What is teamwork in the workplace, and why is it important?

Many hands make light work, as the saying goes. Teamwork is a critical part of the workplace, and successful teams can help organizations reach their goals.

However, not all teams work well together, which is why it’s important for organizations to create an environment where collaboration and communication among employees can thrive.

This article takes a look at teamwork and its benefits, as well as strategies for improving teamwork so the whole organization can succeed together.

What is teamwork in the workplace, and why does it matter?

We can organize workplace teams by departments, seniority levels, projects, or in other ways. Teamwork refers to the members of a team collaborating with each other in order to achieve a specific goal.

For example, team members in the marketing department may be working to implement a new promotional campaign, while team members in customer service may be working to improve the company’s Net Promoter Score® (NPS®).

Teamwork is an essential part of any organization. The ability to collaborate with coworkers and communicate effectively is essential to fulfill tasks and objectives, identify and resolve problems, meet deadlines, and generally succeed in the workplace.

Without teamwork and collaboration, a business will have a more difficult time reaching its goals. “Teamwork is so important to the success of any workplace, and it’s something we all have to work on,” says Lindsay Karny, a human resources professional and founder of Recruitment Talent Solutions.

Different people bring different experiences, personalities, backgrounds, levels of education, and opinions to their team. This type of diversity is important to fostering innovation, thinking outside the box, and achieving a competitive edge.

However, this diversity can also make it difficult for team members to see eye to eye and work well together. Creating teams is an art — as is managing them and helping them work effectively together.

What makes a successful team? Open communication, trust, transparency, and inclusivity are key. People in successful teams respect and support each other and know how to communicate. When a team works well together, team members have a shared vision of success and work effectively to make that vision a reality.

What are the benefits of teamwork?

No matter what kinds of goals an organization wants to achieve, it’s in a much better position to reach them if it has teams that collaborate well. When a team is misaligned, uncommunicative, and unproductive, it’s likely the organization will struggle as a whole.

“The sky’s the limit when you have a strong team behind you,” says Matthew W. Burr, owner of Burr Consulting, LLC, a strategic human resources consulting firm. “A team helps you evolve and grow and have better relationships, less conflicts, and less drama. The benefits are limitless.”

Here are some advantages to having a successful team:

Clear and open communication

There’s no teamwork without communication, which is the foundation for all successful teams. Employees who excel at teamwork are good at expressing themselves clearly while being respectful of the opinions and thoughts of other team members.

Dialogue — keeping communication flowing in multiple directions — is crucial; it demonstrates that employees are listening to one another as well as sharing their own thoughts. With clear and open communication, there are fewer misunderstandings, conflicts, and issues in the workplace.

Strong decision-making

When teams work well together, they’re more able to make strategic decisions for the organization.

“Give teams autonomy in decision-making,” says Karny. “This freedom allows each team member to take ownership of the project, respecting their strengths and giving them a greater purpose to strive for throughout the team’s journey. Moreover, allowing teams to develop their solutions encourages problem-solving skills and critical thinking among everyone involved while promoting a shared sense of responsibility.”

New and innovative ideas

Team members who work well together trust one another and feel comfortable with each other. This dynamic helps facilitate brainstorming, as employees don’t feel scared or nervous to share their ideas. As a result, organizations are more likely to come up with innovative products and solutions.

Less friction and fewer conflicts

It’s natural for issues to arise between team members from time to time. However, a team that works well together knows how to resolve those conflicts in short order and for the greater good. In effective teamwork, employees manage their friction and challenges in a productive way.

Higher productivity and efficiency

When teams work well together, they’re able to get more done in less time. After all, they know each person’s strengths and communication styles, and they know how to solve problems together when issues arise. Plus, teamwork leads to strong decision-making skills, helping employees complete tasks and achieve goals faster and with better quality results.

Increased employee engagement

When employees enjoy working with their colleagues and feel they can rely on each other, they’re more engaged in the organization and invested in its success. This leads to better job satisfaction and less turnover.

What are some strategies for improving teamwork?

Not all teams work well together out of the gate. Sometimes, they need a little support from the organization. Here’s how companies can foster teamwork to help their employees work together more effectively.

• Encourage team members to get to know one another. While team members don’t need to be best friends, they do need to know each other’s skills and strengths, weaknesses, personalities, and interests. Knowing each member of the team in more depth helps create common ground and camaraderie.
• Prioritize communication. “Organizations should understand where they may be lacking [in communication] and put plans in place, such as recurring meetings or newsletters,” says Burr. “They also must understand the needs of the workplace, and that comes from listening to people.”
• Communicate team and individual objectives. Organizations can foster teamwork by clearly communicating team responsibilities — nothing unites people more than a common mission. Within that, it’s also important to make individual responsibilities known to everyone.
• Support teamwork with the right tools. Even the best teams require some technological support. Having the right apps and solutions in the workplace can make a good team a great team. Solutions that facilitate collaboration, such as Jotform Teams, are a good choice, as they make it easy for employees to work together on any kind of task or project.
• Give everyone a voice. Team members need to know the people they work with will listen to them — that means they also have to give each other a chance to speak. Creating a culture where everyone has a voice, no matter where they sit on the corporate ladder, makes people feel valued. “Make sure everyone has an opportunity for input and feels heard and appreciated by the group,” says Karny. “If specific people seem to be left out, ask them how they’re doing and what they think about new ideas or changes.”
• Reward team successes. Having external motivation to succeed helps push team members to work more effectively together. Rewards and recognition can bring out everyone’s desire to do their best and satisfy people’s need for someone to acknowledge their good work.
• Review feedback from employees. It’s important for team members to have agency when it comes to their teams. Organizations can ask for feedback about how the team works together, where they need additional support, if they have all the tools they need, and so on and use this information to foster successful teamwork. Organizations also need to get better at providing feedback. “Learn how to give constructive criticism without being too blunt or hurtful,” says Karny. “You don’t want to crush anyone’s feelings with harsh words — but you also need to be honest about what needs improvement.”

How can Jotform Teams foster teamwork in the workplace?

Jotform Teams facilitates teamwork in the workplace. No matter how big or small the team, Jotform Teams promotes communication and organization. Teams can keep all their Jotform assets — from forms and surveys to tables and PDFs — all in one place for easy access, and they can assign access permissions to each asset. Employees can also collaborate on documents, create reports, and share files with one another to accomplish their objectives. Jotform Teams is a great choice for any organization, in any industry, that wants to promote and support team collaboration.

Photo by Canva Studio

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