Team Work – Meaning and Tips for better Team Work

A single brain sometimes is not capable of taking critical decisions alone. An individual needs the support and guidance of others to come out with an effective solution. When individuals come together on a common platform with a common objective of accomplishing a task, a team is formed. Ideally the team members should be from a common background and have a common goal to ensure maximum compatibility. The team members must complement each other and work in close coordination as a single unit to deliver their best.

As they say “There is no I in Team Work”, every individual must think of his team first and the personal interests must take a back seat.

The success of any team is directly proportional to the relation among its team members and their collective efforts.

What is Team Work ?

The sum of the efforts undertaken by each team member for the achievement of the team’s objective is called team work.

In other words, team work is the backbone of any team.

Every member in a team has to perform and contribute in his best possible way to achieve a common predefined goal. Individual performances do not count in a team and it is the collective performance of the team workers which matters the most.

Let us go through a real life situation.

One cannot work alone in any organization and thus teams are formed where individuals work together for a common objective. Peter, Michael, Jackson and Sandra represented the legal team in a leading organization. Peter and Michael always took the initiative and performed their level best while Jackson and Sandra had a laidback attitude towards work. Their team could never meet their targets inspite of Peter and Michael’s hard work.

Peter and Michael worked hard, then why do you think their team fell short of targets?

In a team; everyone has to work equally for the maximum output.

Team work is the collective effort of each and every team member to achieve their assigned goal. No member can afford to sit back and expect the other member to perform on his behalf.

The team members must be committed towards their team as well as their organization to avoid conflicts. Nothing productive comes out of unnecessary conflict and in turn diverts the concentration and focus of the team members. Every member should adopt an adjusting and a flexible attitude. One should consider his/her team members as a part of his extended family all working together towards a common goal. The team members must be dependent on each other for the best to come out.

Tips for a better team work

Let us go through some steps for a better team work

• Think about your team first - Every individual should think of his team first and his personal interests should take a backseat. Do not mix your personal issues with your professional life. Keep them separate.

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• Never underestimate your team member - Do not neglect any of the members, instead work together and also listen to them as well. Never try to impose your ideas on any member. Avoid demotivating any team member.

• Discuss - Before implementing any new idea, it must be discussed with each and every member on an open platform. Never ever discuss with anyone separately as the other person feels left out and reluctant to perform and contribute to the team.

• Avoid criticism - Stay away from criticism and making fun of your team members. Help each other and be a good team player. Be the first one to break the ice and always create a friendly ambience. If you do not agree with any of your team member, make him understand his mistakes but in a polite tone and do guide him. Avoid negativity within the team.

• Transparency must be maintained and healthy interaction must be promoted among the team members. The communication must be effective, crystal clear and precise so that every team member gets a common picture. Effective communication also nullifies misunderstandings and confusions. Confusions lead to conflicts and individuals waste their time and energy in fighting rather than working.

• The team leader must take the responsibility of encouraging the team members to give their level best and should intervene immediately in cases of conflicts. The personality of the leader should be such that every team member should look up to him and take his advice whenever required. He should not be partial to any member and support each of them equally. It is the duty of the team leader to extract the best out of his team members.

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• For better team work, try to understand your team members well. Do not just always talk business, it is okay if you go out with your team members for lunch or catch a movie together. It improves the relations and strengthens the bond among the team members. The team members must trust each other for maximum output.

• Avoid conflicts in your team. Don’t fight over petty issues and find faults in others. One should be a little adjusting with each other and try to find an alternative best suited to all the team members.

• Rewards and Recognition - Healthy competition must be encouraged among the team members. The performance of every team member must be evaluated timely and the best performer should be rewarded suitably so that the other members also get motivated to perform. Recognitions like “The Best Team Player” or the “The Best Performer” go a long way in motivating the team members. Appreciate the member who performs the best or does something unique.