Skill of the Week: Teamwork
Description
The first reaction to teamwork is typically a vivid memory of ineffective group work in school (see the above image for a good laugh- or cry). It’s unfortunate that it is a common reaction, given that most people in the workforce will likely have to work with others on selected projects, or even with a group of co-workers on a daily basis. The fortunate thing is that teamwork is not group work.
A group of people are those who have a shared characteristic (i.e. grade, class, workplace, mode of transportation) or purpose (i.e. to get somewhere, to relax, to worship, to work, to play, etc.).
A team is a collection of people who work together towards a common goal. Teams can be found in every aspect of life, and are valuable for innovation, progressive goal achievement, problem-solving, conflict resolution, and so much more.
Common Problems
- Lacks direction or purpose
A sports team that doesn’t know where the goal or target is (or that they have a reason for being a team) will not fare very well. Teams in a school or business setting have the same challenge. A so-called team is sometimes thrown together by a manager or teacher with the best of intensions, but it will lack coherence and direction if there isn’t an acknowledgment of why they are to work together.
2. No clearly defined roles and responsibilities
Even if a team has a clear direction and purpose, it can suffer from not knowing who is to do what kinds of tasks, and take on which responsibilities. Most students who are assigned group work in schools recognize that there needs to be a division of labour to some extent. Where this falls short is when a group mate doesn’t live up to their responsibilities. There are better approaches, but there needs to be a unified purpose and desire to problem-solve and then the roles and responsibilities flow from individuals skills and interests.
3. Miscommunication & accountability issues
One final way that teams are ineffective or inefficient is to be plagued with individuals not communicating clearly with one another (as the process unfolds), or an individual or two who does not hold up his/her agreed upon responsibilities. This is pretty self-evident in our world today.
What You Can Do
There are many experts and consultants who can work with specific teams to get them working together better, but what can you do independently of the team to improve its success?
First, is to get to know which roles you are particularly good at, and working on weaker areas will ensure that you can be effective in a wide variety of roles on a team. You hear a lot about team leadership, but there are many other roles. Dr. Meredith Belbin has identified nine roles which you might take on more than one role in any team. Check out this short self-evaluation.
Second, is to approach teamwork tasks with an open mind, and a willingness to speak up to ensure the workload is shared, and taking a leadership role to engage each of the team members in the process. I recognize that this is easier said than done, and that these opportunities may be limited, but relevant nonetheless. There are many resources out there on how to take an effective leadership role without taking over the team.
If you are part of a team in a workplace that is not functioning very well, a great resources is Dr. Marie McIntyre. She has posted a lot of great resources to evaluate existing team dynamics and provide some insight into how to improve teamwork, particularly within an office setting.
All the best as you develop your skills to be a better teammate.
Matthew Bean