We explain what teamwork is and what its importance is. Furthermore, its characteristics and the theory of The Five C’s.
Teamwork is the sum of the efforts of a group with a common goal.
What is teamwork?
Teamwork is the synergy of the different tasks performed by a group of people to meet a certain objective.
Working together requires various responsibilities and skills of each member to achieve goals, for example: commitment, respect, empathy, creativity and problem-solving skills. In a team, the figure of a leader, natural or elected, is often highlighted. He is responsible for unifying the different ideas, coordinating activities and ensuring that everyone moves in the same direction to achieve the objective.
See also: Good employee
Characteristics of teamwork
Teamwork is characterized by:
- Defined objectives. They are the goals that give meaning and guide people in their specific tasks. The objectives must be clear and known by each member to optimize their efforts.
- Own identityIt is the set of values that the members practice and that gives them a sense of belonging to strengthen the unity of the group.
- Diversity. It is the coexistence between people of different cultures, genders, languages, abilities, ideologies, among other differences. The plurality of members in a team provides multiple experiences and points of view to address a problem, in addition to being a source of creativity that enriches the final work.
- Planning. It is the design of a plan or work guidelines to be followed by each member of the team, which allows the objectives to be met in a coordinated manner and in the required time. Planning includes a detail of the necessary means and a forecast of possible problems or risks.
- Motivation. It is the engine that keeps the team going in its daily activity and drives it to achieve its objectives. Motivation is usually fostered by the team leader and by the conditions of the organization: improvements in remuneration, bonuses, the possibility of promotion in the workplace and the possibility of professional growth.
Theory of the 5 C’s of teamwork
The five C’s Proposed by the writer Tom Peters (1942) make up a set of key characteristics that an organization must take into account to organize and manage your work teams and ensure effective team performance:
- Communication. It is the main action for the team to perform in an orderly manner and optimize tasks. Communication channels must allow feedback and can be diverse, such as face-to-face meetings, video calls, emails or internal messaging systems.
- Commitment. It is an agreement and obligation of each team member to guarantee work synergy. The capacity for commitment can vary in each person depending on their individual interests and motivations, their situation within the organization and the leadership capacity with which the team is guided.
- Trust. It is a key value, which establishes the foundations for the work team to last over time and achieve success. Trust takes time and is achieved through words and, especially, deeds and actions.
- Coordination. It is the planning of tasks and the order of priorities of the team, in a specific period of time. In addition, it takes into account the skills of each member to optimize the group’s performance.
- Complementarity. It is the ability of the leader or the organization to select people who add value by working together, and who are integrated in harmony, both due to their character and their professional aptitude, to work together and at the same time. Each member of the team needs the other to achieve the stated objective.
Importance of teamwork
Teamwork is essential because it allows us to achieve improvements in multiple aspects, such as:
- Enrich the final work with the contribution of different perspectives and knowledge.
- Strengthen the ability to face and resolve conflicts.
- Support members during their work performance, in situations of stress or individual problems that prevent them from carrying out their activity.
- Achieve more ambitious goals than if we work individually.
Continue with: Organizational climate
References
- Torrelles Nadal, C., Coiduras Rodríguez, JL, Isus, S., Carrera, X., París Mañas, G., & Cela, JM (2011). Teamwork competency: definition and categorization. Teachers: Journal of Curriculum and Teacher Education, 2011, Vol. 15, no. 3, pp. 329-344.
- “Teamwork” in Economipedia. Peiró, R., (2020)
- Vera, JMA (2011). Teamwork. ESIC publishing.