hand, require a bit more attention and thought. Frontline workers aren’t going to be sitting at their screens all day, and they may not meet in a central location like an office. This is why you may need to implement specific teamwork tactics for this group of employees.

For example, you might focus on workflow optimization and really driving efficient two-way communication between teams and leaders in order to compensate for the lack of a central location and “office chit-chat.” Tightening your comms between the frontline and desk-based teams ensures everyone is on the same page and working towards a common goal.

Whether you’re managing a frontline or desk-based team, what really matters is that you listen to the direct needs of your workers. What does their day-to-day life at work look like? How can you provide your teams with the right tools to succeed as a team, wherever they may be working from? The creative ideas outlined in this guide should help you brainstorm some out-of-the-box solutions for improving teamwork in your workplace.

How to improve teamwork: First steps for leaders

Using the innovative tips we've outlined for you below, you can inform your regional managers, team leaders, and line managers, so they can start implementing these ideas with their respective teams. But before jumping straight into the fun, get-your-hands-dirty type of team building, it's important for leadership to lay down some groundwork. 

Here are our first steps for business leaders looking to improve teamwork in their workplace:

• Clearly define team goals, roles, and responsibilities
• Communicate openly and frequently
• Foster a culture of accountability and support
• Find the right employee app to support your workforce. 

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21 innovative ideas to improve team performance

1. involve team leaders in corporate communication.

Leadership is a crucial driver of teamwork. For teams to work effectively, objectives need to be clearly defined. Competing projects and responsibilities pull most team members in different directions (see the corporate communications strategy tool). 

For example, leaders in the manufacturing industry can often be stationed on the factory floor, where they may not have easy access to company-wide communications. This can lead to a disconnect between their team and overarching company goals.

It’s up to leaders to set the bigger picture so they can set priorities. Ensure leadership is involved in internal comms planning so employees at all levels across multiple teams can understand the overarching company goal towards which they’re working. If all team members understand their place in the bigger picture, it will help motivate and align their efforts towards a common goal.

2. Create teamwork recognition programs

Rewarding successful collaboration creates an incentive for people to do so more frequently. Collaboration is significant for deskless and frontline employees who might not feel like part of the team. 

Find ways to publicly acknowledge the hard work of effective teams, whether by giving them an award in front of their peers or by sharing their wins in a writeup. Teams who win together will continue to work well together.

Teamwork recognition programs will be especially important for frontline or remote teams, as they may not receive that natural praise that occurs in an in-person or office setting unless it is directly communicated with them.

In fact, employee engagement statistics show that nearly 4 in 10 (37%) frontline workers don’t feel as valued as their desk-based colleagues.  One solution to this is to provide an employee app with a recognition feature, such as Blink’s Recognition .

By providing direct tools that enhance recognition or Kudos between team members, leaders can increase collaboration, job satisfaction and more natural engagement.

3. Clarify ownership early on

Teamwork is challenging when people aren’t sure what their roles are. Ambiguity can lead to resentment, arguments, or even delayed projects. So, clearly document the scope of each role from the get-go. And make sure that documentation is accessible to everyone, so that when questions arise, they’re easy to answer. 

For example, Blink users can store this information in the Hub . This allows workers that are frequently on the go to have easy access to job responsibilities and sets the tone for role ownership.

4. Make communication a two-way street

Teamwork only works when team members feel like they can speak openly, share ideas without getting shot down (and build on those of others), make suggestions, and voice their opinions. 

Make sure communication isn’t just flowing downward, but also upward and between team members. Multi-way communication is the goal. A communication tool that allows employees to engage in two way conversations with each other and with management is a great way to facilitate this.

For example, Blink provides 1-1 and group secure chats , a central Hub and a personalized Feed that all workers can access and engage with for live updates and announcements.

5. Know who does what

Outlining clear roles isn’t enough to keep teams operating smoothly. The next step is figuring out who is responsible for what work (on what timelines). Get the team together to outline skill-sets and create project workflows and deadline charts. Oh, and make sure everyone's present when the discussion happens. That way, team members can call out unrealistic expectations of them.

6. Have a clear organizational purpose

Every member of a team should be clear on what the long-term goals of the company are. This ensures the team projects are purpose-driven and valuable, have clearly defined and measurable objectives, and that everyone on the team moves in the same direction.

Having a purpose-driven team impacts engagement levels, productivity, and innovation. When team members have a clear understanding of why they’re doing what they do, they are more likely to feel motivated and inspired to work towards that purpose.

If your company doesn’t have a clearly defined purpose or mission statement, now is the time to create one. This initiative can be guided through brainstorming sessions or employee surveys, and can be stored in an easy-to-access, mobile Hub for on-the-go guidance.

7. Set clear team goals

When you're talking about improving teamwork in the workplace, the importance of clearly defined objectives can't be overstated. Teamwork is basically impossible in an environment where no one is sure what the team is working toward. You need to be sure that everyone on every team is on the same page.

To help with this, you can establish team processes that guide behavior and decision making towards meeting your goals. Whether that means letting other project members know the status of your work, or always speaking up if you see a problem that could affect the team’s success, setting clear expectations helps team members work better together.

An employee app like Blink can keep each team member on the same page and working towards the same goal with secure direct chats, the Blink feed for key updates and a central hub for storing policies, procedures, and guides in one convenient place.

8. Identify communication problems

Doing an internal comms assessment may seem like a strange way to bolster teamwork, but remember that effective collaboration can’t happen without effective communication. Addressing communications pain points and sources of strife (e.g., failure to meet deadlines, unresponsiveness, and interpersonal issues) in your organization proactively will make it easier for all of your employees to collaborate in the future.

To better identify and understand communication problems arising in your teams, particularly on the frontline, you need a way to measure them. 

With Blink's Frontline Intelligence feature, you can track powerful engagement analytics to offer insight into the people and relationships that make your organization tick. By understanding who engages with what, and what your teams aren't engaging with, you have the opportunity to spot any potential communication pain points and address them before they become a larger issue

9. Stop micro-managing

Teams should feel like standalone units even as they contribute to your larger organizational goals. If you don't give your teams some degree of autonomy, they won't work as a collective because they'll always be waiting for management to issue orders from on high. As much as possible, let teams set their deadlines, develop their workflows, and work out their issues.

10. Talk less, listen more

There will always be give and take on teams, but the giving and the taking eventually has to balance out, or resentment will build up, and work will slow down. Ensure your company culture rewards listeners as much as speakers and sets a good example by being a listener yourself. 

You can also give those whose ideas and opinions would ordinarily be drowned out a voice by encouraging people to share outside of team meetings (on an employee engagement app like Blink, during open-door hours, etc.).

Encouraging a culture of listening will not only have a positive impact on teamwork but on the workplace in general as it will make employees feel valued and increase engagement between team members.

When team members feel heard and their opinions valued, they’re more likely to contribute and collaborate effectively. So next time you’re in a meeting or brainstorming session, remember the age-old adage: it’s better to listen than to speak. Your team will thank you for it.

11. Let teams use multiple methods of communication

Different employees communicate in different ways. Some, as noted above, will dominate a meeting. Others prefer to speak one-on-one while others feel most comfortable in a chat room or texts.

Deskless and frontline employees may be most efficient when using an employee app or similar communication tool. In any case, letting teams use whatever forms of communication and communication tools they prefer is another way to ensure that everyone can have their say.

One way to facilitate this is to provide your workforce with a mobile and desktop employee communication app , like Blink, that allows for various forms of communication and feedback within one easy-to-access, flexible platform.

12. Mediate disputes

Some companies approach conflict resolution with a wait-and-see approach, but that doesn't work very well for team members' disputes. Because these disputes can quickly grow into serious issues that interfere with projects, it's necessary for team members to address them proactively. Ensure interpersonal conflicts are written and bring in mediators as required to work through issues between colleagues.

13. Allow flex work

Introverts, early risers, night owls, and caregivers can all be valuable team members, so don’t ignore them when you’re considering how to improve teamwork in the workplace. 

Offering employees flex work options like telecommuting and quiet workspaces ensures that your entire workforce can be as productive as possible and take advantage of opportunities to work collaboratively.

Flex work can also have a positive impact on overall employee satisfaction and mental health by improving work life balance and decreasing stress levels.

So consider offering flex work options, along with the right employee engagement tools to keep your team engaged, and see how it improves teamwork in your organization.

14. Use better collaboration tools

Integrated tools like Blink encourage effective teamwork because they put all of the resources employees need to collaborate in one place. There are information management tools, agile project management tools , sharing tools, scheduling tools, team project and task management tools , and admin tools in one place, so teams don’t have to waste a lot of time switching between platforms.

If you are working with a remote team, you may also want to consider adopting a cloud-based desktop virtualization solution such as V2 Cloud, which provides complete access to a full Windows desktop from anywhere, with any device. It’s crucial to have the right infrastructure when working with a hybrid policy to boost better collaboration and productivity.

This enables distributed teams to accordingly give members access to a multi-user Windows operating system with Microsoft Office, Quickbooks cloud hosting and all business applications that employees and consultants require.

15. Ask team members for feedback

Knowledge is power, so if you want to know where your workforce is when it comes to teamwork, why not just ask them? Soliciting feedback doesn’t have to be complicated or time-consuming.

Open and honest feedback is a vital cog in the teamwork wheel, especially for frontline workers. If team members feel they have a safe space to share their thoughts and concerns, even when they're out of the office loop, they’ll likely be more engaged and willing to contribute their ideas in future. This can help to guide future team-building processes and be part of your employee engagement strategy .

Blink offers surveys within the employee app so that all employees have the opportunity to provide feedback - or do short interviews with team members to see how projects are coming along.

16. Hire wisely

It’s so tempting to fill positions with candidates who have the top qualifications but don’t discount the importance of an applicant’s personality. When you know that a new hire will be working as a part of a team, consider involving that team in the hiring process. 

You may know what kind of skills and experience a hire should have, but they will have more insight into how well potential hires will or won’t fit in with existing team members.

17. Start a culture committee

Did your company’s culture develop intentionally? Probably not. Suppose your company culture grew more or less organically and isn’t really supporting teamwork initiatives. In that case, you can create a culture committee to retool your company culture so that it supports collaboration, openness, and other values you deem necessary.

18. Create a mentor program

Team members will work together more effectively when they feel connected. Creating a mentor program that pairs new team members with company veterans promotes cohesiveness and smoother collaboration.And for deskless workers, the benefits of a mentor program reach wider than just your employees.

Studies show that providing coaching and mentoring for frontline practitioners can have a positive mediating impact on outcomes for the children, young people, families and communities who use these services.

19. Meet in different locations

You can cut down on the number of meetings teams have to attend by doing more of your communication in an employee app like Blink, but that doesn't mean you'll never need to have another meeting. When you have to meet, hold meetings in new locations in the office or local cafes or other public spaces. Talking outside of the office can increase productivity, inspire communication, and make team members more creative. Just make sure you’re aware of the risks associated with using public wifi and take appropriate measures to protect yourself from cyberattacks.

20. Create team traditions

When teams have their traditions, and inside jokes, they'll naturally feel a sense of unity. That solidarity will positively impact the work they do, whether in the office or out. Encourage teams to eat lunch or take a coffee break together, or hold a team vs. team board game or video game competition.

This can help to build teamwork skills in a lighthearted and relaxed environment, promoting team collaboration.

21. Mix it up

Teams that have been working together for a long time work better together and may be more productive because of the trust and familiarity that has built up over time. Newly-formed teams, on the other hand, are typically better at coming up with new ideas and making big leaps. Don’t be afraid to shift people around or to form new teams.

You can’t force teamwork. Collaboration is something that happens naturally when conditions are right. Implementing some or all of the ideas above can set the stage for smoother teamwork at your company—resulting in higher productivity (and more profit).

How can the right employee engagement app improve teamwork in the workplace?

As mentioned above, using an employee engagement app can cut down on the number of meetings teams have to attend, allowing them to spend more time actually collaborating and working on projects. 

Additionally, having a central place for all company announcements and updates can improve communication between desk-based teams and frontline workers—who make up a whopping 80% of the global workforce . 

By facilitating and driving engagement , the best app for business teamwork will enable teams to work together effectively, improve the employee digital experience and help them stay on top of their day-to-day tasks, goals, and communications . By making teamwork easier and more efficient, an employee engagement app can ultimately result in improved productivity and stronger team collaboration, particularly for frontline teams.

Plus with key employee engagement data, analytics and insights available through the Blink platform, your leadership team can always stay on top of who's engaging with what to streamline the employee experience and encourage teamwork.

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Why workplace teamwork matters so much

Collaboration is the backbone of business success. In fact, the strengths and dynamics of your team directly affect your business outcomes.

In the modern knowledge economy, productivity often involves working with people from different backgrounds, skill sets, and industries. One mind alone cannot generate solutions to the kinds of large-scale problems companies have to overcome to succeed.

The most successful companies think regularly about how to improve teamwork in the workplace because they know they’ll see a return on their investment. They actively work to create the kinds of conditions that promote collaboration.

Here’s the ROI these organizations see:

Boosted employee engagement

Worker engagement distinctly increases when employees can regularly work together in teams and collaborate. The ADP Research Institute surveyed over 19,000 workers and found that feeling part of a team is a massive factor in employee engagement: those employees who felt like members of a team were more than twice as likely to be fully engaged.

In addition, research by McKinsey shows us that the most engaged workers are those who work in teams. They are twice as likely to be fully engaged as people who work on their own.

Collaboration breeds innovation

When teams work together smoothly, they harness the power of diversity and can come up with ideas an individual might struggle to come up with alone. Alexia Cambon, Director of Research at Gartner , says: 

“Our research shows that teams of knowledge workers who collaborate intentionally are nearly three times more likely to achieve high team innovation than teams that do not use an intentional approach.”

As such, it’s important to make sure teams have the right tools and processes in place to collaborate effectively. This might include a live, collaborative Feed for easy access to live updates project materials, a team chat tool for quick communication, and regular check-ins to ensure everyone is on the same page.

Teamwork is faster

Teams that work together also tend to work faster because they can draw upon a wider range of opinions, skills, and experiences, whether they’re making decisions or putting together plans.

Employee teamwork can enable your workforce to:

• Divide difficult tasks into simpler ones, then collaborate to complete them faster
• Develop specialized skills, so that the best person for each task can do it better and faster.

So encourage teamwork in your organization and watch productivity soar. Not only will speed increase, but it will maximize your efficiency and give your team the opportunity to learn and grow.

Simply put, more brains = more productivity

When an entire team is working on a project, that project will move from the design phase into the implementation phase more quickly, and more efficiently –– even with fewer resources.

Teamwork leads to learning opportunities

Working collaboratively gives all team members an opportunity to learn others’ experiences. They gain insight from fresh perspectives and learn new ways of doing things. This can lead to greater job satisfaction, as well as improved morale and productivity over time. 

In addition, team projects can serve as valuable development opportunities for individuals’ skills and experience, helping them grow in their careers, and even develop higher levels of loyalty to your business. 

“By sharing information and essentially cross training each other, each individual member of the team can flourish,” reports Atlassian .

Collaboration builds confidence

People who work on effective, supportive teams feel valued and appreciated because they know they have something special to offer the team. And as we’ve discussed many times in the past, employees — especially introverted employees — who feel valued are more engaged.

Of course, it’s important to clarify that questions about how to improve teamwork in the workplace aren’t just being asked by employers. Surveys show that most employees consider teamwork very important , even if they’re not sure how to improve collaboration in their workplaces.

In addition, a person who feels valued as part of a team will feel more confident and willing to share their ideas and take calculated risks. Should they stumble, they know they have a team there to lift them back up.

How To Improve Teamwork FAQs

How can you improve teamwork and collaboration.

There isn’t a silver bullet when it comes to improving teamwork and collaboration. The best thing you can do is experiment with different ideas and methods until you find what works best for your business. That’s why we’ve provided 22 different ideas to hopefully inspire you!

What are the 3 most important things needed for effective teamwork?

3 of the most important things needed for effective teamwork are trust, communication & delegation. There are a lot of other things that go into building an effective team, however such as engagement, enjoyment and accountability.

What is the key to successful teamwork?

A successful team is the sum of a lot of moving parts, focus on communicating clearly, delegating tasks correctly, encouraging ownership and accountability, and of course engagement.

Final Thoughts

Ultimately, fostering a culture of teamwork takes effort, but it’s worth it for improved productivity and satisfaction in the workplace. 

By implementing some of these ideas and using an employee engagement app like Blink , your employees will feel more connected, communication will improve, and your team’s collaboration will thrive. Happy teamwork! 

Blink’s employee app makes working in teams a breeze.

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Building Teamwork Process Skills in Students

In the engineering disciplines, educators and employers alike place high value on teamwork skills.  Project teams are an important part of our work culture, so student teams are frequently assembled for course projects, especially in laboratory, design, and elective courses.  While the concept of effective teamwork is highly valued, few instructional hours and resources are typically devoted to specifically developing this skill within the canonical undergraduate engineering education.  Providing the opportunities and training for students to develop mastery in teamwork skills requires careful thought and course design.  A recent workshop I attended, led by Dr. Denny C Davis ( http://www.asee.org/public/conferences/20/papers/5944/download ), invites educators to give more focus to the  process , not just the product, in student teamwork. 1   In this blog post, I describe the ways the teamwork process takes center stage in the final course project in CBE 185, Technical Communications for Chemical Engineers. CBE 185 is a junior-level required course for all chemical engineering undergraduate students at UC Berkeley.  The course is offered in sections of about 30 students each, and takes an active learning, workshop style approach to developing written, spoken, and interpersonal communication skills for the chemical engineering workplace.  As much as possible, I like to use multiple-draft assignments with a high degree of authenticity, such as cover letters for entry-level chemical engineering jobs, or videos to explain a chemistry concept to a real audience of seventh graders (more details about our collaborations with non-expert audiences: http://www3.aiche.org/proceedings/Abstract.aspx?PaperID=262953 and http://chemicalengineering185.wordpress.com/ ). 2   Students work with each other on short in-class activities and on major course projects such as the P3 proposal project described below. In my first years as an engineering educator, I was introduced to an eloquent book on engineering teamwork by the eminent Professor Karl Smith ( http://www.ce.umn.edu/~smith/ ), Teamwork and Project Management ( http://www.amazon.com/Teamwork-Project-Management-Engineering-Series/dp/0073534900) . 3   Featuring illustrative examples, accessible language, and reviews of teamwork research, this book has been my foundation for instructing engineering students in how to function effectively in teams.  Professor Smith describes the five characteristics of effective teams:

Promotive Interaction:  Members do real work, usually face to face

Positive Interdependence:  Members focus on a common goal, with complementary contributions

Individual and Group Accountability:  Everyone takes responsibility for their own work and the overall work of the team

Teamwork Skills:  Each member practices effective communication, decision making, problem solving, conflict management, leadership

Group Processing:  Team periodically reflects on how well the team is working  In 185, I try to create opportunities for students to engage with and learn about the process of teamwork by providing opportunities to develop each of these five characteristics of effective teams, using the following approaches. Enabling success through smart team formation I use the free online program CATME Team Maker ( http://info.catme.org/ ) to generate student teams. 4  Students enter information about their schedule, commitment level, leadership styles and more.  I set preferences for grouping (similar schedules, similar commitment levels, complementary leadership styles, etc), and the program randomly creates and ranks 20 full sets of teams, then selects the set that is optimized for the criteria.  For me, it has been wonderfully effective.  It enables  promotive interaction  by helping to ensure student teams have available time to work face to face on their project. Assigning a challenging and multidimensional project The major team project for CBE 185 is a ten-page proposal for the US Environmental Protection Agency's P3 (people, prosperity, planet) Sustainability research and design student competition ( http://www.epa.gov/p3/ ).  Students are also required to give a 12- minute oral presentation on the proposal, and sometimes are required to create an item for a generalist audience, such as an infographic or a blog post on the topic area.  Student teams rally around their proposal topic area and develop through multiple drafts and deliverables throughout the semester.  This assignment is demanding for engineering students, who are still developing skills in creative problem solving and persuasive argumentation.  A project like this promotes  positive interdependence  and  individual and group accountability  as students take ownership of their ideas and develop in complementary tasks or roles, such as: facilitator, brainstormer, technical expert, audience specialist, and design specialist. Coaching teamwork skills When I poll students in class on what they think are important characteristics of effective teams, aspects of what Professor Smith groups as teamwork skills  dominate their responses.  Communication, leadership, and sometimes conflict management and decision-making top their lists.  To enhance student teamwork skills, I spread multiple opportunities for teamwork skill building throughout the semester using mini lectures and practice exercises on topics including constructive feedback (articulating and contrasting the characteristics of constructive and destructive feedback, followed by peer review of a draft writing assignment) and active listening (a quiz and discussion on which of five active listening habits each person wants to improve, followed by reporting and committing on their intent to their group. Building in time for group processing Halfway through the project, I take time out of lecture for teams to do  group processing .  Students rank their team into one of Smith’s four team types:

Pseudo team  performs below the level of the average member

Potential team  struggles slightly above the level of the average member

Real team  has complementary skills; is committed to common purpose, goals, approach; holds each other mutually accountable

High-performing team  is deeply committed to one another’s personal growth and success

(Students usually give a chuckle when they realize that they are probably not a high-performing team yet.)  Groups reflect on their strengths and weaknesses, and make plans for changes or corrective action to keep their project moving forward.   It is deeply satisfying to watch students hone their teamwork skills during their semester in CBE 185.  I hope that they transfer and build on these skills in upper division coursework and in the workplace. 

What techniques are you using in your engineering, STEM, or other types of classrooms to promote student learning in the  process  aspect of teamwork?

References:

1          “Building Student Capacity for High Performance Teamwork.” Denny C. Davis ,  Ronald R. Ulseth. American Society for Engineering Education National Conference and Expo, June 25, 2013. Atlanta, GA

2          “Chemical Process Videos: A Long-Distance Partnership for Outreach and Communication Skills Development.” Shannon Ciston, Lindsey Own.  American Institute of Chemical Engineers Annual meeting, October 31, 2012.  Pittsburgh, PA

3          Smith, K.A. with P.K. Imbrie. 2007. Teamwork and project management, 3rd Ed. New York:

McGraw-Hill. BEST Series.

4          Layton, R. A., Loughry, M. L., Ohland, M. W., & Ricco, G. D.  (2010).   Design and validation of a web-based system for assigning members to teams using instructor-specified criteria Advances in Engineering Education , 2 (1), 1-28.

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Case Study #1

Erika pribanic-smith, department of communication, project description.

My goal was to determine if interventions to improve team cohesion through interpersonal communication would result in better team performance as measured by presentation cohesiveness on the final project. I conducted this assessment in a required course for all majors in the Department of Communication. Initial enrollment for the course was 123 students; four withdrew before the semester ended, and nine additional students stopped attending class but did not drop.

Each semester, students self-select into teams of 6-7 students on the first day of class. Students work in these teams throughout the semester on discussion exercises after lecture, team quizzes, and ultimately, a team presentation. In previous semesters, teams that communicated well with each other delivered excellent presentations, but most delivered the dreaded “patchwork project”; team members independently completed their tasks and then cobbled everything together at the last minute without knowing what others on the team were doing. Furthermore, Student Feedback Surveys indicated that a few students loved the team aspect of the course, but many hated it.

Employing team cohesion literature as well as Decision Emergence and Social Penetration theories, I hypothesized that developing stronger interpersonal ties among teammates via self-disclosure would assist in developing team cohesion, which in turn would motivate students to achieve team goals as a unit and keep each other accountable. I encouraged self-disclosure by developing discussion exercises that required students to come up with examples from their own lives for theoretical application. The disclosures grew more personal over the first half of the semester, starting with “Describe a situation in which you were misunderstood” (General Semantics Theory) and progressing to “Describe a situation in which someone shared your secret or you shared someone else’s” (Communication Privacy Management). A second intervention I employed to improve communication involved guided in-class team meetings, in which I assigned specific tasks related to the presentation assignment and provided instruction on the teamwork behaviors that should be exhibited at that stage of the project.

To measure team cohesion, students completed a team cohesion assessment survey (adapted from a Group Communication textbook’s team cohesion index) at four points during the semester: Week 2, Week 6, Week 10, and Week 14; the index consisted of 20 Likert-scale questions and one open-response question (“Is there anything you’d like to add?”). A Toastmasters list of criteria for group presentation cohesiveness was converted into a rubric for analyzing team performance on the final presentation.

Project Evaluation

Overall, the team cohesion assessment revealed a steady decline in team cohesion from the Week 2 survey to the Week 10 survey, then a spike between the Week 10 and Week 14 surveys. However, the literature recommends assessing team cohesion at both the individual level and the group level, and each level of analysis told a slightly different story in this project. The assessment survey included both individual-level and group-level questions, such that most individual-level questions (e.g., “I identify with the team and its members”) had a group-level counterpart (e.g., “Members of the team identify with the team”). The index of questions that gauged individual team members’ level of connection and commitment to the team demonstrated a relatively even measure of cohesion across the first three surveys with a slight bump in the second survey; the individual-level index rose sharply for the fourth survey. However, the index of questions that asked students to assess their fellow team members’ level of connection and commitment to the team sharply declined from Week 2 to Week 6, stayed nearly the same from Week 6 to Week 10, and then sharply rose by Week 14. In each survey, the individual-level index was higher than the group-level index, though the two indices were closer at Weeks 2 and 14 than in Weeks 6 and 10. (See figure below.)

Significantly, the Week 6 survey coincided with a presentation progress report deadline, and the Week 10 survey occurred around the deadline for teams’ presentation outlines. The open-ended responses at Week 10 in particular indicated that tensions were running high on teams in which students perceived their teammates were not doing their parts to complete the work. The Week 14 survey fell in the middle of presentations, and the overwhelming success of the presentations seems to have generated good will among most of the respondents.

Only one out of the 20 teams failed to score 100 percent on the presentation cohesiveness rubric, for an overall average of 96.4 percent (per Blackboard statistics). Nearly all of the presentations had good flow, consistent visuals (design of each PowerPoint slide), and consistent voice. In most cases, each teammate demonstrated knowledge of what each other teammate was doing. The presentations were tight and well-rehearsed. In short, most teams met the criteria for presentation cohesiveness. However, some went well beyond the Toastmasters criteria. Some teams coordinated their wardrobes; a few even coordinated the size and color of their notecards. Overall, with only one exception, the presentations were engaging and informative. Anecdotally speaking, they were the best presentations I have seen in my seven years teaching theory at UTA. A few even drew enthusiastic ovations from their peers.

Therefore, the class achieved the ultimate goal of cohesive team presentations, and despite dips in the middle, team cohesion was higher at the end of the semester than at the start. I do not believe the self-disclosure intervention affected team cohesion as anticipated, however. Reflections submitted the last week of the semester revealed that several students learned communication is a crucial part of effective teamwork, and some students even indicated that getting to know their teammates made a difference. I think much of that communication and bonding occurred outside of class, though. More significantly, because the team cohesion index increased amid successful presentations, team achievement affected team cohesion more than team cohesion affected team performance. I believe improved communication affected presentation cohesiveness directly rather than affecting team cohesion as a mediating factor .

Though a few students stubbornly insist that teamwork is terrible and they do better work on their own, the end-of-semester reflection responses were overwhelmingly positive, demonstrating that students found the teamwork experience this semester to be not only valuable but also enjoyable. Several students indicated they made close friends or at least expanded their campus network, and some said they loved the class because of their teams. (See responses to the teamwork reflection in Appendix A.)

In sum, I believe the project was successful, not only at improving the team presentations but also at improving most of my students’ ability to work in teams and their view of teamwork in an academic setting.

Despite the successes outlined above, some issues arose that limited the development of team cohesion in some teams and specifically hampered the self-disclosure intervention. These are issues I hope to address in future semesters:

• Several students were absent the first class, and a handful missed the whole first week. Therefore, some students were placed into groups that already had formed and were not able to self-select into teams, and a few of those students were vocal about disliking the teams to which I assigned them. Significantly, the one team that consisted entirely of people who first attended on the second day of class had a disastrous presentation, and direct communication with some of the students on that team revealed they never gelled.
• Attendance throughout the semester became an issue for multiple teams. Based on open-ended survey responses, some students who missed a lot of class did not bond with their teammates as much as students who did attend, and those students also missed a lot of the decision-making and task-planning for the presentation, so they were not as involved or invested in the project as other team members.
• Some teams did not fully and properly engage in the self-disclosure exercises. I eventually discovered that some teams skipped the discussion altogether and just had the person who was providing the real-life example write out the discussion report due at the end of class to save time. Therefore, the members of those teams weren’t learning about each other at all; they just treated the exercise as something they had to turn in for a participation grade. Furthermore, although a different person was supposed to provide an example each time so that everyone was disclosing about themselves, some groups had the same person sharing an example every time.
• Attrition occurred on a handful of teams as some students officially dropped the class or simply stopped coming. Two teams suffered severely; both began the semester with seven members, but one presented with three members at the semester’s end, and another ended the term with only two members. Those few teammates certainly bonded, but their view of the team experience was negative.

Future Direction

Given the general success of this project, I will continue emphasizing communication in future semesters. However, to overcome some of the issues I encountered this semester, I will make a few changes.

• I feel self-selection works great for the most part. However, I will shift team selection to the second day of class to reduce the number of students who are absent at the time of selection and do not get to select their own teams.
• I will monitor the self-disclosure exercises more closely to ensure that teams are a) actually discussing and b) distributing the self-disclosure across team members more evenly. Though it will make attendance record-keeping more difficult and eliminate a valuable check on students’ understanding of the concepts, I will consider doing away with the written report so that students are more focused on the discussion and not just submitting something for a grade.
• I will have more in-class team meetings. We only had three this semester, and they were in the last half-hour of quiz days because I knew most students would be present for the quizzes. Some students stated in their open-ended responses that coordinating schedules outside of class was difficult, though, and they wished we had some full class periods designated for team work. Therefore, I will work some full-class work days into the schedule next time. Deadline stress and failure of teammates to contribute seemed to hamper team cohesion more than anything else, but hopefully having more time to work together in person will increase participation in the project and decrease tension. Doing so in class also will give me more opportunity to guide their communication and teamwork behaviors.
• Some students still will skip class and fail to become a true part of the team or contribute meaningfully to the project. Therefore, I will do more to monitor and alleviate those situations earlier in the semester. Some teams exercised their ability to “fire” team members after the outline, but others didn’t realize or remember that was an option and complained that they presented with teammates who hadn’t contributed to the research and writing. Furthermore, teams only exercised the firing option after the outline was due; none did so earlier in the semester. I believe completing a large component of the project with dead weight increased tension and decreased team cohesion. I will make sure at every checkpoint that students remember they can remove teammates who are not participating in the project, and I will increase the number of peer evaluations students complete to facilitate this process. After they present, students complete a peer evaluation that evaluates each teammates’ cooperation, timeliness of contribution, preparation (research, writing, selecting/producing visuals), and presentation performance. I considered implementing a modified version of that evaluation at each checkpoint but decided against it because I didn’t want students to confuse the peer evaluations with the team cohesion assessments or become overwhelmed with paperwork. I will discontinue the team cohesion assessments, though, and have students complete peer evaluations more frequently instead. These will alert me to issues earlier while encouraging students to think critically about their teammates’ contributions throughout the process and take action as needed. Hopefully issues coming to light sooner will enable me to combine teams that may end up with few members well before the presentation.

Reflection: What is the most important thing you learned about teamwork this semester? (unedited responses)

Be flexible when working with everyone’s schedules

Being ahead of the curve.

being flexible and allowing others to contribute

Coming together in person can make a lot of things a lot simpler as opposed to doing it all online

Communication is the key for a successful team environment.

Communication so the team can adjust to fit everyones’ needs.

Don’t let negativity ruin a good presentation.

Everybody has to work together toward the team’s goals. One person can’t carry the team effectively and if one or more people don’t do their work it make the rest of the team’s jobs much harder and more frustrating. With that said, when people do actually participate it helps to bond those members together and make a better, cohesive, end project.

How to collaborate

How to communicate & get things done on time by planning as a team.

How without fail, working as a team is awful.

I didn’t learn it because I already knew it, but the most important thing I already know is that I work better alone and I still really don’t like group work with random people.

I know now to be here the first day of class, so I can pick my own group members considering I have to pay over a thousand dollars a class.

I learned how to better understand people’s opinions and what they had to say about the issues we were talking about.

I learned that a lot of the time someone on the team will not put in as much effort and will just float along in which the other members will have to carry the extra weight.

I learned that if everyone is on the same page and at least somewhat dedicated to the end goal, the group work will be successful and maybe even enjoyable, which contradicted my previous ideas of group work.

I learned that if you set up expectations for how you want your team to work, it will be more successful.

I learned that most people are not willing to work on teams no matter how old they are or the level of education they have.

I learned that working on big teams is difficult and its important to find meeting times.

I learned that you cannot expect the same amount of effort from each team member, but that oftentimes other members of the team will step up and fill the gaps made. The best strategy for success is to work well with those who demonstrate a willingness to give their time and effort to making the project the best it can be.

If you don’t get to know the people you are in a group with, it makes it hard to work with them.

It definitely takes a lot of work to make your team effective. You must always put in effort to try to restructure your schedule so everyone can meet. You also have to trust and depend on one another.

It is tough to have all team members focus on a task and be organized, especially when we each have much more going on in our lives, but as long as we all communicate well the job can definitely be done. Communication is key, for sure.

Leaders shape the future, and every team needs a strong leader to succeed.

Learning to speak up and state my own opinion even when I’m not entirely confident. Communication and openness is key in order to fully thrive in a group project. I enjoyed my group and the time we spent working together. I consider them my friends.

making new friends 🙂

Making sacrifices to achieve the big picture the team set out to attain.

Most people do things last minuet and you can’t make anyone do anything on your time frame.

Not everyone is going to do their part, but what counts is that the other members have the integrity to step up and cover the people who are slacking.

Organization is important

Planning and communication are key

Sometimes, you gotta pick it up and be leader.

Start the team project ahead of time and not wait until last minute because then you might get some team members that do not contribute.

Teams hold me down and block me from my shine  I learned I don’t work well well with others. But the assignment was cool. Groups make my head hurt

that communication is very important

That everyone needs to do their part to make the team run smoothly. Also, communication is key.

That google docs saves lives. It is very easy for everyone to be working on the same slides at once and that automatically save once you stop typing so nothing gets lost.

That some people are disrespectful. I also learned that others are extremely respectful. Projects definitely can’t be pushed back to the last minute. I also learned that understanding concepts after a lesson were much easier to understand working in a group because we were able to apply them to things we knew in real life.

That time is a key concept in getting things done in the time allotted, giving us the opportunity to finish our work thoroughly to where we have time to go over it a second time.

That time managing is essential to being prepared.

That we all have busy lives and we all work differently but we all trusted each other and that we would get all of our parts done, not micro manage each other and it would all workout.

The important thing I learn is that communication is one of the most important things to make a team successful. We kicked a few people out of our team because they did not execute their role as agreed. Once they were notified they were kicked out they were offended because the rest of the team did not understand their personal life situations, nonetheless, they never spoke about the problems they had at all to maybe find an alternate way as a team to complete each task as we had agreed to. We could not help them at the end nor feel empathic because they were not communicating with us how they said they were. Everyone was open about their situations they had going on outside of class, either school related, work or even personal but those people never did. They would agree to everything and say they would do it but at the end they did not and we did not feel compassionate about it because they never once did communicate anything about the possible encounters they could have or had been facing.

The longer we worked together the more stuff we had in common and accomplished our goals.

The most important thing I learned about being on a team is that unplanned circumstances happen and you have to be ready for them.

The most important thing I learned about working in a team is that sometimes, you can’t count on everyone to keep their word.

The most important thing I learned about working with a team this semester was planning and working around difficult schedules, improvising to get the job done.

The most important thing I learned from working in a team, was mostly time management and working together to achieve the same goal. Our theory had a lot to do with how our team functioned so it was nice to incorporate the two together.

The most important thing I learned on this team is that its best to not be last minute about things but to be ahead of things.

The most important thing I learned this semester about working in a team is how busy schedules can impact your plans. This led to working even harder in finding the best solution, where sometimes it meant dividing up who meets up on one day and who the other, with some meeting both days. Figuring out schedules can be the most daunting task but it can easily have a solution if you begin making a plan.

The work gets done when everyone is involved!

Things move better when you work together

This has been one of my favorite classes yet and I am thrilled to have gotten to meet every member in my group. I personally believe we will all never forget each other.

This semester i learned that even in a college setting where everyone is here to learn and get a good grade you may still encounter other that don’t play well. Sometimes it takes someone to be the bigger person and groom the team to just understand that we are all here just to get the job done.

To be more assertive in all aspects of my life.

To listen more than anything because there are so many things to learn and value about one another. We all come different places but somehow we all ended up in the same group! I love my team!!

To make sure that I am available to the team and to organize my time around the team’s schedule so as to make sure we get everything done.

to properly plan and create timetables for the group assignment.

We’re all different and unique, but yet we all think as one, all have the same mindset in order to reach our goal for this semester.

When everyone puts out and carries their own responsibilities like they should, the team can take ideas and form them into what we need, be it for an assignment or anything else.

Working in a big team is difficult but if at least most of the members coordinate to work towards the same goal then the team can create a fantastic piece of work.

Working in a team requires a lot of organization and patience. Now that we are in college, we all have different schedules and sometimes is hard to contact each member of the group however it’s not impossible. I have seen many people with busy schedules and still made the effort to contribute to the team. I have learn that we must be willing to work hard, have patience, and organization in order to have a strong contributing team. I am glad this class requires to grade our members because in that way I can show the great or minimal effort that each member did on the project.

You have to be willingly to sacrifice your schedule in order to work effectively with a team.

You need to be patient with people, but you can’t be a pushover.

Teamwork: An Open Access Practical Guide - Instructor Companion Copyright © 2020 by Andrew M. Clark and Justin T. Dellinger is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

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169 Teamwork Topics & Essay Examples

You’re better to check a teamwork essay example or two if you want to write a good paper on this subject. Good thing that here you will find great topics and samples collected by our experts.

✨ Top 12 Teamwork Topics to Explore

🏆 best teamwork topic ideas & essay examples, 👍 good topics on teamwork, 📌 most interesting teamwork topics to write about, ❓ teamwork discussion questions.

• Leadership.
• Workplace Family.
• Team Games.
• Collaboration.
• Team-Building Activities.
• Personnel Selection.
• Importance of Individuality.
• Safety Training.
• Group Management.
• Teamwork Skills.
• Teamwork as Dream Work.
• An Analysis of the Experience of Teamwork I was also worried as I was not sure that I could be an effective member of the team for I had not had any experience in accreditation.
• Teamwork and Leadership From diversity to team hierarchy, many factors influence the eventual output of the team, affecting the leader, team members’ performance, and client’s satisfaction.
• Group Project Management and Teamwork Reflection The success of our group depended on the effectiveness of contribution to the project by each member of the group. The only mistake that the group made was it did not elect an interim leadership […]
• Teamwork and Individual Work in Various Situations The challenges in the contemporary environment and the various situations that individuals have to encounter push people to think about how it is better and more effective to handle them.
• Teamwork in organizations The practice of team work has been established in several workplaces and has proved to be not only effective in managing organisations but also a prudent measure of assessing the performance of employees and growth […]
• Team-Building Strategies of Apple The most judicious way to cultivate the Five Cs is by recruiting applicants that are team players and compatible with the company culture. Employees should be incentivized to participate through financial compensation and the offer […]
• 1996 Mount Everest Disaster and Teamwork Factor The Everest case study illustrates some key problems that need to be addressed to avert the recurrence of errors or omissions that may have occasioned the deaths of the climbers.
• Importance of Teamwork Skills One of the strategies I can utilize to improve my teamwork skills is to understand and contextualize my role within the group.
• The Role of Teamwork in Management Gupta is of the opinion that working as a team motivates individuals to be more risk taking in order to attain their goals.
• Significance of Teamwork in Schools However, teamwork in schools is initiated by the administration and embraced by teachers in their respective departments. Teamwork is important in ensuring the success of schools.
• The Teamwork in Nursing Similarly, if the nurse manager or the physician blame the nurse for the error, it could affect trust within the team and create obstacles to teamwork in the future.
• Personal Skills Development in the Teamwork In the team, the management ensured that organizational goals are achieved by modifying the tasks of individuals and the organization structure.
• Teamwork’s Achievements and Challenges This difference can be attributed to the competence of the team members. These researchers found that poor communication is one of the major causes of misunderstanding and conflicts in a team.
• Team Building Activity The team building activity included identifying the purpose of the team, the needs of the team, composition of team members, the time the team was likely to last, and the benefits to the designate individuals […]
• Proctor & Gamble Company’s Effective Team Building The purpose of this study was to examine the major strategies used by companies to build effective teams. The main purpose of the study was to identify evidence-based strategies that can be used to develop […]
• Organizational Behavior: Teamwork and Leadership The attributes of a strong and successful group encompass effective communication, facilitated morale, excellent leadership, and the ability of the members to perceive themselves as valuable players.
• Personal Development Plans: Teamwork and Culture Shock In an effort to achieve the desired level of personal development, it is important for one to take into account the concept of culture. The resultant effect is that the students are able to fit […]
• Teamwork in Business: Role and Impact on Work Environment In order to ensure and achieve a sufficient level of team cooperation, cohesiveness, and unity, the most critical qualities include trust, ownership, creativity, risk tolerance, effective conflict management, competence, open communication, and inclusiveness.
• Teamwork, Decision-Making, and Strategy It is with the same intent that the manager intended to use the help of his team to launch a new division that manufactures liquid soap brands for the market by using the potential of […]
• Teamwork Spirit Improvement The eventual beneficiaries of the project done by the group are the consumers of the company. This is a clear indication that the employees will find it unbearable to work one another and this will […]
• Team Building Issues The process of team building is not as easy as it may seem since there are factors to be considered if the goals of developing the team are to be achieved.
• Teamwork Concept in Nursing and Its Consequences Working in teams is crucial for nurses, and the concept of teamwork becomes central to the nursing practice. Teamwork is a positive concept, the occurrence of which results in desirable outcomes for all members and […]
• Communication and Teamwork in the Healthcare Facilities After picking the sample and identifying the patient by the bar code, I perform the test and report the results to the doctor.
• Teamwork Experience and Recommendations Teamwork is a process in which each participant has equal rights and responsibilities, which are adjusted depending on the goals and objectives of the company.
• Teamwork in the Nursing Healthcare Environment The impact of organizational change is dependent on three factors; the stage of organizational development, the degree of flexibility, and the history of response to change.
• The Win-Win Approach: The Advantages and the Challenges of Teamwork The piece of the teamwork which we have fulfilled in a group of three has precisely demonstrated the advantages and challenges of any team activity described in numerous sources devoted to the team work.
• Team Building and Facilitation It further discusses group work in detail by focusing on concepts of team buildings, the life cycles of teams, types of teams, advantages of team focus in an organization, how to build effective teams and […]
• Team Building and Team Development The team has to attain the next stage of the development life cycle, which is the performing stage. At the initial stages of development, a team is expected to engage members to pursue goals or […]
• Motivational Strategies for Teamwork When members of a team desire to advance their skills and the team leader cannot offer the opportunities, the team members are likely to be less motivated and therefore perform poorly.
• The Discussion Feedback: Teamwork In the above reasoning, it is indicated that the team director is always nearby, but this is not the most effective way to save the team management. Perhaps his constant presence and dedication are not […]
• Nursing Leadership and Team Building Strategies A Doctor of Nursing Practice leader has a number of responsibilities, and one of them is to motivate a team and increase engagement toward a vision and goals.
• Teamwork and Critical Thinking The analyst role is essential to team thinking in nursing practice because it enables the nurses to realize all the aspects of the situation, providing a wider view.
• Teamwork Safety and Efficiency in Medical Emergencies: Rogers’s Theory In the third phase, the individual will consider the innovation’s pros and cons and weight change. The researcher will implement the innovation in the fourth stage and adjust the novelty to the state.
• Team Building: Understanding the Project’s Goals Being a supervisor of any project is a challenging task, requiring a creative and intelligent team and a lot of time and effort.
• Teamwork in Ireland’s Healthcare Organizations The team members understand that they have unique roles and positions in the group and do their best to support their teammates.
• Business Simulation Exercise’s Effect on Teamwork The aim of this paper is to describe the effects of the use of simulation exercises on teamwork. This section will undertake a detailed study of effective training in team building and contribution of simulation […]
• Biblical Foundation of Teamwork Teamwork and the team ministry started before the birth of Christ, and the bible encouraged people to work as a team.
• Communication and Teamwork in Providing Quality Healthcare In the quest for addressing the challenges of communication and teamwork at Quality Hospital’s ICU, this paper provides a breakdown of the formation of a task force that will help the ICU to address the […]
• The Importance of Teamwork With Limited Resources The aviation industry on the other hand has been shown as one that has been facing teamwork problems since the beginning of the 21st century due to downsizing of the workers, resulting in a breach […]
• Emotional Intelligence’s Support for Teamwork and Teambuilding in Nursing In instances where a nurse lacks the luxury to pick a team with which to work, understanding others allows the individual to conduct amicable relations for the sake of proper execution of tasks, the health […]
• Team Building and Teamwork Principles to the Areas of Health Care The literature shows that self-reflection and peer ratings are fantastic ways for small groups to gauge their level of functioning, cooperation and how to overcome interpersonal conflicts that may affect the outcome of group goals.
• Teamwork Dynamics, Motivation, Conflict Resolution, and Leadership In this scenario, such an approach is crucial, since the team is experiencing difficulties of the unclear origin and they can be identified and analyzed by engaging in the workflow.
• Teamwork Is Essential, but Impossible The challenge is the creation of real working teams, in a business situation where individuality is rewarded and team work ignored.
• Impact of Race, Age or Gender on Teamwork This is based on the difficulty of ascertaining in what way productivity is affected by a change in the age composition of the workforce.
• The Importance of Team Building in Companies In order to analyze the nature of the problem, it is necessary to inquire on whether the manager did everything possible to make the work knowledge and councils available.
• Teamwork Impact Within the TMC In this case, executives allow the employees to make decisions on what is to be manufactured; the intended quality and marketing procedures of the manufactured product; based on their talents and skills.
• Calling a Team: Successful Teamwork In particular, the authors emphasize that frequent meetings are necessary to set realistic goals and discuss the objectives of the teamwork.
• Lions Share Inc.’s Virtual Teamwork The team’s vision is to create a company that will provide new and unique products to the world, influence technology, and ensures that products’ quality is incomparable to that of other products, which will not […]
• Conflict Management: Teambuilding and Dynamics Each team has to perform the assigned task and in addition it must coordinate with other teams to ensure smooth progress in operations.
• Role of Communication and Teamwork in Improving Patient Safety In fact, research suggests the existence of communication difficulties between several departments and levels of hospital and healthcare settings including doctors, doctors and nurses, between nurses and between nurses and doctors, which have often resulted […]
• Organizational Behaviour: Teamwork in a Canadian Pub The main issues in the case are as follows: In the case, during the Brainiac game, a regular player Hannah suggested the other regulars to play cooperatively to improve the answering.
• Teamwork: Aspects of Problems and Solutions In this report, we present our findings on a group project in Team building with real-world simulation of soft skills necessary to build a high performance winning team. Learning about team building values which aid […]
• Teamwork, Team Dynamics and Communication However, the success or otherwise of group dynamics is determined by many factors such as the large context of a country and its geographic features, the organization in which the group operates, the nature of […]
• Team Building and Role Assignment in Nursing When nurses engage their colleagues who have the requisite skills in community service and team building, they increase the scale of knowledge held by the new professionals in the team.
• Empowering People and Fostering Teamwork The strategy that I prefer to use to empower people in my team is different from the previous one when it comes to all-or-none situations that require taking well-considered decisions.
• The Secrets of Great Teamwork When all individuals in the team know the direction of the team and how they support the objective and target of the team, productivity improves.
• Mighty Tech Company’s Leadership and Teamwork For instance, Ben and Beatrice disagreed on the approach to follow in order to complete the job in time. Facilitation of the audit process also is constituted in the throughput since it is the organization […]
• Southwest Airlines: Organizational Behavior and Teamwork The company encourages self-actualization by motivating employees to be creative and innovative to be all they can, to improve effectiveness. Positive reinforcement is also used when employees contribute to increasing productivity and profit margins for […]
• Teamwork and Teambuilding The cons of this team are that work progress is hard to track and only depends on the honesty of team members, it is difficult to create a team culture since members are not close […]
• Group Conversations About Teamwork You have not provided the things that should be avoided when using your approaches to solve the conflict in the scenario.
• FireArts Company Teamwork Management Issues The key individuals in this case study are Erick Holt, FireArts new director of strategy, charged with the responsibility of putting together a team of top individuals within the organization, and Randy Louderback, the sales, […]
• Dysfunctional vs. Highly-Effective Teamwork The current essay aims to examine the experiences of the writer with a dysfunctional team and the factors that might have contributed to this.
• Team Building in the United Arab Emirates In this instance, volunteering not only contributes to the improvement of the team dynamics within the organization but also to the integration with the community and development of the positive brand image by taking responsibilities […]
• Team-Building Lessons from Chinese Restaurant Anina Blecher demonstrates many qualities that the Protagonist is expected to have. Her employees are friendly; everybody knows and promotes the values of the restaurant.
• Teamwork and Self-Awareness In order for a group of people to effectively collaborate and ensure long-term teamwork on a project, there must be a sense of self-awareness in each member.
• Effective Teambuilding for Childcare Center After pairing the teachers, the third stage will be used to guide and mentor the team. The fifth stage is to celebrate the functions and successes of the team.
• Healthcare: Collaborative Teamwork Evaluation The development of a stable leadership structure in the team is important because it can significantly lower the number of possible miscommunications and misunderstandings of the final goal.
• Hewlett Packard’s and Chartered Management Institute’s Teamwork At CMI, the idea of teamwork is taken seriously in an attempt to deliver positive results. Leaders should also be appointed and encouraged to meet the needs of different team members.
• Non-Profit Organisations and Team Building The authors of the article introduce the notion of feedback interventions, or FI, as a tool for managing the organizational performance, and provide a historical review and meta-analysis of the evidence for its efficiency and […]
• Motivational Aspects of Teamwork in Schools The problem that this paper is going to dwell on relates to the diverse impact of motivation on the eminence of teamwork in a school environment.
• Interdisciplinary Teamwork and Group Communication All group members should treat one another with respect, avoiding discrimination and conflicts; All group members should attend each meeting; In case of an emergency, the member should notify the rest of the group […]
• Fundamentals of Management: Leadership and Teambuilding They are also responsible for keeping the team on focus and functioning as a single unit. Interpersonal and communication are the life of a team.
• Proposal Preparation and Effective Teamwork One of the pillars of effective proposal preparation is the interaction with team members as it can ensure the effective functioning of the team.
• Group Dynamics, Effective Teamwork and Technology Effective teams in an organisation are characterised by commitment between the members of the team. Understanding and support among team members are also important in determining the effectiveness of the team.
• Interprofessional Healthcare Teamwork By the end of the six-month period, the physical state of Carla will improve as cases of pneumonia will decrease by about 25%, as a result of the physical therapy, medication therapy, and changes in […]
• CMA Company’s Team-Building and Communication The focus on improving communication and promoting teamwork is crucial because of the lack of trust by which the relationships between the company members can be characterized. Therefore, it will be reasonable to focus on […]
• Teamwork Role in Patient Safety Promotion According to Manser, some of the most important considerations that either promote or hinder patient safety include the perceived quality of teamwork between professional groups, the quality of relational coordination and communication between team members, […]
• Multicultural Teamwork Approaches This was done to provide the team with the essential elements of the presentation in a shorter period and show an adequate level of collaboration.
• ABC Hospital’s Effective Team Building Building an effective team within a micro-system requires one to understand the mission of the micro-system and organization, and the goals that should be achieved by the team.
• Managers, Team Building and Results Orientation If a manager is in charge of a department, he or she should not try to win the false authority by being good.
• Diversity Consciousness in Team Rapport Building In regards to online communal, the designers’ key concentration is to generate the expertise that abide by the welfares, and the societal and basic requirements, of the online communal.
• Cognition and Emotions, Teamwork and Management The concepts of power and approach are used to organize the management process most efficiently. In any organization, power is the prerogative of the executive management and the managers of the middle level.
• DHL & Qantas Flight 32: Teamwork and Creative Approaches One of the most important aspects that need to be noted is that the crew that the issue that it was an uncontained failure of the engine at first, but smoke was noticed.
• Teamwork: Theory, Research and Practice Teamwork is one of the most imperative considerations not only in school but also in the current working environment because of the benefits acquired in the process of mixing and sharing with other people in […]
• Teamwork and Leadership: Overcoming Challenges Knowlton was the leader of the group, as he was arguably the one with the best leadership skills and had the best experience and knowledge regarding the project.
• The Company’s Teamwork Training Program One of the strategies that the manager intends to apply in achieving this goal is training employees on the significance of teamwork.
• Technology Support Team Building In a well orchestrated team the operation is so smooth it is difficult to recognize the role of the team leader. This can be taken to signify the absence of egocentric motives and personalities in […]
• Team Building: Good Planning of Participants Interaction Developing a team and being part of a team require first to understand the team dynamics and purpose of the group.
• The Efficiency of the Teamwork The efficiency of the teamwork has to be profoundly analyzed since it defines the quality of the performance of the organization.
• Groupthink as the Curse of Teamwork Instead of members individually evaluating project alternatives, they just second ideas of group leaders or group members so as not to be seen to derail the team.
• Teamwork Issues Effects in Japanese Organisations The reason is that employees and management are in good terms and able to agree informally on various procedures and practices without compromising the quality of the organisational practices and objectives.
• WooWoo Company Management: Teamwork and Motivation The motivation plan of the company that manufactures ‘WooWoo’ would offer rewards to many employees of the company. The rewards would strive to meet the specific needs of the employees.
• Strategic Role of Human Resources and Promoting Effective Teamwork in the Workplace As the team leader, I had to ensure teamwork and cooperation among the players in order to enhance the team’s performance.
• Teams and Communication in Healthcare: Importance of Good Teamwork The article, titled “Importance of Good Teamwork in Urgent Care Services”, makes reference to a case study to investigate the topics of teamwork and communication in a London emergency department resuscitation unit, and also to […]
• Leadership, Teambuilding and Communication The task of building and managing diverse teams in an organization is similarly critical to the process of organizational leadership. Such barriers to communication affect the performance of the group and work teams in a […]
• Teamwork and Motivation: Woowooo Inc. With the entry of new workers, the next part of the motivation plan is to create a working schedule that will see the workers give the best output throughout the production and marketing process.
• The Concept of Organization Structure and Teamwork The amount of time team members commits to team assignment relates to team efforts and success of the team. The team members become more committed and extend their effort in ensuring a proactive achievement in […]
• Emotional Intelligence in Teamwork and Mutual Cooperation From this argument it is right to claim that the virtues of emotional intelligence contribute greatly to the aspects of personality and other individualistic provisions.
• Virtual Teams as Teamwork Efforts In this article the maturity and efficiency of virtual team is measured by a Virtual Team Operation Survey tool that assesses the indicators of virtual team performance.
• Conflict Resolution in a Team Building This would then be followed by drawing a scene in the office and each member of the team participating in the role that they had read in the card. In this activity, members of the […]
• Effective Team Building in Bell ExpressVu To organize an effective team-building event, the theme of the event should be exciting and inspiring to the employees. Such a theme helps to motivate and communicate effectively with the participants of team building.
• Teamwork and Communication Errors in Healthcare This paper states that medical errors have a number of underlying causes, including the fallibility of medical personnel, uncertainty of medical knowledge and imperfection of organizational systems, and pays special attention to the negative outcomes […]
• Leadership and Teambuilding The author classified important stages in the process of becoming a team as the following; Emergent themes The themes of “Speaking to” and “getting to know” were introduced at the beginning of project, a strategy […]
• Importance of teamwork, cohesiveness, consensus decision Teamwork is an initiative established by employers and employees to ensure people work together to achieve the objectives of their organizations.
• Project Success and Team Building Overall, the development of these indicators is one of the first steps that managers should take prior to the start of any project.
• Effects of Generational Differences on Teamwork in Organisations in the UK However, in the UK, employees in most organisations belong to the Baby boomers generation, Generation X and Y. According to Lyons, Baby boomers prefer to work in teams because they are keen on learning new […]
• Corporate Team Building Strategies The choice of team designs range from self-directed teams, problem-solving teams, cross-functional teams and virtual teams. The type of design that firms adopt impact on the effectiveness of the teams and thus team building must […]
• Five Approaches to the Successful Team Building A team leader should consider explaining the mission of the team to the members because if he/she assumes that they understand it, he/she will be surprised later on because people understand things differently and this […]
• Teamwork and Collaboration First of all, one should speak about the role of “most responsible nurses” who had to care about a set of patients. The authors demonstrate that the partnership of nurses is critical for improving the […]
• Watson Engine Company Organization Structure and Teamwork The organization structure of the company is old fashioned and hierarchical in nature that minimizes the influence of the employees in the running of the organization.
• Thinking Problem Solving and Team Building First and foremost, as a person endowed with the knowledge and a little bit of experience in offering engineering services for a range of pharmaceutical machines and equipments, it was my obligation to ensure that […]
• Challenges in Virtual Team Building On the other hand, a team is a group of individuals in the same region working together to achieve a common goal.
• When Collaboration Enhances Team Performance In addition, the background information on the nature and role of collaboration contributes positively towards the development of a logical argument.
• Teamwork as the Primary Determinant of Success Regardless of the size of an entity or the nature of activity which a group of individuals are involved in, teamwork is one of the primary determinant s of a group’s level of success.
• Teamwork and as an Important Part of Effective Performance The doubling of the number of calls at the call center is indicative of deterioration of customer service due to the above reasons.
• Teamwork Survey by Tuckman’s Model These scores show that the team is in the Performing stage, since the highest score is 38 and the highest possible points are 40.
• How Does Feedback Help Teamwork?
• How Does Effective Teamwork Look?
• How Do Teens Learn Teamwork: Agentic and Constructive Peer Processes?
• What Is the Power of Teamwork?
• How Idea Generators Juggle Between the Pros and Cons of Teamwork?
• Why Is Teamwork Essential in Life?
• What Are the Advantages and Disadvantages of Teamwork?
• What Skills Are Necessary for Teamwork?
• How Could Teamwork Leaders Cope With the Acceleration of Internationalization?
• Does Effective Teamwork Need Leadership and a Formal Structure This?
• How Can Teamwork Be Effective?
• What Makes Teamwork Efficient?
• Why Team and Teamwork Come Up With Better Solutions?
• What Are Three Essential Skills for Teamwork and Collaboration?
• What Does Teamwork Mean?
• What Is Teamwork Short Note?
• How Can Teamwork Damage Productivity?
• What Makes a Team Successful?
• What Are the Qualities of Good Teamwork?
• How Diversity and Teamwork of a Company?
• Can Teamwork Overcome the Negative Aspects Associated With Scientific Management Workplace Practices?
• What Are the Benefits of Teamwork?
• Why Is Teamwork Important in Life?
• Why Is Teamwork Essential in Research?
• How Do Teams and Teamwork Affect Individual Satisfaction?
• How Can Teamwork Improve Organizational Performance?
• Does Poor Supervisability Undermine Teamwork?
• Why Is Teamwork the Key to Success?
• What Does the Research Say About Teamwork?
• How Does Communication Affect Teamwork?
• Workplace Diversity Research Ideas
• Self-Reflection Research Topics
• Work-Life Balance Essay Titles
• Virtual Team Ideas
• Work Environment Research Topics
• Employee Engagement Essay Topics
• Talent Management Questions
• Mentorship Topics
• Chicago (A-D)
• Chicago (N-B)

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IvyPanda . "169 Teamwork Topics & Essay Examples." March 1, 2024. https://ivypanda.com/essays/topic/teamwork-essay-topics/.