team in business essay

team in business essay

The Importance of Building Effective Teams in Business

1. Introduction to Teamwork in Business

Some business schools now offer an entirely team-based approach to teaching, many recruitment selection processes are based upon assessment centers focusing on teamwork skills, and Rewards and Recognition systems in corporations assess teamwork performance. There is no doubt the current business world places a high value on the ability of people to work together. However, does it actually do that as often as it thinks? If teamwork is as important as it seems to be, why is the cult of the ‘lone warrior’ still very much part of our business culture? If it is exceptional teamwork that is really important, why are so many of the rewards apparently being reserved for outstanding individual performance? Why is it that so many people inevitably seem to get in the way and spoil effective team performance? Is it possible for any organization to really develop a culture of teamwork, or is it simply an impossible goal that is ultimately unachievable?

In the business world, it takes more than just academic achievement to have a successful career. The most successful professionals, such as top business leaders, are often highly competent team players. As well as academic and technical competence, teamwork is often seen as an essential aspect of corporate culture. It is not through achieving purely individual success, but through understanding team goals and working genuinely together with colleagues as a part of a team that individuals develop the tools needed for gaining the capability and leadership stature that are required in today’s corporate environment. A crucial aspect of leadership is that of building, nurturing and leading effective teams. The establishment of a teamwork culture in an organization leads to high-performing talent that increases shareholder value.

2. Key Elements of Effective Teams

2.2 Communication. Open and effective communication is key to the trust and motivation that need to be paved away to better understand the members of a team. When everyone is open to comment and can express their own or team’s concerns, collaborations can thrive and teams can solve the problems that may occur more efficiently. Frequent and effective communication can also help to build morale and motivation. Whether it’s a few words of recognition from their peers or a more professional treatment of a particular problem, effective communication is very valuable in keeping a team motivated and engaged.

2.1 Clear purpose. When a team works together to create a clear understanding of the purpose, the product of their work, they are more likely to generate an environment in which goals are met more efficiently. The corporate culture and the personal investment of all team members are exceedingly important. In addition, teams that create a commitment to achieving a shared purpose also tend to be more motivated and more engaged when they perform more effectively and enjoy their work.

It is the job of all team members to create a productive and effective team. Effective teams have the power to completely transform a business because they have the potential to create the kind of growth that is not possible for the individual. There are some specific elements that will contribute to the performance of a team and to the effectiveness of their work.

3. Benefits of Strong Teamwork in Business

Other benefits of strong teamwork within an organization include employees themselves becoming more skilled and proficient, and even leading generally healthier lifestyles. When company employees work well together, everyone involved is safer, they communicate better, and work gets done quicker and to a higher standard. Small businesses, in particular, can find there are benefits to be reaped from teamwork if they collaborate with other firms or outsource some functions such as Human Resources and Marketing. These tasks are increasingly becoming areas small businesses realize they can hand over as they seek to grow and concentrate their efforts and money on what they do best.

The benefits of strong teamwork in business are not just theoretical. In a paper delivered to the UK’s Economic and Social Research Council, Peter Auer, an Associate Director of the International Labor Organization, said: “Teamwork is gaining in importance in the process of production and management, as well as in the relations among employees. It can improve labor market opportunities and promote productivity growth and flexibility, thereby contributing to the achievement of the objectives of social protection. One of the main reasons for the enhancement of human resources is the shift towards more sophisticated technology that, with few exceptions, cannot be used optimally if employees are not encouraged to use their creativity, judgment, and teamwork.”

4. Strategies for Building and Sustaining High-Performing Teams

The third strategy for building and sustaining a high-performance team focuses on promoting effective colleague bonding and attachment. When employees feel that they are part of a social unit and important to both the team’s overall success and co-worker self-esteem, they gain confidence in the team, identify with its goals, and generally have high levels of personal intrinsic motivation. The fourth strategy for building and sustaining high-performing teams centers on paying close attention to rapidly solving problems that are vexing employees and interfering with overall team work processes. Many practice, protocol, and office-related strategies can be used to improve individual, dyad, or team speeding of problem-solving. Speedy resolution of problems can have a major influence on productivity.

The first strategy for building and sustaining a high-performance team is to develop a well thought-out team-building plan. The plan should reflect a blend of organization and HR processes such as appropriate recruiting, employee selection, onboarding, initial training and orientation activities, team socialization practices to make team members feel welcome, integrated, valued, and essential to the group’s purpose, development training to teach team members about the work that must be done, and ongoing opportunities for organizations to evaluate and reward high-performance. The second strategy is to focus attention on individual motivational issues by reinforcing on a regular basis a values-driven team culture grounded in a strengths-based HRM philosophy that builds on the unique qualities of each employee, thus producing better performance results. Values-based HRM policies ensure a shared understanding concerning team purpose and typical coworker protocols that promote positive team interactions.

4. Strategies for Building and Sustaining High-Performing Teams

Effective teams are able to raise the accomplishments of an organization’s business endeavors to levels that are difficult, if not impossible, to attain through separate efforts. Managers, too often preoccupied by concrete responsibilities, neglect the soft skill amounts essential for leading groups capable of achieving high levels of productivity and achievement. This article provides a brief overview of team dynamics as well as steps to take and strategies to use when building high-performance teams.

5. Conclusion and Future Trends in Teamwork

The importance of building a business team that is genuinely effective is that few companies can optimize competitive aspects without the advantage of mastering teamwork. Most business leaders observe that the pace of change is escalating and new organizations are developing at a rapid pace. The future emphasis of public-private partnerships, corporate strategic vision, and individually empowered teaming relationships intensifies their requirements for teamwork. Small group and one-to-one teamwork are essential to business success. Moreover, it represents the business of the future for all of us. The ability to achieve common goals using teamwork tools will, over time, be as important as managing the budget, the schedule, or the product quality.

As a result of changing client demands and market dynamics, the necessary skills to build an effective team have changed in both management and staff levels. For the most advantageous results, form your business team with intelligence, social skills, sales skills, and management capabilities. In the next decade, competitive advantages depend on the effective use of all available human talent for all types of responsibility. The most successful can share a common vision and implement a mutually accepted action plan. One of the leadership training programs in my company is based on the fact that we learn best when we are surrounded by people working towards a goal similar to our own.