10 Ways to Promote Teamwork

Good teamwork helps to build morale in the workplace, which makes workers more productive and ultimately improves profits. For organizations that have excellent teamwork, problem-solving is easier – since people with different skills and knowledge will work together to produce a creative solution.

If you want your employees to work together and produce great results, here are some tips to improve teamwork within your organization.

1) Focus on the big picture

Explain the long-range plans of the company and reinforce them regularly. People often become so focused on today's problems and routine duties that they lose sight of the big picture. When some members of the team concentrate on putting out fires, others can dedicate more time to reviewing processes to eliminate future problems.

2) Define roles

Outline the responsibilities of everyone on the team. This is crucial to the team's success. Understanding each other's duties and deadlines helps people work collaboratively. Encourage the team to define the division of labor themselves. They'll take on more responsibility if they are in control and someone may even offer a previously untapped talent.

3) Set goals

Team members need to develop individual and group goals. Urge them to set achievable and measurable short-term goals, as well as long term ones. With team-driven goals and a team-developed code of ethics, the group will begin to self-manage. Peer pressure and individual pride will help curb absenteeism, lateness and poor performance.

4) Share information

The rumor mill is a drain on productivity and morale. Earn your team's respect and trust with openess and honesty. During times of change, reveal as much as you can and promise to update them as soon as you can.

5) Establish trust

Be trustworthy and dependable. Honor your word. If you're the boss and you promise a day off with pay if the sales team meets their target, follow through on it. If you're a team member and offer to obtain information for a colleague, make it a priority. Treat all members of the team consistently and fairly and don't play favorites.

6) Listen

Be open to the team's ideas, presented in a formal suggestion program or in a brainstorming session. Thoroughly consider all suggestions and respond to the individual or entire team, whichever is more appropriate. Many companies spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on consultants without first asking employees for their suggestions on productivity improvements, service enhancements or new product lines.

7) Provide encouragement

Challenge each team member to participate and contribute. Urge them to take additional training if necessary and to step outside their comfort zones to develop their own unique talents. Change people's responsibilities often. Acknowledge each individual's strengths and offer positive reinforcement.

8) Praise the team

Celebrate achievements together. Reward the team, not an individual. Every group will have a star that excels at everything. Recognize this privately and through the performance review process but to foster teamwork, eliminate any opportunity for professional jealousy. Always speak positively about your team. Showcase their talent and recognize their dedication, efforts and successes publicly.

9) Be enthusiastic

Enthusiasm is contagious. Be positive, upbeat and hopeful. Always expect great things from your team and they'll do their best not to disappoint you. Focus on what's going right even if, at times, everything seems to be going wrong.

10) Delegate

Explain what needs to be done and how to do it, then let go. Better yet, describe the problem or the desired end result and let the team develop the action plan together. Trust the individuals and the team as a whole to complete their assigned tasks correctly and on time. If you've set a project review meeting for next Tuesday, resist the temptation to ask for an update today. Trust the team to meet the deadline.

Teamwork isn’t something that we can forcefully impose upon our workers. Instead, good teamwork will naturally occur when there is a healthy workplace culture, where employees are treated as individuals and open communication is celebrated.

Put these tips to the test and you’ll see improved teamwork, boosted morale, and better cooperation. This will lead to increased productivity from employees, increasing the overall success of your company.