The Importance of Teamwork!

MISA ZABRA PROJECT

Jan 18, 2022

MISA eDATA January 2022

Jan 19, 2022

Jan 18, 2022

“There is no ‘I’ in ‘TEAM,’ but there is an ‘E’ in ‘EVERYONE.’ A team achieves more when everyone contributes.”

– Robert Cheeke

So often we find ourselves acting for our own best interests, however, a company cannot run effectively if we are each striving for ourselves; so much more can be done when we work together as a team.

Through mutual collaboration, successes can be celebrated, comradery and kinship can be built, and an overall happy working environment can be cultivated. Being part of a team means being respectful towards all other employees, honouring them for their particular role and duties.

Working Together

Most business units are comprised of teams, with a hierarchal structure of reporting towards top management. Usually employees work independently, however, forming part of a member of a team. Teamwork is a crucial part of any organisation, departments often work in close association with each other, relying on each other for certain information, in order to complete their tasks; and this inevitably creates a need for a consistent flow of open communication between one department to another.

An organisation’s success rests on the success of the individuals within its teams. The better we understand ourselves and how we impact on others, the more chance of having a focused and effective team. Individuals are critical building blocks of any team’s performance.

“Each individual has unique gifts, and talents and skills,” says John J. Murphy, a specialist in business transformation and the author of the book “Pulling Together: 10 Rules for High-Performance Teamwork.”

What can you do to ensure you are an effective member of your team?

Begin with understanding your role within the team organisational structure, and work towards achieving your duties to the best of your ability;
Welcome collaboration with other members of your team, by working together we achieve the overall objective of the team;
Be accountable, by taking responsibility for your short comings and successes, understanding the impact your actions have on the team as a whole;
Be flexible, accept the task given to you by management and deliver results to the best of your ability. If you are uncertain, ask for guidance to ensure best quality of work;
Have a positive attitude, even during stressful times; and
Be committed to the team, believe in the group process and organisational goals.

Working well within a team means understanding yourself and others better; this will in turn show that you are committed to achieving both personal and organisational goals.

Conflict resolution

Conflict is an inevitable consequence of working with other people. For most people, volatile situations are uncomfortable and cause a lot of stress and negative emotions. Conflict management and handling negative emotions are not skills we are born with; they need to be learnt.

Understanding that working together with your colleagues, is not always the easiest of tasks; often we a presented with difficult personalities; when you find yourself in such a positon try to remove yourself emotionally, and act professional.

If you find yourself in a position, whereby you cannot resolve tensions in a professional and amicable manner; approach your HR consultant or immediate line manager for information on the Grievance policy and assistance with the company’s grievance procedures.

The best way to deal with any conflict situation is through assertive behaviour. Through assertive behaviour you express your feelings and beliefs in a constructive and non-aggressive manner. This means not hurting, threatening, demanding or trampling on the rights of others.

Do your very best to steer clear of situations whereby you “take matter into your own hands,” they never end well. Rather opt for an, a “I win, you win” attitude. Professional assertiveness utilises communication methods that maintain self-respect, satisfaction of all needs and defending your rights, without abusing or dominating other people.

Tracy Middleton, in an article published on the 25^th of September 2021, discusses the fundamental advantages of team work, and states:

Great ideas don’t come from individuals, Middleton states, “behind every genius is a TEAM;”
Diversity increases your creative thinking and can lead to new opportunities;
Team work can make you happier, research suggests “happy employees are up to 20 percent more productive than unhappy employees;”
Personal growth, by learning new concepts or ideas and learning from mistakes made by fellow colleagues, to avoid the same in the future;
The sharing of workload to avoid burnout and exhaustion
Dividing of the work for exposure to different levels of involvement on a plan or task, equipping people to grow their skillset and expertise;
Team recognition can lead to improved productivity on an individual level;
People tend to take risks when you know you have the support of the team behind you;
Reduced stress, a team who has a positive energy you will encourage one another and have fun together;
Effective communication leads to organizational success.

Team players appreciate that their team’s success is their own success, and they share accountability when their team experiences problems along the way.

Conclusion

Together we are stronger; take good care of your colleagues, make effort to support the members of your team, and show enthusiasm for the work that you do; associate yourself with quality people, who possess a positive mental attitude. Do your best and don’t expect less, be genuine and sincere and make discipline a way of life.

Remember MISA is just a phone call or an e-mail away!

(Article by Anneke Venter – Edited by Nichole Turner)

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References:

Team Effectiveness Assessment – Management Training from MindTools.com