Insights

For the longest time I thought that the phrase “teamwork makes the dream work” was “teamwork is dream work.” I suppose that both make sense, because they each have the overlying theme that working as a team opens the door to endless possibilities. It’s important in life, but essential in the workplace; no one wants to work with someone who isn’t a team player.

So, as a company how do you build a culture that is partially built by teamwork?

1. Make it known: leaders need to clearly communicate that teamwork and collaboration are expected; leaders themselves should also be modeling teamwork.
2. Teamwork is recognized and rewarded: it could be a praise or a bonus, but there should be recognition when individuals collaborate and achieve.
3. It’s a value: if your company has written values or principles, it would be a good idea to include teamwork.
4. Feedback: performance management and reviews should place an emphasis on teamwork.

Even if teamwork is burned into the company’s core, leaders still need to create an environment where individuals trust and value one another. Teamwork is unlikely to occur if the team doesn’t know, trust, and respect each other. Team building is something that can be done on a daily basis, not just when a new member joins the company or once a year on a designated day.

There are many ways to foster an environment conducive to team building, but here are a few:

1. Provide training: create scenarios for teams to solve real work issues and improve processes.
2. Hold departments meetings: gathering teams together once a week can be a productive way to keep in touch with what every member is working on and obtain input from others.
3. Have fun and shared occasions for the company: have a potluck lunch or start an after work kickball league to encourage people to come together.
4. Celebrate team success publicly: allow team members to share their success together and really get to the see the impact of their hard work.

Behind every successful organization is the team of people who made it happen. Individuals bring their own experiences and ideas to the table and that can be leveraged for business accomplishments; anything is possible with cooperation and collaboration.