Personal Development

How to improve your teamwork and why invest in it

admin • 17 Sep 2023

In today's professional environment, the importance of teamwork is unquestionable. As organizations face complex and constantly evolving challenges, the ability to collaborate effectively becomes a crucial competitive differentiator.

Teamwork allows the combination of diverse skills, knowledge and perspectives, resulting in more innovative and efficient solutions.

In this article, we will cover some concepts and tips to improve your teamwork and why you should invest in it. You will learn what synergy, empathy, communication, leadership are and how these elements can contribute to the formation of a good team. Prepared?

The value of collaboration in a professional setting

Working as a team is bringing together the skills, talents and strengths of different people to perform tasks that would be difficult to perform individually. Globalization, competitiveness, innovation, diversity and complexity of problems are some of the factors and changes in the market that highlight the importance of teamwork.

Complexity of the challenges

The challenges faced by organizations are becoming increasingly complex and require multidisciplinary approaches. Teamwork allows you to bring together different specialties and knowledge to deal with these complexities more effectively.

Globalization and remote collaboration

With globalization, many organizations have geographically distributed teams, working in different time zones. Effective teamwork becomes crucial for remote collaboration and project management across different locations.

Innovation and speed to market

Innovation is essential for the competitiveness of companies in an ever-changing business environment. Teamwork facilitates the generation of ideas, the development of innovative solutions and rapid adaptation to market demands.

Emphasis on organizational agility

Many companies are adopting more agile and flexible structures, such as the agile teamwork model or Scrum. These approaches emphasize team collaboration and self-organization to promote efficiency and rapid adaptation to change.

The advantages of good collaboration at work

Know that effective collaboration at work brings significant benefits to both the employee and the company. As a professional, you can reach new heights in your career, and your company can reap great benefits from this. Check out the main advantages for both sides below:

For the employee

• Develop interpersonal skills: Collaboration at work provides opportunities for the employee to develop interpersonal skills such as effective communication, negotiation, teamwork and conflict resolution. These skills are valuable for professional growth and can be applied in different contexts;
• Different perspectives: When collaborating with teammates, the employee has access to different perspectives, knowledge and experiences. This promotes a continuous learning environment, allowing individuals to broaden their horizons, acquire new knowledge and grow professionally;
• Sense of belonging: Collaboration at work creates a sense of belonging and connection with teammates. This can increase job satisfaction, promote engagement and well-being, and create a more positive work environment .

For the company

• Innovative solutions: collaboration at work encourages the exchange of ideas and the generation of innovative solutions. Different perspectives and experiences contribute to creativity and stimulate innovation , enabling the company to stand out in the market;
• Better decisions: By collaborating, team members can share information, analyze different points of view, and make more informed, comprehensive decisions. This reduces the risks of hasty decisions and promotes better decision-making;
• Sense of cooperation: effective collaboration creates a positive organizational climate, characterized by a sense of cooperation, trust and mutual support. This contributes to a healthy work environment, increases employee satisfaction and can help retain talent.

Tips for developing the ability to work in a team

Sometimes keeping teamwork going can be challenging. People have different profiles, different behaviors, but they need to live together and work together for the company's results. Here are some group work tips that can help you and your colleagues in your daily life:

Identify your profile

The first recommendation, for any and all professionals, is to invest in identifying your preponderant behavioral profile and understanding in which situations you tend to perform better or worse. Only by knowing what your gaps are can you work to improve them.

Observe, for example, if you tend to talk more than necessary at these times, causing the meeting to drag on and end up less focused on what really matters.

Also notice if, on the other hand, you feel more uncomfortable when you need to speak to many people at the same time, and end up failing to convey important information because you feel embarrassed or insecure in this situation.

Respect your colleague's profile

The second tip for working well in a team is essential, although it may seem obvious. Introverts and extroverts need to respect each other. Normally, when the two profiles have to work as a team, one complains about the other, but neither of them makes an effort to make it work.

You may have already observed a very common scene at company meetings of all types. Extroverts don't stop talking and interacting with each other, whatever the topic, while shy people remain silent, just looking and hoping it will end soon. It's not a productive situation for anyone.

Don't be verbose

Especially for the more extroverted, the recommendation is to try to be less verbose in your speech and more profound in your arguments. These people like socializing so much that they often end up losing focus and, of course, productivity.

If this is your case, try self-observation to change this behavior. A verbose professional usually takes more time than necessary to speak and ends up losing the attention of the other participants.

Have a plan

A good strategy for extroverts to work well in groups, especially when they are the ones who must carry out the work, is to structure what must be done and the deadline for each activity. This helps keep the conversation on track.

Structure what you are going to say

For introverts, the tip is to structure your speeches in advance. Think about what information you have to pass on, what the purpose of the work is and how you can help.

With all this mentally organized, the risk of you just observing — when you could be contributing — is lower. This is because, as your ideas will already be structured, your communication will be able to flow more easily and you will feel safer to present your ideas.

How communication is essential for teamwork

Communication is essential for teamwork, as it is at the heart of managing and executing a task. Also, good communication:

• Allows team members to understand each other: through the exchange of information, ideas and opinions, team members can have a clear vision of each other's objectives, tasks and expectations;
• Facilitates cooperation and coordination between team members: by communicating their needs, progress and challenges, members can work together more harmoniously, avoiding conflicts and overcoming obstacles;
• Helps team members align their individual goals with the common goals of the team and organization: this promotes a shared understanding of desired outcomes and helps guide collective efforts in the right direction;
• Contributes to team decision making and conflict resolution: by discussing and exchanging perspectives, members can consider different points of view, evaluate alternatives and reach an informed and consensual decision;

Clear and honest communication is also essential for building trust between team members. When people feel comfortable expressing their opinions and concerns, and know that they will be heard, mutual trust is strengthened, promoting a positive work environment.

Leadership in building a good team

If you are not a leader yet, but intend to be in the near future, know that leadership plays a crucial role in forming a good team. That's right, leadership sets the team's direction and objectives, communicates the vision, mission and goals, providing a clear purpose for team members.

Furthermore, effective leadership creates an environment of trust and mutual respect among team members, promoting the building of healthy relationships, fostering a culture of collaboration, openness and support. This strengthens group cohesion and improves communication and collaboration between members.

Inspiring leadership motivates and engages team members. As? Advocating for the team's interests and needs and removing obstacles and ensuring necessary resources are made available.

Leaders also recognize and celebrate team successes, both internally and externally. Remember this!

Empathy as a key to teamwork

The capacity for empathy is the capacity to comprehend and share the thoughts, feelings, and experiences of another. It plays a key role in teamwork as it allows team members to connect on a deeper level and build stronger relationships. Want to know more about how empathy is key to teamwork? Here is some more information:

• Helps team members understand each other's emotions, concerns, and points of view;
• Promotes the building of healthy and positive relationships within the team;
• Facilitates effective communication between team members;
• Creates an environment of collaboration and mutual support;
• Plays an important role in team decision-making;
• Stimulates innovation and creativity within the team.

Synergy: what it is and how to achieve it in teamwork

Here is another topic that leaders should pay attention to. If you are or want to become a manager, know that synergy is the result obtained when people work together in a collaborative and integrated way, achieving results that are greater than the simple sum of individual contributions. This is when the whole of the team is greater than the sum of its separate parts. Here are some ways to achieve synergy in teamwork:

Set the team's clear objectives and goals.

When everyone has a clear understanding of what needs to be achieved, they can direct their efforts in a coordinated and synergistic way.

Cultivate trust

It is an essential element for synergy. Team members must trust each other and respect their contributions.

Drive collaboration and cooperation

The team must be willing to work together, share responsibilities and support each other. Collaboration encourages the exchange of knowledge, creativity and joint problem solving.

Value diversity of skills

Knowledge and perspectives within the team can lead to more creative and innovative solutions. It is important to value and respect individual differences, promoting an inclusive environment that encourages the sharing of ideas and collaboration among team members.

Investing in improving teamwork is essential for success in today's professional world. As organizations seek to adapt to complex and changing demands, effective collaboration becomes a pressing need.

By developing communication, empathy, leadership and conflict resolution skills, it is possible to strengthen teamwork and reap the significant benefits it brings. By investing in teamwork, companies can drive innovation, increase productivity, promote a positive work environment and achieve extraordinary results.