Importance Of Teamwork: 6 Greatest Benefits
Effective teamwork is what runs a business. When people can successfully collaborate, the results are often far superior to that of a person working alone. It is why we highly advocate the importance of teamwork in the workplace.
So, precisely what is the importance of teamwork?
The importance of teamwork in the workplace is demonstrated by the feelings of unity, collaboration, and motivation. An effective team works as a collective unit by utilizing the skills and talents of each team member to support and achieve a common goal.
In simple terms, teamwork is when people combine individual skill sets to produce amazing outcomes.
Look back at some of the greatest things accomplished, and you’ll find that a good team was behind it.
It’s not a mystery. Effective teams will influence strong working relationships, which in turn will promote better results.
That’s why we want to highlight why teamwork is vital through these six benefits that it offers. Let’s take a look:
What Everyone Should Know About The Importance Of Teamwork
(Source: Unsplash)
1. Brings Fresh Ideas To The Table
A lone employee can only think from the perspective he has grown accustomed to. However, add some new team members to the mixture, and you get different viewpoints to solve a common problem.
Teamwork promotes maximizing the sharing of knowledge and ideas. It, in turn, helps individual team members to learn new skills and gain a better experience.
A McKinsey study found that teams of diverse backgrounds (gender, age, ethnicity, etc.) are more creative and perform better by up to 35 percent.
Instead of looking at an issue from your viewpoint, you get to understand the overall picture. This leads to an exponential increase in new ideas.
Additionally, when people work alone, the enthusiasm to innovate may dwindle along the way. However, when you’re part of a team, the sense of collaboration and accountability makes employees consistently bring forth their best work.
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2. Combines Individual Skill Sets
In an employees’ work-life, he will shine in some areas whereas fall short on others. However, another employee may excel in that very same skill set.
Often, to work together as a team means to rely on each other to bring your individual strengths to the group.
A capable team is nothing more than a group of people who complements each different skill sets. While one team member might be superior in creativity, another might be excellent in goal setting.
Employees often have blind spots about their strengths and weaknesses. When employees work together as a team, they become more aware of their behaviors. Additionally, effective teamwork promotes discovering new skill sets you can hone. For example, you might be an excellent communicator but never utilized it until you became part of the team.
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3. Lesser Work-Life Induced Stress
94% of American workers report experiencing stress at their workplace.
-Wrike
Stress is a silent killer. The repercussions of having a stressful working environment are huge. Not only will it affect your productivity but also your physical health too.
Many studies show a positive impact on stress through collaboration. Let’s look at the survey aimed at school teachers:
- Teachers who collaborate often report higher levels of job satisfaction, increased confidence in their abilities, and a higher feeling of value. (Barshay 2014)
- Teacher collaboration also reduces the sense of isolation. It can reduce the workload by combing resources and focusing on common goals. (Hanover Research 2015)
Being part of a team assists the team members to not only share their workload but also to inspire each other. Connecting with other team members can broadly impact the levels of stress.
It is because employees work better by uniting with coworkers who can share their difficulties and offer solutions.
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4. Teamwork Promotes Taking Risks
A solo employee feels better about sticking to safer options. While he might play by the rules, but his sense of innovation will most likely suffer.
However, upon being part of a good team, an employee feels more confident and secure to take the said risks. When people work within an effective team, they know that they have the necessary brainpower to look for different solutions. It enables people to think outside the box and come up with fresh ideas and innovations.
Subsequently, a good team promotes trust When the team works as a joint unit, they are more likely to take bolder decisions and display better productivity. It further enables team members to grow, both individually and professionally.
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5. Peer Recognition Makes Them Go The Extra Mile
Peer-to-peer recognition is 35.7% more likely to have a positive impact on financial results than manager-only recognition.
-SHRM
This point can simply explain the importance of teamwork. We all, at some point, want to feel accepted by our peers.
Getting appreciation from your peers is very important in the workplace. However, we greatly overlook its effectiveness in engaging employees. An individual working alone will not only feel demotivated but also underappreciated without the necessary peer connection.
Getting proper respect and recognition from fellow team members is a significant way to make your employees go the extra mile.
Recommended Article: Role of Healthy Peer Relationships at Work
6. Employee Retention
54% of employees say a strong sense of community (great coworkers, celebrating milestones, a shared mission) kept them at a company longer than was in their best interest.
Top performers require a challenging working environment to develop and advance. For such employees, their work experience takes precedence. Being part of a team where they can collaborate and learn with other team members seems to be a strong motivator.
When employees feel camaraderie with their peers, they are more likely to stay loyal to an organization.
Recommended Article: Best Employee Retention Strategies
Finally: The Importance Of Teamwork is in Its Effectiveness
The importance of teamwork goes far beyond the scope of this article. A good team, just like Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak, knows how to collaborate together to create something unique. If you’re not investing in developing your teams, I highly recommend starting now.
Finally, which benefit manages to best highlight the importance of teamwork? Tell us in the comments below.
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Vantage Circle is a simple AI-powered Rewards & Recognition Platform for upgrading your employee experience and engagement for better productivity.