Example team work: Six Examples of Teamwork | Small Business

Six Examples of Teamwork | Small Business

By Lisa McQuerrey Updated February 04, 2019

Working in a team environment allows all of your staffers to draw on the strengths of one another, work collaboratively and be productive. Team members must pull their weight, be willing to share ideas and concepts, and collectively approach objectives as a cohesive unit to be successful. Effective teamwork comes in many shapes and sizes and has a significant impact on the success of the organization.

Hold a Brainstorming Session

Holding a brainstorming session is an effective, high-energy way to launch a team initiative. In a brainstorming session, all ideas are encouraged, all concepts are valid, and there’s no hierarchy. Brainstormers should be encouraged to draw on the contributions of others, building from one idea to another. This type of approach encourages participation and includes everyone. It’s an ideal way to introduce a new team or launch a new project or work group.

Great Teams Trust Each Other

Team members need to be able to trust and rely on one another. Trust might include a willingness to hand off an element of a project you feel proprietary about or trusting that someone else will meet a deadline to ensure you have the information you need to meet yours. Trust is a matter of respect for your teammates’ professionalism and dedication.

When you have trust, every member of the team is free to pursue their tasks with pinpoint focus, understanding that their team members will be handling their elements of a project or undertaking.

Willingness to Share Expertise

Strong team players are willing to share their resources, knowledge and expertise with others. Rather than playing cards close to the vest, teamwork involves being open about processes, demonstrating efficient ways to do things, and being receptive to the fact that the individual only succeeds when the team succeeds. This collective approach to co-working strengthens all players.

Complement One Another

In a team environment, people must capitalize on their strengths and “fill in the gaps” where the team needs it the most. For example, on a group writing project, one person may be better at creating concepts while another has a keen eye for proofreading final documents. When everyone on the team uses their best skills and takes up slack where others may be wanting, the collective strength of the team as a whole is stronger.

Be Open to Suggestion

Good teammates recognize that someone else may have a better idea, approach or process, and be open to taking a suggestion. That doesn’t mean that one person should push an agenda on the rest of the group, but that everyone is amenable to examining a situation and coming up with best practices that fit the ultimate needs of the group project.

Rise and Fall Together

There’s never the possibility of part of the team winning a competition – you win or lose together. Recognizing this cohesive relationship creates a sense of togetherness and camaraderie that can get a project across a finish line. When the success of one is dependent on the success of all, team members are more likely to do what needs to be done to pull up those around them.

Consistently solid teamwork can have a significant impact on the success of a business or organization. Shoddy collaborative work projects waste time, money and human resources.

References

• Sandler Training: Six Examples of Teamwork in the Workplace
• College Recruiter: 10 Qualities of an Excellent Team Player

Writer Bio

Lisa McQuerrey has been an award-winning writer and author for more than 25 years. She specializes in business, finance, workplace/career and education. Publications she’s written for include In Business Las Vegas, Nevada Business Journal and National Real Estate Investor Magazine.

6 teamwork examples to follow

5-second summary

• Every team is different, but there are common threads running through successful teams.
• We identified six teamwork examples – team alignment, emotional intelligence, psychological safety, intentional planning, healthy conflict, and routines and rituals – that productive teams tend to embody.
• Learn the ropes from notorious teams in history who put these teamwork examples into practice.

When we think about archetypal teamwork examples, their use cases typically fall to one extreme or another – times when teams banded together to achieve a shared goal or times when collaborations majorly ran off the rails. There’s a big difference between lessons learned from the awe-inspiring unity of the “Miracle on Ice” and the embarrassing blunder of the Mars Climate Orbiter, which veered off course after engineers forgot to convert key measurements from imperial to metric. 

But what is it that separates those inspiring joint efforts from the face-palm-worthy flops? 

Follow in the footsteps of successful teams

No high-performing group is quite like another, and it’s impossible to boil down team success to a definitive list of practices. But a close look at some examples of teamwork in action can shine a light on what it takes to successfully work together.  

We combed through some of the most successful teams in history to identify six examples that make top-notch teams tick. 

Teamwork example #1: Team alignment

It’s hard to cross the finish line together if everyone’s eyes are on different destinations. Research shows that higher levels of organizational alignment lead to better performance and an edge over competitors.

But what does alignment actually mean? It’s crucial that every team member is in agreement on: 

• Goals: What objective is the team working toward? 
• Roles: Who is responsible for what? 
• Success metrics: How will you know when you’ve reached your goal? 
• Timeline: What is the deadline for achieving your goal? 

Out in the world

During a special address to Congress in 1961, American President John F. Kennedy famously said, “This nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the Moon and returning him safely to Earth.”

It seemed like a lofty objective at the time, but it was also the clear direction NASA needed to crank its efforts up a notch. While the estimated 400,000 engineers, technicians, and scientists involved in the moon landing faced plenty of challenges and setbacks, they remained hyper-focused on their shared goal. 

Their efforts paid off when Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong touched the moon’s surface on July 20, 1969. They made it to the moon before the end of the decade, just as Kennedy had hoped. 

On your team

Use the Objectives and Key Results (OKRs) play to define goals, identify the metrics that will determine success, and determine a timeline for achieving those objectives. A shared understanding of these parameters makes it that much more likely you’ll actually achieve your goals.

Teamwork example #2: Emotional intelligence

According to research, “In order to promote positive, progressive, effective working environments, team members need to have a combination of technical knowledge and well-developed emotional intelligence. ” That includes several attributes:

• Self-awareness: You can pinpoint your moods and how they affect others
• Self-regulation: You can take a beat and manage your emotions before reacting
• Motivation: You have a grasp of what drives you in your work (beyond a paycheck)
• Empathy: You can identify and understand the emotions of other people
• Social skills: You can use that emotional understanding to build stronger relationships

Simply put, emotional intelligence is the ability to understand the emotional undercurrent of yourself and your team members and employ that understanding during interactions with others. After all, if you pick up on the fact that your colleague is already having a terrible day, it’s probably not the best time to share some hard-to-hear feedback. 

Out in the world

Keeping your own emotions in check isn’t always easy. That’s especially true when you’re in a crisis situation.  

But Captain Chesley B. Sullenberger III (Captain “Sully”) and his crew on US Airways flight 1549 were able to do just that when they safely landed a plane of 155 people on the Hudson River in January 2009 – an event coined the “Miracle on the Hudson.” 

Sully, his co-pilot, and the flight attendants maintained their composure to keep all of the passengers both calm and safe. Even the air traffic controller, Patrick Harten, who was on the line with Sully, was able to read the situation and respond accordingly. 

“The transcripts of our conversation also show how Patrick’s choice of phrasing was helpful to me,” Sully wrote in his book. “Rather than telling me what airport I had to aim for, he asked me what airport I wanted. His words let me know that he understood that these hard choices were mine to make, and it wasn’t going to help if he tried to dictate a plan to me.”

On your team

Emotional intelligence doesn’t come naturally to everybody, and it can feel even more challenging on a remote team. Running the Work Life Impact play gives your team a chance to understand each other on a deeper level, build empathy, and give each other the support you need. 

Teamwork example #3: Psychological safety

Mutual respect is crucial for high-performing teams. In fact, 94% of respondents in our Open research said it’s important for their team’s success. And psychological safety is a key piece of that puzzle. 

When a team has a high level of psychological safety, its members feel like they’re able to share out-of-the-box ideas, take risks, and make mistakes without any fear of judgment or reprimand.

This not only builds a more positive and supportive team environment but also enables organizations to innovate quickly and roll with the punches when changes inevitably crop up. 

Out in the world

Google did tons of in-depth research into the characteristics of their best teams. Psychological safety topped the list of the most important ingredients. Specifically, teams who were able to be vulnerable with each other outperformed others.  

Now, some Google teams kick off every team meeting by sharing a risk taken during the previous week – whether it was successful or not. It’s an easy-to-implement norm that makes everybody feel safer talking about their wins and their successes. They know their team has their back. 

On your team

Psychological safety starts with a team’s leader. Read this guide to learn how to instill a sense of security on your own team. 

Teamwork example #4: Intentional planning

Sure, there are those rare times when you fly by the seat of your pants and everything works out. But most of the time, you need a thoughtful and thorough plan to guide people from point A to point Z. 

As an article in Harvard Business Review explains, “To make the leap from vision to execution, you can’t just define what needs doing; you also need to spell out the details of getting it done.” 

Intentional planning takes shape on teams in a number of ways, including:

• Creating agendas for every meeting to keep conversations on track
• Completing capacity plans so that everybody understands each other’s bandwidth
• Drafting project plans and timelines so everybody knows the next steps
• Establishing onboarding and training processes for new members
• Identifying and standardizing processes and workflows 

All those points require foresight and give team alignment a boost, too. And it’s definitely better than letting everybody wing it while you hope for the best. 

Out in the world

It’s hard to imagine the level of planning involved in the formation and running of the Underground Railroad – the network that helped tens of thousands of enslaved people escape to free states. What started as a network in Philadelphia alone eventually expanded into 14 Northern states and Canada. 

Running the railroad was understandably pretty hush-hush, but its execution took the commitment and coordination of many different people who all stuck to the plan and their roles. Conductors (of which Harriet Tubman was the most famous) guided enslaved people from place to place, while station masters hid them at designated spots.

It was an incredibly complex operation that required careful planning by numerous contributors. 

On your team

Starting a new project on your team? Before you jump in, schedule a project kickoff meeting to sync on project goals, milestones, and roles. That foresight will serve you well as your project unfolds. 

Teamwork example #5: Healthy conflict

Effective teamwork isn’t all high-fives and happy hours. Teamwork pillars like emotional intelligence and team alignment can help avoid some tension, but that doesn’t mean your team will never butt heads. 

Here’s the good news: conflict is not inherently a bad thing. Some conflicts – provided they’re handled respectfully – can be constructive.

Disagreements teach team members how to deal with difficult situations, give them an opportunity to listen to each other, and nudge them to consider alternate viewpoints. The result is often increased understanding, higher engagement, greater commitment, and even better team cohesion. 

Out in the world

For an example of conflict (and the incredible results it can produce), look no further than the United States’ founding fathers.

Times were tense in 1787, to say the least. The Articles of Confederation were failing, and the entire system of government seemed to be in a steady tailspin toward its ultimate demise.

The country’s brightest lawmakers came together to discuss what a new government system might look like. But changing the course of a country is bound to incite some drama. Apparently, the meeting was plagued with near-constant debate and bickering.

It was all worth it, though. Those conversations, no matter how difficult, resulted in the creation of the U.S. Constitution. 

On your team

Clear, proactive communication is a surefire way to avoid unnecessary conflicts. Run the Working Agreements play to create a shared list of expectations with your team so that you can steer around any potential misunderstandings and save your energy for more meaningful disputes. 

Teamwork example #6: Rituals and routines

Team rituals might seem like frivolous indulgences, but they’re surprisingly important – and they’re a long-running part of the human experience, with some dating back tens of thousands of years.  

But why are rituals so valuable? The short answer is that they emphasize unity.  

“The function of a shared group ritual is to allow an individual to participate fully in the social world by affiliating with fellow group members, reaffirming one’s position in the group, and sharing in important social conventions and cultural knowledge,” research says. 

Whether you kick off your weekly meetings with an icebreaker game or make a point to celebrate each team member’s birthday, those seemingly trivial practices can actually bring your team closer together. 

Out in the world

The world of sports is chock full of rituals rooted in superstition, but few are as beloved as the NHL playoff beard. It’s been a tradition since the early 1980s when the New York Islanders won four straight championships without shaving their scruff during the playoff period. 

Now, every NHL team sets down their razors during the playoff season. Teams keep their beards until they’re eliminated, and the last team standing keeps the facial hair until the official team Stanley Cup photo is taken. After that, it’s a clean slate – and a messy bathroom. 

On your team

Not all rituals are created equal. Running the Ritual Reset play can help you understand what rituals and routines are working well for your team, as well as which ones should be amended or removed entirely. 

Teamwork takes…well,

work

Impactful teamwork is hardly ever easy. You can’t bring together people with different backgrounds, opinions, communication styles, and work preferences and expect smooth collaboration to happen on its own. 

It takes team alignment, emotional intelligence, psychological safety, intentional planning, healthy conflict, and some unifying rituals and routines. Put these pillars into play and your team will rise to the ranks of history’s most effective teams. 

Subscribe to Work Life

Get stories like this in your inbox

What is teamwork, why is it so important and how does it affect success?

For the first time, the term “team” began to be used in the vocabulary of athletes, being an integral part in building their time management. At the moment, the concept of a team has significantly expanded the scope of its application and is relevant for many areas.

And so, a team is a term that refers to small groups (from 3 to 12 people) that have a pronounced target orientation and intensive interaction between group members. Based on this, teamwork is an effective and productive practical team activity. Or is it some kind of joint purposeful work of a group of specialists who work according to pre-established rules.

The simplest example from history: a team is an army, each action of which is aimed at defeating the enemy. In the army, all soldiers act in a coordinated, thoughtful manner and rely on a common goal.

You can better understand the essence of teamwork by highlighting its main features:

• teamwork: a team is not the sum of individual parts, but a single whole – a kind of structured group of people, each member of which complements the other;
• thoughtful positioning of each of its participants. That is, each of the members of this group knows the entirety of the situation and is aware of the strategic goals, has a number of tasks assigned to him and is responsible for the implementation of each of them;
• communication: each team member is open and honest with others, ready to resolve conflicts at the stage of their inception;
• autonomy: each team is an autonomous particle in the structure of any organization. She has a number of thoughtful ways to interact with senior authorities and other teams, but they have no influence on the processes that occur in this particular group;
• synergy: the effect of the joint work of a team is qualitatively superior to the effect of the work of individuals. That is, the joint work of specialists can give much more in total than the results of their work alone.

Thus, we see that teamwork is not a simple relationship between people working in the same organization or on the same project. Such interaction is rather cooperation between individual workers, which extends to various areas and tasks. Teamwork is the work of a group of people focused on solving a specific problem. The team is a separate “unit” in the mechanism of the organization.

Researchers of the concept of “teamwork” identify the following main principles:

• common and significant goals of each of the participants;
• complementary skills;
• clear performance requirements;
• mutual responsibility;
• a small number of people.

Speaking of numbers, team size varies from 3 to 12 people. It has been proven that small teams (up to 5 people) work faster than large ones. But the big ones have the advantage of functionality, that is, they have more tools and resources at their disposal. The main rule for a team of any size to be truly effective is to immediately distribute team roles based on the professional competence of each of the participants, write down the rules for interaction and decision-making.

What are good examples of teamwork? – Wiki Reviews

Listening : An example of successful teamwork is effective listening. Maintaining eye contact when others are talking, open and friendly body language, and appropriate responses to questions and comments from others create a professional work environment and demonstrate good teamwork.

What is teamwork in the workplace? Teamwork means that people will try to collaborate using their individual skills and provide constructive feedback despite any personal conflict between people.” Teamwork is selfless. … When people cooperate, they work together towards a common goal. Thus, the basis for collaboration is a common goal.

How to achieve teamwork in a call center essay in the workplace?

How to build successful call center teamwork

1. Hire managers with team building skills. A strong leader makes a good team. …
2. Have effective team meetings. …
3. Develop a structure of able helpers. …
4. Compensation Assistants (Designated and Volunteers)…
5. Reward team goals before individual goals. …
6. Treat team members with respect.

What is effective teamwork?

Effective teamwork happens for a reason – it requires good problem-solving, decision-making, communication and interpersonal skills . … Smart leaders know that in order for their teams to perform well, they must pinpoint the skillset of employees and assign them tasks that are well-matched to their abilities.

Why is teamwork important in the workplace?

Teamwork helps solve problems .

Collaboration in a group can help solve difficult problems. Brainstorming is a good opportunity for a team to exchange ideas and find creative ways to solve problems. Working together, teams can find the most effective solutions.

What is teamwork?

She stressed the importance of good teamwork. . 13. Her determination, teamwork and leadership skills convinced us that she was the perfect fit for the job.

How important is teamwork in the workplace?

Teamwork is important because it allows your team to share ideas and responsibilities which helps reduce everyone’s workload by allowing them to be mindful and attentive when completing tasks. This will allow them to quickly achieve their goals.

What are the 3 most important things you need to work effectively in the workplace?

What are the 3 most important things you need to work effectively in the workplace?

• Mutual trust and respect,
• Effective delegation with clear communication,
• Freedom to share ideas and innovate.

How does good teamwork contribute to good customer service?

Reps who work effectively together will find it easier to know exactly who they should refer clients to based on their strengths. Teams can also work together to solve customer problems. rather than treat the service as a solo activity.

How do you ensure successful teamwork?

Use his or her energy, talents and efforts to achieve team goals. Fulfill your individual roles and responsibilities. Use certain processes and mechanisms that allow the team to work at maximum productivity. Support each other, fulfill your obligations and be responsible for the success of the team.

How do we use teamwork?

Teamwork promotes cooperation, commitment, motivation, reliability and responsibility among employees or members of the organization. Assigning team responsibilities helps increase individual strengths, improves delegation, and reduces or eliminates some of the lower levels of management.

When do we work together on a proposal?

That’s when we forged a stronger alliance in terms of how we think and how we work together. On the contrary, it was an opportunity to show our readiness to work together on a new mother ship. If you have ultra-fine hair, layers and texturing helps strands work together create lift.

How can I use make in a sentence?

Write an example sentence

• Drowning sadness in the eggnog will only make you feel worse in the long run. …
• This makes sense. …
• You matter. …
• Have you made any real progress? …
• They didn’t make it to the restaurant. …
• It doesn’t matter if he is adopted.

What is teamwork and what can it do?

Teamwork collaborative effort by a group to achieve a common goal or accomplish a task in the most efficient and effective way . This concept is seen within the broader framework of a team, which is a group of interdependent people who work together towards a common goal.

How do you use independent thinking in a sentence?

We are considered smart enough to think independently . (Student responses may include a lack of emotion in robots and an inability to think independently.) Families have talked a lot about this, but I think that regardless of this, I cannot agree with it. He said he and his fellow managers encouraged analysts to think independently.

Which word means working together?

How else can you define collaboration?

the ability to communicate effectively, collaborate, collaborate, and manage conflict with others to complete tasks and achieve common goals .

What are 10 simple sentences?

50 examples of simple sentences

• She doesn’t study German on Mondays.
• Does she live in Paris?
• He doesn’t teach mathematics.
• Cats hate water.
• Every child loves ice cream.
• 6. My brother takes out the trash.
• The course will start next Sunday.
• She swims every morning.

What are the 7 types of offers?

Another method is based on sentence structure (simple, compound, compound, and compound-complex).

• Statements / Declarative sentences. This is the most common type of sentence. …
• Questions / Interrogative sentences. …
• Exclamation marks / exclamation sentences. …
• Commands / Imperative sentences.

Do you have sample sentences?

Make an example sentence

• Do you like fish? 794. 249.
• I never thought I could do this. 420. 166.
• I will do my best. 268.…
• I want this baby as much as you do, Alex. 302. 179.
• Should I do more in my role? 241. 129.
• Do you want to see it? 123.…
• “Let’s do it,” she finally said unceremoniously. 145.…
• Can I do more in my role? 110.

Why is teamwork the key to success?

Working as a team allows us to learn from each other. Teamwork promotes creativity and learning by maximizing shared knowledge and expanding new skill sets. Working towards a common goal can generate an enthusiasm for learning that is often absent when working alone.

What makes a team successful?

Successful teams listen and learn

Successful teams usually succeed because they are larger than a group of people who work together ; their relationship, their direction, and their ways of working together and collaborating mean that the whole becomes greater than the sum of its parts.

How do you explain teamwork?

Teamwork is usually understood as willingness of a group of people to work together towards a common goal . For example, we often use the phrase: “he or she is a good team player.” This means that someone sincerely cares about the interests of the team and works for the good of the team.

How will teamwork help me in the future?

When teamwork is effective, communication, cooperation and joint efforts make a better result.