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There are many ways to accomplish different tasks, but any task can be accomplished through teamwork. It is a simple and practical principle that makes working independently seem primitive. In today’s society, for example, we are forced to collaborate with co-workers, or teammates, to accomplish a similar goal. Therefore, the four crucial elements that need to be considered for building an effective team are: common goals, commitment, communication, and collaboration. Communication is one crucial element needed in teamwork.
Whether we are at school or in the office, effective communication is vital before working on project because it will help the team minimize any conflicts that might arise. Effective communication is also being able to have an open and honest discussion with the team players about being trustworthy. Whether it is verbal or non-verbal we must give the team members a chance to speak and be heard. Open communication will help each team member willingly share his or her ideas and suggestions.
It is an obvious fact that, “Together, everyone accomplishes more” (Michael Lembach, 2005). When it comes to teamwork, most people will consider teamwork in terms of being part of a baseball, basketball, or football team. For example, when a football team has game, if the players do not hear the play correctly, they can call the play incorrectly and players can get hurt. The team looks bad and the coach wonders what happened to the communication. The whole team depends on the play that is being told to the key player.
It is vital that there is communication in football. This can also be related to everyday life. If we do not communicate with our children they can be left at practice because they simply did not tell the correct time or they assumed that the parents understood. It is important to confirm that the information they heard was correct. Communication is extremely important in sports and in everyday life. The second element that contributes to effective teamwork is commitment. Every member must have a definite and sincere commitment to the team.
The members must be willing to spend time to work for the same cause. In order to keep the dedication to the team it is important to prioritize what is important to the team by charting every person’s goals. Then they can be ranked and the team can prioritize what they feel is most important. It is also important to use time efficiently. This is essential. Team members do not want to walk away from team meetings feeling that their time was wasted. It is important to have an agenda of what is to be accomplished at each meeting so everyone is on the same page.
This helps people keep their dedication to the group because there is a focus and the can see the outcome at the end of the night. For example, in college classes there are some students that like to know the schedule of the night. If they do not see the schedule posted, they do not like it because they want to know what they are going to learn by the end of the night. It is much easier to stay committed to a task if you know the outcome and time is used wisely when you get together. Another critical element of effective teamwork is having common goals with all individuals on the team.
It is vital to share the same vision and goal with your team in order to be successful. Success starts at the beginnings of creating a team. You must have a plan, rules, a group leader and all must understand it. The mission must be clearly defined and articulated, and everybody has to understand it. Team members must be galvanized by a common goal. That’s what spurs people on and drives them to excel. Most teams are so eager to start thinking about work plans and output that they don’t spend nearly as much time as they should setting up. (Sirianni, 2003). The most essential ingredient of a successful team is a cause that everyone agrees on. Despite differences in religion, ethnicity, beliefs, etc…there is a common vision for why people are working with Habitat for Humanity’ (Sirianni, 2003). This quote shows that it does not matter what team you are on, if you have a cause and a common goal people will work with you. Everyone will be in it for the same cause. Collaboration is the last critical element of making up an efficient team. Everyone must come together and feel that they are able to be one. It is mportant to have a team leader. ‘Teamwork divides the task and multiples the success’ (Sirianni, 2003). ‘This moment in history is about individual collaborative thinking. That’s almost an oxymoron. But it means that people need to be fiercely independent and intensely collaborative at the same time’ (Sirianni, 2003). Team members must be able to trust one another in order to achieve success as well. IF they do not feel trust they will not want to share ideas openly and honestly. They must have the team’s best interests at heart and stay focused on what they want to achieve.
When team’s stay focused they are able to collaborate and achieve awesome results. It is important to ensure that every team member works jointly towards maximum gain for the purpose for which the team was created. The heart of teamwork is a joint work effort in which employees work together to complete an assignment or task. The real power of the team and collaboration lies in the potential for the individual talents of the participants to be harnessed or combined to solve problems and complete tasks.