One of the hallmarks of a great company is fruitful teamwork. The give-and-take is infused with respect, synergy and a commitment to doing their best for their co-workers and the employer. The importance of teamwork to the success of any enterprise cannot be understated. Let’s dive into a few reasons teamwork is essential and explore some methods for encouraging it in your employees.
Why Is Teamwork Important?
It’s not uncommon for people to get so caught up in their daily responsibilities at the office or job site that time goes by without much interaction between co-workers. Sometimes, people are working off-site in another office or from home, which makes it even harder to even get to know their colleagues. While many of us enjoy our jobs, the rise of remote work means we are often working by ourselves in a home office or other designated space.
This can make people feel lonely, negatively impacting the quality and quantity of their work as well as ignoring their needs as human beings. It can give rise to habits that negatively impact collaboration, such as not sharing necessary knowledge; being unaware of critical information that influences their work; feeling like they don’t really know their colleagues; making mistakes since they’re out of the loop, and more. None of these situations are good for either the company or the employee, however, fostering a strong sense of community can be part of the answer. Here’s how to start.
1. Set Expectations Early
There are some key times in the life of an enterprise when the message of teamwork can make a difference. When the company is revisiting their values and goals, it’s the perfect chance to reach out and involve all employees in the process. This is teamwork in action: it demonstrates that upper management values everyone’s contribution and wants “all hands on deck,” so to speak. Make sure, too, that the value statement language speaks to teamwork.
After a new C-suite leader or other high-level director or manager comes on board, understandably, employees want to hear from them. While these leaders are getting to know the employees, whether that is one-on-one or in town hall style events on Zoom, it’s their chance to create a sense of community. Additionally, when a new employee is hired, there’s another opportunity to set the expectation. Make sure current employees are reaching out and modeling the behavior you want new hires to emulate. This includes etiquette for things like staying in contact with remote colleagues throughout the day.
2. Communicate the Vision
Use your leadership position to sketch out the big picture for your employees. Make sure they know the long-range vision for the business. Are you driven to be the biggest name in the industry? Are you looking to expand your market share or build a loyal customer base? Communicate with passion what you see for the future of your enterprise and then explain why and how working as a team is critical to getting there.
Visuals can be extremely compelling ways to make data relatable for people, whether it takes the form of photographs, charts, graphs, or other visual representations of data. Although people can really be moved by your words, they’re more apt to remember a visual representation that reinforces what you’re saying. They also might better grasp the most important points you want to make. With everyone on the same page regarding the company’s trajectory and how they fit into the picture, they’ll be ready to work together.
3. Set Team Goals, Not Individual Roles
Take stock of the expertise of your colleagues. Depending on the size of your operation, you may have separate departments or project teams with different responsibilities. Clarify expectations for clear and open communication so your colleagues can do their jobs effectively. Moreover, create additional work teams where it makes sense.
Lay out strategic goals for departments and teams. By providing clear direction with timelines that support the company’s mission and objectives, you’ll be signaling the importance of collaboration to your organization. Rather than being prescriptive about the allocation of individual responsibilities, allowing teams to assign roles on a project-by-project basis allows people to contribute according to their skillsets and perspectives. It also helps foster leadership skills.
4. Encourage Innovation
Demonstrate that the business values creativity, innovation and out-of-the-box thinking. When people see you trust them to use their imagination and ingenuity, their enthusiasm will soar. You may need to provide guidance about how to brainstorm and assign roles effectively, but this will illustrate your faith in them and the process.
The ability of a team to share ideas without judgement, work together to develop solutions, and come up with novel suggestions for the business can bring about some amazing results, not the least of which is a workplace culture that values teamwork.
Bill Malloy 