4 Ways to Harness the Benefits of Teamwork

“Build for your team a feeling of oneness, of dependence on one another and of strength to be derived by unity.”

- Vince Lombardi

The term “team” is thrown around a lot these days. There are “sales teams,” “cross functional teams,” and we “team” with others in our organization. But are we using the term properly? Are these actually teams, or are we just looking for a snazzier name for a group?

In the past month, I’ve heard quite a few people tell me that they were in the process of reorganizing their teams and were experiencing great difficulty with it. One reason for the difficulty is that they are not dealing with teams. Before you embark on such a process yourself, it’s helpful to know the difference between a team and a group.

The most basic definition of “group” is “people with something in common.” They may have a common skill set, interest, or task. A team is a group that has these additional characteristics:

- Teams are assigned to complete highly complex tasks,
- An individual team member’s tasks and success are dependent on the tasks and successes of other members, and
- Members are organized in a way that minimizes weaknesses and maximizes strengths.

Effective teams are also characterized by benefits such as higher levels of camaraderie, dedication to mission accomplishment, and a real respect for the unique strengths brought by each member. And since each person’s expertise is a critical component of the team’s success, members also tend to want to hone their skills and actively seek developmental opportunities.

In order to enjoy the benefits of team unity--camaraderie, dedication, and respect--you must do so by enhancing team-specific characteristics.

- Interdependent tasks: Encourage each member to explain how their ability to complete their task is dependent upon the way others complete theirs. Engage members in setting standards and deadlines together, so that they see the direct connections between tasks.
- Interdependent successes: Emphasize joint accountability and help individuals work through conflict when expectations do not translate to performance. Create a system that enables individual members to recognize outstanding effort and results in their teammates.
- Minimize weaknesses: When a person encounters a roadblock, connect them with other teammates whose experience or expertise can help them over the obstacle. Offer the opportunity during team meetings for stuck members to ask for help. If a person repeatedly encounters the same roadblock, consider shifting their responsibilities away from the area of weakness or reassigning them altogether.
- Maximize strengths: When you prepare to embark on a new project, ask each member to describe how their strengths will contribute to mission accomplishment. Individuals will have an increased understanding of each teammate’s perspective and be able to better identify sources of help within their own team.

Here’s to leading a winning team...Cheers!