“Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their hard work. For if one of them should fall, the other one can raise his partner up. But how will it be with just the one who falls when there is not another to raise him up?”
(Ecclesiastes 4:9-10, KJV)
Do you prefer flying solo to working as a team? Well, sometimes that depends on the nature of the work involved. In some workplaces, certain tasks involve co-operating with co-workers to get a certain tasks done. That sounds easy, right? Well, it’s not always easy especially when team interaction becomes extremely hard for some employees. But i know there has got to be something that can be to make team work less uncomfortable.
Understanding the importance of teamwork is essential to effectively work together. Drawing from my personal experience, i know that a non-cooperative workplace can be a huge barrier to achieving set goals which in turn may lead lack of motivation for the employees to failure in any organization. This brings us to taking a look at the importance of teamwork in the work environment. I put down three reasons why teamwork can never be overemphasized and why it is important at the workplace-
- Offers diversity of thoughts
A work environment highly organized where teamwork is in place is likely to favor differing approaches and suggestions to a task, which will more often expedite evaluation of the best solution in achieving a particular objective, saving time and maximizing resources. Often times i see employees taking up the challenge to come up with brilliant ideas for solving problems, facilitating healthy competition and increasing productivity. In other cases, i also witnessed the advantages that come with teamwork in the work place where shared activity reduces the pressure on a particular co-worker, allowing for a more effective way to carry out tasks while increasing maximum concentration in the process.
- Fosters unity
I am a true believer of teamwork because i know from experience that it fosters unity and cooperation in the work environment. Whenever employees are in constant touch and communication with each other, chances are that they’re always aware of how their actions and decisions can reflect in the success of the organization. Furthermore, studies show that the unity, brought about by team work, also propels employees to work harder, beating their standards and setting new ones, while being supportive of each other. Thus employees share the same core values and work ethics as they are all bent on achieving a common goal.
- Teamwork breeds morale.
An observation i’ve made so far is that, where there is a good and healthy teamwork spirit, most employees are motivated to do better or improve, knowing that their input is highly valued. However, a ‘team’ and ‘teamwork’ should not be confused at all. It’s easy to build team. But it’s more important to create a team that works together in unity, achieves together and knows that they either win or lose together. Nothing inspires and challenges employees to put in their best than this. Thus teamwork can only be an advantage and should be harnessed optimally for any chance of success in the work environment.
See? Teamwork is one of the greatest motivators i know of!
Further reading:
The New Science of Building Great Teams ( Harvard Business Review)
Successful teamwork: A case study
