Why is “Teamwork” the Second-most Hated Word in the Office?
First, let’s define it: “Teamwork is the process of having two or more people working cooperatively and collaboratively on a specific task.” (Vittana, 2020.)
Also according to Vittana’s blog (link below), these are some of the lofty and positive things we hope for when employing teams:
1. Teams can divide a large project into smaller tasks.
2. Teams create a structure where mentorship gets encouraged.
3. Teamwork allows you to recognize personal strengths and weaknesses.
4. It creates stronger relationships.
And, they say, these are some of the negatives:
1. Some personalities tend to dominate the conversation.
2. Teams can divide labor unequally in some situations.
3. Some people may feel like their contributions are unwanted.
4. It creates more competition within the workplace.
Consider the times you have been part of a successful team effort, and other times (we’ve all had them) when the team didn’t work, at all…or, worse, became a seriously negative factor in productivity and interpersonal relations. Do those lists seem familiar, and relevant to each team experience, good or bad?
Often, teams are created without regard to team members’ differences in how they learn and communicate, what their optimum pace at work may be, how assertive they may be, or how they make their decisions. Put together a team without regard to those differences, only at your peril…and the peril of the individuals selected!
What we need, before we finalize a team at work, is a map that will help us create a route to success, and the location of potential land mines--team members’ characteristics—on that route. Once we’ve decided a team’s makeup (and inevitably, may have included some of those landmines and detours on that route), we need an operator’s manual for the team…not just for the leader, though that’s important, but for every member of the team.
Job fit assessments, properly interpreted and implemented, can provide both the roadmap and the operator’s manual for team success.
Here’s a link to a sample of our Team Report; take a look, and consider the last time you assembled a team. Would this kind of information be useful? When you consider the cost of teamwork (# of team members x cost per hour x number of hours of work required), this operator’s manual is a major cost saver, and insurance against a disaster! Remember, each team member gets their own, customized operator’s manual to help the team succeed!
Click here for a sample of our Team Report!
If you’d like to talk about how we can help you make teams effective for your business, schedule a no-obligation conversation with one of our helpful professionals!
Click here to schedule a complimentary consultation call!
Let’s take “teamwork” off that most-hated list!
References:
https://vittana.org/18-biggest-advantages-and-disadvantages-of-teamwork