Is Teamwork still relevant with more people than ever working from home?
Is it possible to build a truly collaborative environment when some people have only ever met their work colleagues online?
Does Teamwork still make the dream work as the great book by John Maxwell says?
Whilst there is no doubt of the benefits of teamwork, the new post lockdown world has changed the way that teams work together.
What worked previously to foster great Teams is now less effective with so many people working remotely, however, teamwork should still be a priority for every team leader and manager.
The benefits of teamwork were always difficult to measure, but now more than ever it’s worth reiterating the wealth of benefits from working together.
After all, it can help you drive your business to the next level, but without it, your business may stagnate and every inch of growth will be a struggle.
From increasing productivity to boosting workplace morale, teamwork can be highly effective when you’re eager to turn flagging fortunes around or simply achieve even more.
Let’s take a look at ten of the most important benefits of teamwork right now.
Time is the most precious of all resources as a company leader and whilst great teamwork doesn’t mean you can simply ignore your team, it does mean they will become more self-sufficient.
People who work as part of a team have less dependency on the company’s leadership as they find ways of resolving issues on their own.
Part of this is because they company trusts them and they have empowered them to take action and ownership.
In reality, it’s impossible to grow a business if you have to micromanage every member of your team. Team work devolves responsibility and decision making throughout the organisation allowing you to spend more time on other areas of the business.
As a company leader it’s a great feeling knowing that your team has got you covered.
When employees work together and workloads are distributed fairly across your team you can achieve great things.
Some team members will excel in one specific area, whilst others may be better suited to other duties.
The combined power of the team working together ensures what needs to get done, gets done. When you assign tasks to the right people, projects can be finished quickly and more efficiently.
If one person is struggling to complete a task by a specific deadline, the team will step in and an extra pair of hands can ensure everything can be signed off on time.
Productivity is also boosted as companies with a strong team ethos suffer less from employee absence.
Every business has people who have different levels of skills and experience. Teamwork leverages those in a way that everyone in the organisation feels supported.
Less experienced staff get to learn from senior people in the team, and the senior people get additional help allowing them to focus on other tasks.
Many people experience loneliness and can be uncomfortable when working alone. Other team members can help them remain positive, focussed and happier in their work.
When someone is struggling with a particular task, but respects and feels comfortable around their colleagues, they’re more likely to ask for help when they need it.
Teams are always greater than the sum of their parts when they are willing and able to help each other.
When team members work together, they invariably can come up with new ideas and solutions that they may struggle to think of alone.
Many companies now host internal “ideas labs” to capture and drive innovation. Facilitator led workshops are another great way of harnessing the power of the team to come up with new ideas for products and services or problem solving.
A diverse group of people can make various suggestions to resolve problems because collectively, they have more knowledge and can look at problems from different perspectives.
Collaboration has helped a host of companies to overcome significant challenges – think of the scene from Apollo 13 when Mission Control had to quickly invent a way to capture the carbon dioxide after the lunar module experienced an accident.
Not just a great film, this was a true story and it was Teamwork that saved the astronauts lives.
When employees feel strongly connected to each other, they are more likely to stay with your company.
Replacing staff and training them can be much more expensive than simply retaining your existing staff. Fees for recruiters, management time and training of new employees all add up.
Strong relationships mean employees are able to communicate freely, motivate each other and work together to continue improving your workplace culture.
If your team members have a strong bond, they are far more likely to achieve their targets, seek out help when they need it and provide valuable feedback.
Many experts say that companies that lack a positive workplace culture face problems with inefficiency.
Misunderstandings are much more likely to occur in workplaces without a positive company culture.
Learning is an important factor in the growth of both your teams and your business.
With rapidly changing markets it’s important that teams stay up to date with topics such as product/service knowledge, Industry news and updates, market trends and job skills.
A recent survey by LinkedIn showed that 91% of learners agreed that teams that learn new skills together are more successful and 92% of learners agreed that community learning helps foster a sense of belonging to the organisation.
If a task is completed via collaboration, each participant can feel a powerful sense of accomplishment.
When people work on challenging projects individually and start to struggle, they can lose motivation and morale then starts to drop.
This sense of disconnection can quickly spread throughout the entire team and become an ever decreasing spiral.
Collaboration makes employees feel more connected to their fellow employees, enabling them to source more joy from their jobs.
Furthermore, not everyone within your workplace will have a fantastic relationship with everyone else.
However, when each member of your team is focussed on a common goal, they are more likely to put friction and grievances to one side to get the job done.
The best salespeople all know their industry inside out. They know everyone and everything and are always fully up to date with all the latest developments in their sector. This include keeping up with what their competitors are doing in the market.
This means they can answer questions confidently no matter how difficult they may seem and provide valuable insight to their customers. It’s vital to keep up with the latest industry news and to constantly update yourself with any legislative changes affecting your sector.
What strategies are your competitors using to win new business and how can you counter them?
Are your competitors offering anything that you’re failing to deliver?
We are strong believers of the better you treat your staff, the better they will treat your customers.
Treating staff well starts by building and fostering a positive work culture and team building.
If your customer-facing employees feel isolated and alone in their work, your customers may sense this.
For obvious reasons customers tend to avoid companies that have unsatisfied employees and this inevitably shows up in the various online reviews that are available.
They are drawn to businesses that appear to be staffed by contented employees who enjoy their work and want to continue working for these organisations.
If your team members are happy in their work and feel part of a bonded team, they are more likely to deliver outstanding customer service.
Bonded team members are more likely to help each other when problems arise.
As an example, they’re likely to step in whenever their colleagues are off work, sick or simply unavailable, helping you avoid disruption.
They will cover appointments and other times when their fellow team members are not available.
This means deadlines don’t need to be missed and there’s little or no effect on your daily operations.
When you encourage teamwork, you’ll find more of your employees have the strengths and skills needed to cover employee absences.
Talented employees will seek out companies that offer flexibility and are happy to provide time off when it’s required.
Businesses always prosper when they’re staffed by a diverse range of talented people who work closely alongside each other to achieve common goals.
Everyone has different strengths and weaknesses and teamwork allows them to compliment each other.
Teamwork enables talented individuals to boost their potential, improves your business’ performance and brings new ideas to the table.
It encourages employees to be innovative and think outside of the box and challenge them when necessary.
Even when one or two members are struggling, other employees will support them and ensure deadlines are met without your quality being compromised.
Teamwork will ensure all your work is completed faster and more efficiently, morale is boosted and talented employees remain with your company for longer.
It ensures employees look forward to the working day, builds trust and delivers a powerful sense of loyalty and belonging.
Iain Swanston has spent over 30 years in B2B sales selling, training and leading teams both domestically and internationally. In addition he serves as an Associate at Strathclyde University Business School where he has delivered the sales content for the Masters in Entrepreneurship since 2015.
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