Teamwork Makes The Dream Work: Investing In Teams
Most people have heard the phrase “teamwork makes the dream work,” and there’s a reason it’s so commonly used in the workplace. Building effective teams in your workplace can greatly improve your company’s performance.
Although there are costs involved, companies that are successful often consider their teams to be an investment in the future progress and prosperity of the company.
Why teamwork makes the dream work
People working in teams are often more likely to be successful together than as individuals. Team-building activities can reap many benefits in an organization. The following are just a few:
Motivation
Team-building activities can give employees a renewed sense of energy and motivation. This can make them feel as though they are valuable to the team and the company, which in turn can motivate them to succeed. For this reason, it can help to learn how to increase employee motivation.
Continuous learning also tends to motivate people. Even if they don’t realize it, almost everyone has a thirst for knowledge. Working on knowledge-based activities in team-building exercises can help individuals feel that they are worth the investment, and they might be more motivated to participate because they immediately get something out of it.
Breaking barriers
There are all different types of barriers in the workplace. There are physical barriers like walls and cubicles that keep people separated during their daily routines, but there are also emotional and figurative barriers. Barriers such as different job levels and departments, as well as barriers between different types of people, can come between individuals and keep teams from functioning appropriately.
Team-building exercises can help break down those barriers. When you invest in team-building, you can build a sense that everyone is on an even playing field. During team-building activities, everyone participates equally, and employees who would otherwise keep to themselves may discover that they work well with the other people in their department or company.
Managers who also participate in team-building exercises tend to be more integrated into their teams. When managers are seen as regular people who exist at different job levels, they often become more personable and likable. This can make following management more natural, peaceful, and productive for employees within the teams.
Enjoyment
Team-building exercises are meant to be enjoyable. If your employees feel pressured into participating and feel awkward during the process, your organization may miss out on a lot of the benefits that these activities can provide. The company benefits when employees enjoy their jobs. When you invest in team-building, you can bring employees closer together, which can make their workplace a much more enjoyable place to be. This can increase productivity as well.
Skill improvement
Team-building exercises are also an effective way to brush up on skills that your employees may be lacking or need a refresher on. If you have a few employees who excel in the areas you need your team to improve on, you can enlist them to lead the rest of the team in activities that help everyone else grow. Not only can this help improve performance and productivity, but it can also show your employees whom they can go to for help. When employees support one another in this way, it can take some of the pressure off management, which may free them up to be more productive during the day.
Communication
Communication is often one of the pillars of successful team-building. To achieve this, you might include plenty of team-building exercises that focus on how to convey messages to each other effectively. Everyone has a different communication style and personal language style that they use when communicating informally. It can be helpful to incorporate communication into team-building so that employees can learn how everyone else communicates and put that knowledge to use during work hours.
Communication isn’t just about what is said; it’s also about how it is said. An efficient team tends to have energy, a buzz that you can almost feel. One researcher at Harvard Business Review decided to find out what creates that buzz and found that how teams communicate—their tone of voice and how much they talk and listen—plays a major role in the effectiveness of the team.
Problem-solving
Another common component of effective team-building is developing problem-solving skills. Problem-solving is typically much easier within a team environment than with individuals working alone. When team-building activities emphasize needing to work together to solve a problem, it can help employees learn how to rely on one another and work together to come up with solutions.
Every business has its challenges, and thinking outside the box is often a must for success. Team-building exercises that employ these concepts in a fun way can get employees working together to creatively solve problems quickly and effectively.
Bonding
A more personal feel in the workplace can help employees feel more relaxed, less stressed, happier, and ultimately more productive. One of the most effective ways to get that personal feel in your company is through low-key team-building. You can plan activities like going to a baseball game or meeting up for happy hour so that employees are not expected to do anything yet have time to bond with one another and form important interpersonal relationships.
Costs of team-building
There are usually some costs associated with team-building, and you will often need to work within your company’s budget when planning team-building activities. Even though many exercises can build teams without upfront costs, there are usually administrative costs associated with the time that your employees spend away from their regular duties. The following are some of the potential costs:
- Employee Pay: If you make team-building exercises and activities mandatory, you will have to pay your employees for the time they spend on those activities. If you plan activities during off-business hours, this could even mean paying some overtime for the week so that business needs during work hours do not experience absences.
- Cost Of Materials: Depending on the team-building exercises you choose, you may have some up-front costs associated with materials. Often this is limited and amounts to some printing paper and ink or the cost of having something printed at a copy store. You may also need additional materials if you are having a scavenger hunt or giving out prizes for competing teams.
- Facilitator Cost: If you choose a team-building activity such as an escape room, you’ll likely have facilitator costs. You’ll have to pay for the cost of the facility and the activity that you have chosen to do with your teams. These activities are not a necessity, but they can be effective team-building exercises if you can afford them in your budget.
- Administrative Costs: Even if your team-building exercises seem to cost nothing, there will often still be administrative costs. Every minute that your employees are engaged in team-building during business hours is a minute that they are not performing their job duties. When normal daily activities cease, even for an hour, it takes away that hour from productivity. This can have an impact on your bottom line in profits and sales. Scheduling your team-building activities during hours that are not peak business times can help limit the impact.
Ways to invest in teams
There are a lot of different ways to invest in your teams. The team-building activities you choose may depend on your company’s budget and time constraints for other business activities. The following are a few common team-building options:
Team retreats
Team retreats usually consist of a weekend-long retreat at a resort or facility. During this time, you can have team-building activities, skill-building activities, and time for socialization and bonding. If you can afford them, team retreats can be a solid investment because you can hit on every potential benefit of team-building at one event. Companies that use team retreats usually schedule them once or twice a year.
Team activities
There are many team activities that you can do right within your place of business. You can include team-building activities in your company meetings and daily routines. You can also schedule time for team-building activities during non-peak business hours. Most activities of this type have minimal associated costs and are relatively simple for managers or in-house trainers to implement.
Team-building seminars
Team-building seminars are another option for investing in teams. Team seminars usually involve less participation and more speakers who give advice and tools for working together more effectively. Team seminars can be beneficial, but they may not be as effective as other team-building activities.
Team competitions
Team competitions can happen alongside regular daily activities. They are usually the most cost-effective strategy because prizes do not have to be expensive, you’re not paying employees additional hours to attend activities, and you’re not losing any productivity during business hours. There are many competitions you could have teams participate in, including competitions between departments.
Improve your leadership skills
Teams are usually only effective if the leadership of the teams is effective. If you’re a manager who has tried a lot of different team-building exercises but you still aren’t getting an effectively run department, you might need to look at your habits to see if changes need to be made on your part.
Online counseling with BetterHelp
If you are wondering if you have the qualities it takes to be a good leader or you’re searching for ways to contribute more to your team, you might turn to BetterHelp for guidance. BetterHelp is an online counseling platform that can connect you with a therapist who has experience in team-building. Online counseling has been shown to be just as effective as in-office counseling, and it tends to be more flexible.
If you have a busy work schedule, BetterHelp allows you to work around it and schedule your sessions according to your availability. This can offer the freedom and flexibility you need to retain your focus on your career while still getting the mental health support you deserve.
With BetterHelp, you can connect with a licensed counselor via phone or videoconferencing. You can also contact your counselor in between sessions via in-app messaging, and they’ll respond as soon as they are able.
Takeaway
Do you think teamwork is essential to make your dream work?
Everyone’s big dream is different, but teamwork can be necessary to make dreams come true for groups or organizations. Effective teamwork can improve motivation, help break down barriers, increase enjoyment in the work, and improve communication and problem-solving skills, all of which can contribute to success.
What can prove that teamwork can make a dream work?
There are some real-life examples of the benefits of a great team, some of which are incredible. For example, it took more than 400,000 people working behind the scenes to get Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin on the moon. Another good example is Wikipedia, which is created and maintained by users. Wikipedia reports that around 120,000 people have made at least one edit on the platform. There are also many examples in nature of how animals use teamwork to survive.
How effective is teamwork for achieving goals in the workplace?
Teamwork has many benefits that can help achieve goals in the workplace. Team-building activities can bolster motivation and help individuals feel valuable to the team and the company. Strong teams can help break barriers, helping everyone feel a sense of unity, belonging, and togetherness. Managers can also get involved in team-building activities, which can help them become more personable and likable. Employees may find team-building activities enjoyable, which can increase satisfaction and happiness. Team Building can help improve skills, communication and problem-solving skills. All of these benefits can help teams work together to achieve their goals.
How can the teams work together to be most effective?
Many attributes can contribute to how well a team works together, and there are actions that managers should consider to help their teams be most effective. Teams should know what is expected from them from the very beginning. Setting ground rules and clear expectations from the start can help team members understand their goals.
It’s essential to respect the team members as individuals. Yes, the team itself is important, but everyone has their own story, skills, and accomplishments. Recognizing their individual talents can help the team flourish. Treat each team member as a fully developed human being and respect their differences. Make sure they have defined responsibilities that play to their strength. Some people might work best when discussing a goal with the rest of the team, while others seek healthy competition. Allowing team members to embrace their different styles can be an asset to the team as a whole.
How can teamwork improve productivity and bring better results to achieve goals and objectives easily?
Because teamwork has so many benefits, it can contribute to growth and productivity. Teamwork can positively impact organizational performance, and diverse groups perform even better. Some research shows that groups with diverse team members may perform 35% better than groups that are not diverse.
How can teamwork contribute to maintaining quality standards in an organization?
Because teamwork can impact how employees work together, it can affect how organizations run. When teams of employees work effectively, it can bolster motivation, break barriers, and level the playing field. Good team performance makes every team member feel more valuable, which can increase happiness and satisfaction. When employees are invested in the work they are doing and content in the organization for which they work, it can show in the quality of the work.
How can you demonstrate the ability to work effectively with others?
To be a good team player, it can help to understand your role in the team, be flexible, and accept the ideas and opinions of others. Being flexible can help, as can being accountable and holding yourself responsible for any mistakes you make. Having a positive attitude can go a long way, too. Other things that show you can work effectively with others are actively listening to what other team members say, offering to help when you can, communicating progress, and celebrating the success of your peers.
How would you build a sense of teamwork, considering the lack of proximity?
With some teams being hybrid or even fully remote, building a sense of teamwork can be challenging. But there are some ways to give teams a sense of teamwork even when they’re not in the same building or even the same time zone. There are simple things, like making sure people don’t have the same name displayed on their Zoom window, but it can help to think outside the box. Managers may try opening the online meeting a few minutes early to allow time for people to arrive early and chit-chat before anything official starts to mimic the downtime at the beginning of in-person meetings. Start a Slack channel where people on the team can communicate throughout the day just as they would if they were in the office. Even just a quick mention that you will be away from your desk for lunch or stepping out to walk the dog can help keep team members connected.
How do you develop teamwork skills in yourself?
If you’re looking for ways to improve your teamwork skills, here are some things to try. Even on a dream team, people can have something to complain about, but try to avoid it. Complaining rarely benefits anyone, and people who complain can be challenging to work with, even if they make valid points. If you believe you are working with a bad team, bringing new challenges to everyone’s attention and recommending solutions instead of just airing grievances can be beneficial.
If you have an issue with someone on the team, it is best to address your concerns with them directly. Remember that a win is a win for the whole team, so don’t argue over who gets the credit. Discuss ideas, be open to feedback, and communicate clearly. If you’re excited about an idea or have a vision for how to solve a problem, show your enthusiasm. It may excite your team, too!
How does teamwork improve self-confidence?
A strong, supportive environment with mutual respect reduces stress and can improve the self-confidence of individual team members. You may have heard the phrase, “Talent wins games.” Well, the same can be said for teams. The talent of every team member comes together to get the job done. When people see themselves as a part of something successful, it can improve their self-confidence.
Team members can provide a lot of support that may be beneficial to boosting collaboration and self-esteem, like naming their team members’ strengths and encouraging them to use those strengths to help the group achieve a common goal. Teammates can celebrate their accomplishments and each other's successes, which can help improve self-confidence.
- Previous Article
- Next Article