Henry Ford once said, “coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success.”
Teamwork in the workplace and the importance thereof often sounds like an overstated subject. Some may even deem it a topic that’s a waste of time. But a company is only as strong and as successful as the crew helping its captain steer the ship in the right direction. And while conflict and challenges are inevitable, when teamwork is encouraged and part of your core values, you leave little room for error and chaos, and can set your business up to operate like a well-oiled machine.
Increases productivity
Pushing to get the most from your team is counter intuitive when you’re not getting the best out of them. Clear communication, encouraging collaborative efforts and setting individual and team goals will help get your team to be both efficient and effective, in a way that lends itself to achieving the long-term goal of the company.
Promotes Unity
People differ vastly; in personalities, beliefs and their work ethic. This can sometimes be a recipe for disaster. But when individuals join forces and work together, instead of against one another, they’re bound to be much stronger.
To promote unity within your team, and to get everyone on the same page, you need to:
Have strong leaders
Make communication a priority
Define and communicate the company goals
Define the role each person plays
Boosts morale
We spend a large portion of our days surrounded by those we work with, so it’s important that a sense of inclusivity and working together, as a team, remains one of your key missions. When the morale boosters outnumber the barriers, you’ll have a disciplined and confident team who’ll be motivated and enthusiastic about the mission you’re working towards.
Here are a few ways in which you can boost your team’s morale:
Pay attention – pay attention to the individual and collective needs of your team.
Social interaction – although it may not be necessary for work employees to form friendships outside of the work environment, it is good for your team to get together outside of work so they don’t feel like an object of labour.
Team meetings – effectiveness won’t be short lived if you make regular meetings a priority.
Check in vs check up – when you check in with your team, as opposed to just checking up on them regularly will make them feel valued and important.
Recognise and reward – help drive your team by recognising their efforts, showing appreciation and giving credit or rewarding hard work where it is due.
Improves learning
Employees are likely to learn better and better develop their skill when they’re working as part of a team and learning from fellow employees. Contributing to your team’s learning and fostering an environment that encourages innovation and creativity will in turn contribute to the success of the company.
Your team is central to the performance of the company, and when a spirit of togetherness is fostered, it pushes teams to perform better and helps your business rise to greater heights.
