Getting tasks done in an organization without collaboration is like expecting a fish to live outside water. It’s practically impossible!
By knowing the best teamwork examples and how to incorporate them, you are one step away from recording amazing successes in your workplace.
In fact, a recent study revealed that about 86% of employees in leadership positions attribute workplace failures to a lack of collaboration.
Usually, tasks are completed faster and effortlessly when employees with different strengths and skills pull in their resources and knowledge. And where one person lacks, the others can step in and cover-up for them.
Workplace collaboration not only makes workloads more manageable but it breeds healthy bonds and relationships.
So, whether you are part of a team or managing one either online, in-person, or hybrid, you need these teamwork examples to achieve more goals.
Let’s get started!
Best Teamwork Examples in the Workplace
Active listening
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Every member of your team deserves to feel heard and seen. So, leave the floor open for their contributions and ensure that nobody cuts in on the other.
One of the ways to truly listen to your team members is by taking notes when anyone is speaking, and when they are done, paraphrase what they said and get their confirmation. It shows that you’re concerned and interested in their views.
Also, don’t forget to always acknowledge messages when you receive them. Whether it’s emails, Slack, WhatsApp, or any other digital workspace used by your team.
Also Read: Best Virtual Team Building Activities For Conference Calls
Be open to suggestions
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When any of your team members share their ideas, thank them for their contribution and highlight how beneficial the suggestion will be in solving the task at hand.
However, if you have any reservations or a contrary opinion, share it with the person and ask what they think.
The bottom line is to respect people’s views no matter how ridiculous or weird you think they are. The more you respect and validate their contributions, the more willing they will be to contribute.
No one knows it all and by sharing, you’ll realize that some people may have better ideas, processes, and solutions.
Proper communication
Any change or update on a project or meeting should be communicated effectively and to everybody. Aside from sending the update to the team group, you can send individual messages as well to make sure that nobody is left out.
This is to avoid unnecessary clashes and ensure that all team members stay on the same page.
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Complement one another
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Your team should capitalize on each other’s strengths and where one person lacks, another should step in to fill the gap. For example, if your team is tasked with sourcing project funds.
One person may be good at writing proposals, while another is good at researching for sponsors or partners, and then another is skilled at pitching ideas for sponsorships.
When everybody uses their skills and knowledge, the team is stronger, and solving tasks becomes a walk in the park.
Give feedback
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Feedback helps teammates to maximize their strengths and improve on their weaknesses. Aside from that, people generally feel good when they get feedback on their work.
Think about how you felt when someone told you, “Great job,” “Thank you for helping me out on that,” or “The proposal was beautifully written, kudos!” Positive feedback like this will push your team members to do a better job because really, who doesn’t like compliments?
However, make sure that the feedback is honest and constructive. If you feel a team member didn’t deliver on a task well, first thank them for their efforts and point out places that need revision.
Also, feedback should be prompt and given immediately to ensure that it’s still fresh in the person’s memory.
Collective decision making
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People thrive more in environments where they contribute to making decisions. No matter your rank in a group, always leave the floor open for members to share their ideas especially if you’re about to make a decision that will affect everyone.
Collective decision-making also gives your team more ideas and perspectives to work with.
Collaborative problem solving
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Everyone struggles at some point in their jobs. It’s normal. However, it’s quicker to arrive at solutions when team members support themselves in the face of problems or challenges.
And, the more they face hardships and overcome them, the stronger their bond grows. You should encourage your team to share the reasons why they are facing their current challenge and why they are finding it difficult to surmount.
This helps you get to the root of the issue and as such will be in a better position to help out. Also, you can hold meetings and table your challenges to other members for insights on how to solve them.
Taking responsibility for mistakes
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No one is perfect and mistakes are bound to be made. However, instead of playing the blame game, it’s more honorable to own up to your mistakes and seek ways to correct them.
This might seem daunting and horrifying but it also makes you more accountable and trustworthy. And the more other team members imbibe this trait, the healthier their relationships will be as there will be fewer arguments and silent grudges.
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Understanding and patience
It’s not always easy working with people especially considering that we all have different orientations and attitudes. However, the secret to thriving in a workplace despite people’s differences is to understand that it isn’t always about you.
You should always try to see things from another’s perspective, put yourself in their shoes and be patient with them. Don’t always be quick to throw judgment, especially if it’s negative.
Practice empathy
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As a team lead, you should be totally concerned about the well-being of other teammates. If someone is late to work or a meeting, ask for their reason because you’re genuinely concerned.
They have been weirdly quiet? Ask to know if everything is alright. If they call in sick, make efforts to reach out to them frequently to know if they’re getting better.
Other members should also extend the same empathic gesture outside the work environment.
Get to know your teammates
You need to know your co-workers as individuals to better understand their personalities, strengths, and weaknesses. That way, you know how to approach them or the best way to communicate with them, especially during meetings.
For example, you wouldn’t expect a shy and introverted team member to spearhead the marketing department, you rather have someone with a bubbly personality handle such a task.
Also, some can be slow learners and would need more time to digest information.
Celebrate your wins together
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Team members celebrating their wins together will add flavor to their jobs and make the workplace more fun and healthy. It doesn’t matter how small the win is, you should celebrate with each other.
You could introduce a success board in your workplace where employees can write down their accomplishments. Then, before a meeting starts every Monday morning, you’ll highlight each member’s successes and celebrate them.
This fills them with a sense of accomplishment and serves as a good motivation to keep up their excellent work.
Healthy dispute resolution
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Conflicts are inevitable when people from different backgrounds and orientations work together for a shared goal. Team members will disagree and misunderstand each other.
You’ll have uncomfortable conversations and that’s okay. However, what matters is how these conflicts are resolved such that they don’t breed resentment in a group.
To manage and resolve conflicts effectively, organize personal meetings between both parties, have them air their views to each other respectfully, and apologize if needed.
Complimenting members
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Compliments make people feel good, appreciated, valued, and confident. Don’t hesitate to appreciate your team members.
Statements like, “Having you on this team is great,” “I love how you get things done,” and “Thank you for always seeing projects from start to finish” will go a long way to boost members’ confidence and give them a sense of purpose.
Also Read: Best Thank You Messages For Boss
Members stay loyal to each other
The strength of a team lies in how much loyalty members give to each other. It means sticking together and having each other’s back no matter the differences and disagreements.
Loyalty heightens people’s commitment levels. It makes them feel like they are part of something big and will go out of their way to get things done.
Focus on strength and not weakness
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Teammates can never be perfect in all areas. They will be strong in some areas and lacking in some. And that’s perfectly okay.
Instead of pointing out their weaknesses, encourage them to keep improving on what they are already exceptional at.
Doing that sends a positive message to your team members that you’re accepting them for who they are while giving them room to grow and become better in areas that they lack.
Team commitment
Team commitment means everyone understands their roles in achieving the team’s overall goal and they put in the required work to get them done. Commitment breeds more engagement and self-motivation.
When team members understand and stand by decisions collectively made, targets are easily smashed.
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Active participation
Teammates should be actively involved in projects assigned to the team. This entails taking part in the decision-making, finding creative solutions to problems rather than simply following instructions, and supporting each other in solving tasks.
Humor and laughter
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Laughter is a strong medicine that reduces stress and pain, boosts mood, and improves productivity. So, team members shouldn’t be so focused on their jobs that they forget to share jokes and laugh.
A good joke breaks the tension, increases intimacy, and allows teammates to bond faster. It also reduces inhibitions, improves mental health, provides a greater sense of belonging at work, and enforces healthier conflict resolution.
So, feel free to have fun while at work, and share belly laughter when necessary.
Honesty and transparency
Team members should be honest and transparent with each other. There should be a free flow of valuable information, materials, and resources.
Members should openly share their work and progress and voice the truth no matter how uncomfortable it may seem. The more transparent a workplace is, the happier and more productive the teammates will be.
It also builds trust and consistency and boosts employees’ performance at work.
Members respect each other
Team members should respect each other’s opinions and feelings no matter how trivial they seem. You should also respect each other’s work.
And you don’t necessarily need to love or admire your colleagues to accord their work the respect it deserves. Mutual respect in the workplace reduces stress and conflicts.
Most especially it increases productivity and people are encouraged to speak their minds and collectively explore solutions to achieve great results.
Appropriate task delegation
Part of teamwork building is task delegation because it gives members the opportunity to strengthen their skill set while also achieving essential project goals.
Everybody cannot carry out the same task at the same time, so it’s more efficient to assign them individually.
Shared responsibilities help people get to develop their capacities which in turn makes them feel valued in the organization.
Members encourage one another
Team members are responsible for monitoring each other’s performance and taking note of the quality of their work.
If anyone notices that the performance of another team member is deteriorating, they can step in and provide the necessary encouragement to help the struggling member get back on track.
Brainstorming
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Brainstorming is a powerful teamwork example in a workplace that pushes teammates to think more freely and share their ideas and solutions without fear of judgment.
This should be done before embarking on a project as multiple ideas are generated quickly and are refined to arrive at a suitable solution.
With brainstorming, goals are achieved faster while strengthening the bond and relationships between team members.
Intentional project planning
Sure, there are times when you jump on projects and speak off the cuff and everything works out fine. However, it’s a risky venture when you are working with a team.
People need to know how they will move from point A to Z. For a more intentional approach to projects, create agendas before team meetings to keep everyone on track.
Also, create project plans and timelines, so that team members will know their next steps and keep communication open in case there are any changes.
Team rituals and routines
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Workplace rituals are actions or activities performed frequently that turn into habits and create a positive impact on team members. These activities have to be outside work otherwise it defeats their purpose.
A team member completing their task isn’t a ritual. However, dressing down to work on Fridays can count as a ritual.
Other examples include celebrating employee of the month, organizing in-house parties whenever a team member is celebrating their birthday, or even little actions like the team leader giving members a high five each time they finish their task.
Rituals strengthen communication, connection, and foster a sense of belonging and motivation among team members.
Team alignment
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This is the best teamwork example in a workplace and the reason is obvious. A group of people must align on the same goal before they can become a team.
So, goals and objectives should be clear to everyone involved. Team members should also know their respective roles and timeline for task delivery.
As the team lead, you should also set success metrics to help you decipher when a team member has reached their goal. When teammates understand their destination with a project, it becomes easier to achieve.
In addition, it reduces disagreements and misunderstandings because everybody is on the same page.
Wrapping up
If you have been thinking about ways to increase the efficiency of employees in your workplace, these teamwork examples should get you started.
You don’t need to incorporate everything into your team because while some examples are well suited for on-site organizations, others are better for remote teammates.
For example, on-site team members will enjoy performing rituals and routines together more than those that work remotely.
In general, all the examples I have explained above will work well for every team but of course, feel free to select the ones that will work well for your team.
