You have probably heard at some point that everyone needs to work together as a team. There is no “I” in team, after all. Equally, teamwork makes the dream work and together everyone achieves more. Yet, what do these popular phrases actually mean? Basically, why is teamwork so important in business?

Use a Range of Skills

The first thing that a team gives you is a range of skills. It simply isn’t possible for a single person to do everything that needs done in even the smallest company. Apart from the time needed, different sort of abilities and personalities are essential too. Therefore, you need to build up a team in which some people are good at, say, selling and others at processing orders or retaining existing customers. Then you need customer service staff, team leaders and technical staff as well.

The range of skills needed in a business will vary but the need for people with varying abilities is always present in any industry. When these skills are combined in the right way through effective team collaboration then it makes for a powerful mixture.

Work Together to Achieve Challenging Targets

For a business to progress it needs to have a set of challenging but not impossible targets. Achieving them will lead to the promised land of bonuses, promotions and possibly even the sight of the boss punching the air in delight. A strong team that pulls together will achieve more, because people will cover the weaknesses of others when needed. If someone is off sick or still getting trained then their colleagues will carry them until they are fully up to speed.

No-one can work at maximum efficiency all day long every single day of the year. To carry out the work to high standards continuously it needs to be a combined group effort.

Create a Harmonious Atmosphere

OK, so we have seen that a business needs a lot of people in it but why do they need to work together? Can’t they just all do their own thing and leave everyone to sort out their own stuff?

The problem with this approach is that the atmosphere in the office can quickly turn sour, as people accuse others of doing less and of contributing little. When true teamwork is involved it is clear to everyone that the whole group is doing its bit and contributing to the success. With a bit of effort, a strong bond can be built up that allows everyone to truly feel a part of something special. 

Everyone Plays an Important Role

Things can get awkward in a company when not everyone feels that they play an important role in the success of the business. This can be true even if they are contributing, as they might not appreciate quite how valuable their roles are.

A big part of genuine team collaboration is communication. It is through good, regular communication that everyone will be aware of the importance of their contribution and of how they can help out the other people around them.  As we have already seen, teams working together can achieve a lot more, but everyone in the team needs to be aware of what they bring to the party. In this way, even the most humble and seemingly insignificant role can be seen as being of importance.

It Is More Enjoyable

To put it simply, working together in a team is more fun than working on your own. This is partly because you get to share experiences and feel part of something big. You can also celebrate achievements and good times together, while having a helping hand there to get you through the difficult times. A fun event to celebrate the successful conclusion of project wouldn’t be much fun if you were sitting there on your own with a party hat on in front of a plate with a solitary sandwich or sausage roll on it.

There is a lot of fun to be had from working in a team, so it definitely isn’t something to be looked at negatively or to shy away from. Great teams do great things together and being part of that is what makes working worthwhile. 

Glasscubes is a user-friendly collaboration software for teams. Connect everyone that you work with in an online workspace that improves the way you share files, manage projects and communicate with each other.

For more information, contact us by calling +44 (0)20 3274 2310 or email us at enquiries@glasscubes.com

Follow us on Twitter and Facebook for more industry related news and topics.